Sabbatical.

All Blacks star Damian McKenzie is set to follow in the footsteps of teammate Jordie Barrett in making an interesting career move.

Barrett is set to take a sabbatical from New Zealand Rugby at the end of the year and join Leinster in the United Rugby Championship on a short-term deal for six months.

We’ve seen players take sabbaticals in the past but usually to weaker competitions such as the Top League in Japan, not to one of Europe’s elite.

But it may become a trend now with McKenzie set to sign for two-time European champions La Rochell after the Rugby Championship in a similar deal, according to reports in France.

A huge signing for Ronan O’Gara’s side who are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2023/24 season by their standards.