 Back row Jerry Collins won 48 caps for New Zealand |
Ospreys back row Jerry Collins says he is enjoying his new club and does not expect to play for New Zealand again. The 28-year-old also says it would be a mistake if the All Blacks ever changed their rules to allow the selection of players who are based overseas. "I needed a change of life," he told BBC Wales' Sport Wales programme. "People have the perception that when you play for the All Blacks it's like sitting next to God. But it's not - it's just a sport." Collins - who is set to make his full debut for the Ospreys at Gloucester in a pre-season friendly on Saturday - says he has now got other priorities. The former New Zealand flanker won 48 caps, then spent an unhappy season with Toulon in France before joining the Ospreys at the start of the summer as the biggest name to move into Welsh rugby this year.  | 606: DEBATE |
"Rugby is a great part of my life and I'm thankful for it - especially playing for New Zealand. But it's not the be-all and end-all," Collins said. "It's no different to a guy who plays for Wales for a number of years. If you ask him why he stopped, he'll maybe say it's because he wanted to do something else." Collins played his last match for the All Blacks at the Millennium Stadium when they crashed out of the 2007 World Cup following a quarter-final defeat to France. He has since seen former team-mates Luke McAllister and Dan Carter both resume their All Black careers after spells playing in Europe, but insists that is not for him. Neither does he believe New Zealand should follow South Africa's lead and occasionally select some European-based players. "It's never going to happen - and I think that's good, too. They pick the players who are playing in the domestic competition and I think that's a good thing," he added. Collins pulled on an Ospreys jersey for the first time last week when he came on as a second-half replacement in the pre-season friendly victory over Leeds. *Watch the full interview on Sport Wales; BBC TWO Wales, Friday 28 August, 1900 BST.
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