All Blacks, Chiefs loose forward Samipeni Finau confirms move to Japan’s Yokohama Canon Eagles

Wednesday, 1 July 2026

Chiefs hard-hitter, and 12-test All Black, Samipeni Finau, is the latest to join the Kiwi rugby exodus, giving up another World Cup dream and instead confirming a move to Japan from next season.

The 27-year-old loose forward was off contract with New Zealand Rugby this year and had been weighing up offshore deals before eventually opting for the Leon MacDonald-coached Yokohama Canon Eagles.

The Chiefs announced Finau’s departure on Wednesday, though new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie was well aware of where he was headed, and so essentially ruled the 1.93m, 115kg bruiser out of contention for his first 34-man squad announced last week.

Hot-form Hurricanes winger Fehi Fineanganofo (Newcastle Red Bulls) is an exception to that rule of picking overseas-headed players, mind you, although there is clearly hope of him getting out of that deal to now stay put in New Zealand.

Finau’s move, which follows the same decision of the Canes’ Devan Flanders, announced two months back (and the earlier ones of Blues duo Dalton Papali’i and Hoskins Sotutu, to France and England, respectively) would have eased the loose-forward selection headaches for Rennie, Neil Barnes and Sir Graham Henry.

It potentially also gave a leg-up to his Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson and fellow team-mate Simon Parker, in a group that is headlined by a front-line looking trio of captain Ardie Savea, Peter Lakai and Wallace Sititi, as well as the too-impressive-to-leave-out uncapped Anton Segner.

Finau will play another NPC season with Waikato before heading abroad, and there will be a nagging feeling that no-one ever saw the best of him at international level, for a player that was always capable of surging runs or putting on monster hits and being one of the more physical options in the troublesome All Blacks No 6 jersey.

After getting a national call-up in 2023 by Ian Foster, Finau played just one test before duly missing the World Cup cut, then, under Scott Robertson, logged seven more caps in 2024, then looked set for a real shot last year, but only ended up featuring in the first four fixtures after Tupou Vaa’i was instead experimented with, then Parker was called up, and then Finau headed home halfway through the northern tour due to a family illness.

This may well not prove to be the end of Finau’s test career, though. The Waikato Times understands his Japan deal is for two seasons, and so come mid-2028, with a healthy pay cheque banked, he could conceivably return to New Zealand ready to rip in again, having just turned 29 and with a British and Irish Lions tour to work towards in 2029 and the 2031 World Cup in the United States on the table.

Ironically, it is almost an identical path to the one trodden by Finau’s good mate he knew growing up in Tonga, Shannon Frizell. The 33-test blindside left after the 2023 World Cup, played three seasons in Japan and has now returned, age 32, eligible for the All Blacks again later this year.

Finau, who has had two uncles play for Tonga and one for Japan, had arrived in New Zealand at age 13, spent a couple of years in Katikati before moving to Auckland, playing as a fullback back then, before spending his last year of school boarding at St Peter’s School in Cambridge.

He went on to debut for Waikato in 2019, the same year he played for the New Zealand Under-20s, and then the following season missed out on a shot with the Crusaders after being an injury call-up but then getting injured himself the day before their first pre-season game.

The following year he got his chance as an injury replacement with the Chiefs, and never looked back, going on to notch 75 caps, score 11 tries, and feature in all of those four consecutive lost Super Rugby Pacific finals.

“My time at the Chiefs will always be one that I will cherish,” Finau said in a statement announcing his departure.

“It’s hard to say goodbye, but I’m really grateful for the people, the memories and the chance to represent this club.

“Wearing the jersey has been an honour and I hope I have represented all this jersey stands for. Chiefs will always be home. Thank you.”