Highlanders left winger Patrick Osborne will have some pacey competition for a spot in the starting side next season with confirmation Blues player Tevita Li will move south.
The 21-year-old speedster, who was unavailable for comment yesterday, has signed with the Highlanders for 2017.
No doubt he will be hoping the move does for his career what it did for Malakai Fekitoa and Waisake Naholo.
That pair went from relative obscurity to starting players in the All Blacks. Oh, and they contributed to a successful Super rugby campaign for the Highlanders last year.
"Obviously, I will always be grateful to the Blues for giving me start in Super rugby,'' Li said in a press release.
"I have absolutely enjoyed my time with the Blues. However I am at the stage right now where I think a move to a different club will provide me the kick-start I need to move my rugby to another level.
"It was a difficult decision and one that I took a lot of time over. Moving out of my home town - down to Dunedin - will present me with some new challenges as a person and take me out of my comfort zone a little bit.
"It will definitely challenge me to be a better player.''
It appears it was Blues head coach Tana Umaga who gave Li the prod he needed. He had talked to him about the need to "push himself out of his comfort zone''.
"We made an offer to Tevita and told him that if that change was here with us, then we would be happy for him to recommit,'' Umaga said.
"We were aware he had an offer from another club and he obviously felt that he needed to leave our environment to challenge himself.''
The Blues also have several midfield backs capable of playing on the wing which may have been a factor in Li's decision.
That said, Li will have to battle for a starting spot at the Highlanders with Osborne well established on the left wing.
Li made his debut for the Blues in 2014 when he was just 19 but it was with the New Zealand under-20 team that he showed his true potential.
During the 2015 under-20 world cup tournament, Li scored a hat-trick against France, becoming the highest try-scorer in tournament history.
A quiet and religious young man, Li has been starting on the left wing for the Blues and has scored four tries this season.
Highlanders head-coach-in-waiting Tony Brown perhaps has an eye to the future in welcoming Li.
"Tevita is an exciting young player with a great deal of potential. We are delighted to have recruited him to the Highlanders.
"I think he will fit in well down here and complement the skills we already have in our outside backs.''
Highlanders chief executive officer Roger Clark said, in a press release, it was ``fair to say three or four years ago players like Tevita may not have considered the Highlanders, but these days players carefully weigh up all their options and look to take the opportunity that best suits them at a particular stage in their career.
"Clearly the decision to shift clubs is never taken lightly but we have seen how well it has worked for some players in recent seasons. We are confident the shift will work well for Tevita and provide him with opportunities he is looking for to further his rugby career.''
