Barrett to stay with Hurricanes

Wellington - All Blacks flyhalf Beauden Barrett will stay with the Hurricanes after rejecting offers to lure him away from the New Zealand capital, the Super 15 club said on Thursday.

The Hurricanes said Barrett, 23, who has emerged as a major force for the All Blacks since his debut in 2012, had agreed to a two-year contract extension.

"Having him in the number 10 jersey for us really strengthens the Hurricanes team, on and off the field," club chief executive James Te Puni said.

Blues coach John Kirwan has made no secret of his admiration for Barrett and was widely reported to be seeking his signature after the attempt to turn rugby league star Benji Marshall into a union fly-half ended in failure.

But Barrett said he felt he still had "unfinished business" with the Hurricanes.

"We have a relatively young team here and I really enjoy the role I play within the squad - it's been great for my overall rugby development," he said.

"While some of our results this year have been a bit up and down, I feel as a team we have improved in what has been a really tight competition."

Barrett has played 19 times for New Zealand and never lost a single Test in the All Blacks jersey.