Cape Town - Former
New Zealand Under-20 captain and Maori All Black hooker Leni Apisai
will play for the Blues in the Super Rugby competition until 2019.
The 21-year-old, who will play for Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup, has been a member of the Hurricanes since 2016.
Apisai played for the New Zealand Schools in 2013, and advanced to the New Zealand Under-20 side which won the world final in 2015, and was captain of the 2016 team.
He was promoted to the Maori All Blacks at just 20 years of age for their northern tour last year, making his debut as a replacement for the tour captain Ash Dixon against Munster.
“Leni is a player with proven Super Rugby ability and has developed leadership qualities which make him a valuable acquisition for the Blues,” said Blues high performance manager, Tony Hanks.
“He will add important depth as well as competition to the position with All Black James Parsons and Northland captain Matt Moulds as the hookers in the Blues squad for 2018.”