Todd re-signs with Crusaders

Cape Town - New Zealand Rugby and the Crusaders have secured the services of loose forward Matt Todd for another year, re-signing him to the end of the 2018 season.

28-year-old Todd has been a consistent performer for the Crusaders and All Blacks since making his Super Rugby debut in 2011 and Test debut in 2013.

He has played eight Tests to date and is only a few games off reaching his 100th cap for the Crusaders, but has proven over the last couple of years that he is only getting better and better with age and experience.

Todd acknowledged that there had been interest from overseas clubs but said the decision to stay and play his rugby in New Zealand and Christchurch for 2018 was relatively straightforward in the end.

"I was born and raised here in Christchurch, and now I am bringing up my own young family here. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to live here and play for the teams I love, so it was a pretty easy decision to re-sign with NZ Rugby and the Crusaders for 2018."

Todd returns from a recent calf strain to play the Force in the Super Rugby competition this weekend. It will be his 97th game for the Crusaders.

Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson said Todd's leadership and superb skills were highly valued in the team.

"Matt Todd has a major influence on every game he is involved in. We always know that we can count on him to give 100 percent and to perform at the highest level - he is a coach's dream," Roberston said. 

"He is an important leader in our group, his skills at the breakdown are superb and the best thing about Matt is that he is continually seeking to improve himself so just gets better every year.

"We know that there is plenty of upside in Matt yet, so we are thrilled to have signed him for another season.

Todd was first selected for the All Blacks in 2013, and shone for the national team last year during the Rugby Championship, including a standout performance in the final Bledisloe Test in Auckland.

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen said: "'Toddy' epitomises everything you want in a team man. He puts the team first, works incredibly hard at his game, deserves and appreciates every chance he gets and plays outstandingly well when he gets those opportunities.

"We congratulate him on his decision to stay."