Wellington Lions sign Julian Savea for 2020 Mitre 10 Cup

New Zealand international Julian Savea will make a return to Wellington Lions after he was signed by the provincial side for the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup campaign.

Savea made his professional rugby debut with Wellington Lions in 2010 and featured for them until 2017 and went on to score 15 tries in 32 starts for the side. He also captained the Lions to a championship win helping them gain a promotion back into the Premier Division.

Wellington Lions captain Du’Plessis Kirifi, who led them in the 2019 campaign is confident that Savea's presence will hugely benefit the club.

“The boys are stoked to have Jules back this year. He’s an amazing player who has achieved nearly everything there is to achieve in the game,” said Du’Plessis Kirifi.

“You have got boys coming out of high school and club rugby who are playing Mitre 10 Cup for the first time, so to have someone of this calibre floating around presents awesome opportunity to learn.”

The 30-year-old has played 54 Tests for New Zealand and was a key member in their victorious 2015 World Cup campaign where he scored eight tries from six matches. He was signed by the Hurricanes in the recently concluded Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign after his stint with Toulon was cut short by the pandemic coronavirus.