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All Black hooker commits to Hurricanes long-term
By Sam Smith
The Hurricanes have today announced hooker, Asafo Aumua, has recommitted to the Wellington Lions, Hurricanes and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) through to 2025.
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Born and raised in Lower Hutt, Aumua debuted for the Wellington Lions in 2016 in his first year out of school and was the Lions leading try scorer, dotting down six times in 10 games, including a hat-trick against Northland.
In 2017 he was a key member of the New Zealand Under 20s team and scored a hat-trick of tries in the 64-17 World Rugby Under 20 Championship final victory over England.
His stunning form continued into the 2017 NPC season with a 60-metre try against Canterbury, one of the best of the year, earning him a call up to the All Blacks for their northern tour despite not having played a game of Super Rugby.
Aumua made his Hurricanes debut in March 2018 against the Crusaders at Sky Stadium and went on to make three further appearances before a frustrating wrist injury ruled him out of the remainder of the season.
He returned in 2019, making several appearances off the bench before he gained his first start against the Chiefs in Wellington. He has since played 45 games for the side.
After a standout season with the Hurricanes in 2020, Aumua earned himself a recall to the All Blacks squad before making his Test debut against Australia in Brisbane.
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The 25-year-old, who had been contracted until 2023, said he was thrilled to extend his time with the Hurricanes.
“Stoked to be returning to the Hurricanes for another two seasons. The opportunity to represent the Club once again is very special.”
Hurricanes Head Coach Jason Holland said Aumua’s best years were still ahead of him.
“Brilliant news that Asafo has recommitted to the Hurricanes. He is hugely respected by everyone in our environment and is a big part of what we do on and off the field,” Holland said.
“We feel that he has some solid foundations in place to really kick on and take his game to another level and dominate Super and International rugby in the coming years.”
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-Press Release/Hurricanes
