Steamers star Mike Delany departing

All Black first-five Mike Delany has signed for a Japanese club and won't be available for Bay of Plenty's ITM Cup season, as Jamie Troughton writes.

Mike Delany lingered at Baypark Stadium last Friday night, long after the Crusaders had beaten his Chiefs team in front of nearly 17,000 fans.
The 28-year-old soaked up the atmosphere one last time, scuffed the familiar orange clay from his boots and packed his bag sadly.
The Steamers first-five won't be back in Bay of Plenty colours this year, having signed with Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights, formerly Sanyo, where former All Black Tony Brown is assistant coach.
Delany wrestled with the decision for much of summer, rethought it again when the Japanese earthquake and tsunami struck, before finally confirming it to the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend this week.
"It's definitely the hardest decision I've ever had to make, especially with the Bay having their centenary year this year," Delany said. "I'll really miss playing here with the guys - that's why playing out here on Baypark one more time was pretty special for me because I don't know if I'll get another chance again. I'd love to stay and finish my career here but the opportunity to play over there is too good."
Just when the 2009 All Black tourist departs this year will depend on whether he gets a recall to the national team for the World Cup.
He played six seasons for the Steamers, winning 61 caps and scoring 489 points, putting him fifth on the all-time list behind Greg Rowlands, Ron Preston, Andy Miller and Glen Jackson.
Though his departure will come as a shock to many fans, it's a move he's been considering for several seasons and one he had signalled to Bay of Plenty coaching staff.
Recently departed Steamers assistant coach Steve Miln spent the best part of a decade in Japan, while Brown has kept in touch with Delany since the pivots first crossed paths in 2008.
"I was at the Highlanders and played at Newlands when he was playing for the Stormers, and we just started talking from there," Delany said. "There's always the chance to go to Europe and play over there but in terms of career longevity, Japan's the best option. We're not playing 40 games a season - it's probably half that - and I want to play as long as possible. I've always been keen to go to Japan, having talked to people like Milny about it."
Knowing Delany was heading offshore, the Steamers have signed Otago first-five Chris Noakes for the year and he will compete with Dan Waenga and Kelly Haimona for the starting berth.
Noakes, who has been playing club rugby for Tauranga Sports, has won Delany's approval.
"I've kept in touch with the Bay all the way through and let them know where I stand and I wanted to make sure they had time to find someone of a decent calibre to take over. I think Noaksey's going to be awesome for the union - he's a good bloke and he'll steer the boys around really well."
Delany admits the Japanese quake caused some nervous moments, but he's confident he's not heading into danger.
"The nuclear issue was the biggest thing I was worried about and I was umming and ahhing for a while there. But I've been pretty proactive about getting news back through my agents and getting a feel about what it's like over there. From their point of view, they're confident everything is sweet."
Delany is the second Chiefs player to confirm departure - Sitiveni Sivivatu is heading to Clermont in France - but as many as 10 front-line players from the franchise are expected to leave.
The Chiefs' other All Black first-five, Stephen Donald, has been linked to Irish club Munster, Mils Muliaina is widely touted to leave, while locks Hayden Triggs and Isaac Ross are also on the radar of overseas clubs.