Savea agrees to pay cut to stay at Toulon

Cape Town - Former All Black wing Julian Savea will remain at three-time European champions Toulon next season after agreeing to take a pay cut, according to regional French paper Var-matin.

Capped 54 times by New Zealand, scoring a remarkable 46 tries, Savea joined the French outfit at the start of the 2018/19 campaign on a lucrative two-year deal.

However, Savea struggled for form and was publicly criticised by owner Mourad Boudjellal, who stated that his contract would be terminated.

“I’m going to ask for a DNA test,” Boudjellal said earlier this year.

“I’ve told him he’s been released and he’s not welcome at Toulon. He’s got a year left on his contract, he can do what he wants.”

The 28-year-old refused to back down, though, and continued to train and play at the Top 14 club, often featuring at centre as the 2014 domestic winners displayed an improvement towards the end of the season.

Looking forward to this season with @RCTofficiel One more week of holiday break and then back into the grind ?????? https://t.co/1fnK0b9S77

— Julian Savea (@juliansavea7) June 26, 2019