Te Kūiti-born Toby Arnold told the Waikato Herald in November 2023, that he was “99 per cent sure” he’d retired after spending more than a decade with France-based Top 14 side Lyon Olympique Universitaire Rugby’s (LOU).
Arnold is LOU’s all-time top try-scorer of the professional era and played 232 times for the club.
A Bay of Plenty Steamers rep at the time, Arnold turned down a relieving role with the Chiefs in the 2012 Super 15 competition in favour of his third full season on the IRB world sevens circuit.
“There was never much communication coming my way from any of the Super 15 teams during or after ITM Cup so I guessed by that that I wasn’t really being looked at,” Arnold told the Rotorua Daily Post in November 2011.
“The Chiefs asked me to be involved in their wider training group but I turned it down — I made it pretty clear I’d rather play sevens and travel the world than hold a tackle bag in Hamilton all summer.”
Twelve years on, the veteran may finally have a Super Rugby chance during his swansong.
Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.
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