Hayman (35) has announced he will retire at the end of the French season in late May, bringing to the end a first-class career which started in 1998.
The tighthead prop played 45 tests for the All Blacks but he could have easily played at least double that and more had he not left to play in England after the 2007 World Cup.
He left to play club rugby in Newcastle in England and then moved across the English Channel to play for Toulon in 2010.
He has been playing for the French powerhouse ever since despite the temptation to come back to New Zealand and play for the All Blacks.
Just before he signed for Toulon there was plenty of speculation Hayman would return to New Zealand for the 2011 World Cup but he never did.
Nor will he be playing at this year's World Cup, as he has decided to end his playing days in France.
Hayman is the captain of Toulon and, as a prop in France, his body gets a vigorous work-out every Saturday.
The scrum is a big part of French rugby so Hayman's talents have been very much appreciated by Toulon management.
Hayman has given no clear indication of where his future lies once he leaves the French club but it appears he will be no rush to get home.
He has a third child on the way with wife Natalie. The couple have a boy and a girl - Taylor and Sophie - and Hayman has indicated he may look at coaching.
He has a coaching diploma and may want to look at getting into some sort of coaching, although in French rugby being a coach can be a short-term vocation.
Hayman has always been reported as wanting to buy a dairy farm in New Zealand and, during his talks with New Zealand Rugby in 2009-10, there were reports the national union was looking at buying Hayman a farm to get him back to New Zealand.
That never eventuated as he went for the big-money move to Toulon.
The former Southern club player was believed to be in the North Otago region only a couple of months ago looking at property.
Hayman was born in Taranaki but moved to Dunedin as a teenager.
He played 68 games for Otago and 81 games for the Highlanders.
