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Dunedin - Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa says he will
not allow speculation surrounding his future to affect his game.
The 24-year-old's contract with New Zealand Rugby and the Otago outfit expires at the end of the season.
Earlier this season, Fekitoa revealed there had been interest from overseas clubs in securing his signature.
He scored two tries in his side's 51-12 demolition of the
Rebels last weekend and his performance was praised by coach Tony Brown after
the game.
Meanwhile, Fekitoa refuses to be distracted by the
uncertainty around his playing future.
"I don't have a timeframe," Fekitoa told Stuff.
"I let my management team do all the talking behind the scenes. For me,
it's about getting my game right and enjoying my rugby."
And when probed about whether contract negotiations with NZR
had started, he responded:
"I can't say. They have been around supporting me for a few years now, but like I said, I don't do any talking. I'm focussing on being happy and getting excited every week, rather than stressing about it."
The Tongan-born number 13 is the first to admit that he hasn't had the best of seasons, but believes things are improving and put his early-season problems down to trying too hard and forcing the issue.
"I've been learning over the last couple of games about
what went wrong and how to get better," Fekitoa said.
"At the start of the season, I came in and I had a lot
of excitement. I wanted to do everything for the team and I think I tried too
much.
"When things didn't go my way, I tried to do more and
obviously made more mistakes.
"It didn't go well and I dropped my head. Mentally, it wasn't good. Obviously it showed on the field and that's when the errors came in, dropped balls and all sorts."
