A mainstay of Wellington and the Hurricanes for most of the past decade, the 29-year-old lock has decided to join English club Gloucester on a two-and-a-half season deal after this year's World Cup.
Long touted as a player of great potential, Thrush made his debut for the All Blacks in 2013 and was one of the side's most consistent performers last year as injuries to the second-row stocks hit the national side hard.
Thrush had flirted with an offshore move in previous years but he kept plugging away as he chased his dream of pulling on an All Black jersey.
"I was never ready to go and in my gut I wanted to stay and push for those honours," he said. "I just feel now is the right time for me to do that and move on.
"I always go on a bit of a gut feeling and that was it was probably the right time to go and experience something else."
There's a growing stock of talented young locks coming through in New Zealand but Thrush said he hadn't worried about the footsteps behind him from the likes of Patrick Tuipulotu and Dom Bird.
"I don't really make my decisions on who else is around," Thrush said. "I guess if you focus too much on what everyone else is doing, you're a little bit behind."
Thrush is part of a growing exodus of experienced players in New Zealand who will head overseas after this year's World Cup including Dan Carter and Ma'a Nonu.
Former All Blacks prop John Afoa is on Gloucester's books, while Chiefs utility back Tom Marshall will join the club after this year's edition of Super Rugby.
"There's a few familiar faces there," Thrush said.
The 1.98m second-rower will rejoin the Hurricanes next Saturday for their week-long camp in Gisborne and nothing would please him more than ending his tenure at the franchise with a long-awaited maiden Super Rugby title.
"It would be special. Every time you put your head down and start going back to work for the pre-season for that competition it's always in the back of your mind that you want to be there in the final and holding that trophy and there's a lot of work to go in before that can happen."
- Daniel Richardson of NZME. News Service
