Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Mike Rogers wishes Toby Arnold all the best in France but would love to have been able to keep him for the upcoming ITM Cup.
"He has been a fantastic servant of Bay of Plenty rugby and we would have loved to haveretained Toby, and we certainly had discussions with him," Rogers said. "He was pretty heart-torn about the fact he wanted to play for the Bay and New Zealand Sevens but equally he has a young family and has to make solid decisions for the family as well. We would love to have had him but appreciate these decisions are massive for players to make and there is no ill-feeling towards him for taking up this opportunity.
"When he wasn't playing he was coaching and that is a measure of the guy that he wasn't just about himself. He was prepared to contribute and even his involvement around the (Steamers) last year, he was totally involved in the team environment and was prepared to help us with community initiatives and projects. He is a fantastic individual and represents everything that we want in a player."Peter White
