Former All Black Tu'inukuafe retires

Karl Tu'inukuafe has announced his retirement from rugby. The prop made 59 Super Rugby appearances between stints for the Chiefs and Blues and played 27 tests for the All Blacks before signing with French club Montpellier in 2022.

In an Instagram post, Tu'inukuafe said that "I was never great, but I was always grateful - me, my whole career."

"I never played NZ Secondary Schools, NZU20′s. I never dreamt of becoming a pro footy player but God had other plans. If you think you're too overweight or getting too old to go pro, never fold. It's been done before. The last 10 years were great."

Karl Tu'inukuafe announced his retirement. Photo: Instagram

At 135kgs, Tu'inukuafe is one of the heaviest ever players to play for the All Blacks, however, it was his unconventional journey to test rugby that is most remarkable. After playing First XV rugby at Wesley College and then Counties Manukau age-grade teams, by 2014 he had drifted from the sport, working as a bouncer and weighing 175kgs. Tu'inukuafe received medical advice to lose weight, so returned to rugby and eventually secured a contract at Narbonne in France.

This led to him signing with North Harbour, then fate played a huge part in securing a place first in the Chiefs, then the Blues. Injuries to other key props led to a rapid acceleration of Tu'inukuafe's career, leading to a call up to the All Blacks in 2018. He debuted against France at Eden Park that year, playing in 12 tests.

Such was his impact that season that he was nominated for World Rugby's Breakthrough Player of the Year.

Photo: Photosport Ltd 2020

However, illness ruined his bid for a spot in the 2019 World Cup squad, as Tu'inukuafe missed two months of rugby before the tournament - ironically he was replaced by Atu Moli, who had just come off a break due to a chronic infection as well.

Tu'inukuafe returned to the All Blacks in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, scoring his only test try in the record-breaking 43-5 defeat of the Wallabies at Accor Stadium.

He played his last test in the tumultuous series loss to Ireland in 2022, before signing with Montpellier.