Former iconic All Blacks prop Karl Tu'inukuafe has announced his retirement from all rugby.
He made 59 Super Rugby appearances between with firstly the Chiefs and then Blues and played 27 tests for the All Blacks before signing with French club Montpellier in 2022.
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In an Instagram post, Tu'inukuafe said explained he retirement. "I was never great, but I was always grateful - me, my whole career."
"I never played NZ Secondary Schools, NZU20′s. I never dreamt of becoming a pro footy player but God had other plans. If you think you're too overweight or getting too old to go pro, never fold. It's been done before. The last 10 years were great."
Tu'inukuafe was one of the heaviest players for the All Blacks at 135kgs, that's after he played first XV rugby at Wesley College and then Counties Manukau age-grade teams.
However, a lack of application saw him work as a bouncer and balloon to 175kg before he was given medical advice to loose weight. He then returned to rugby and gained a contract at Narbonne in France.
This eventually led to him signing with North Harbour and then the Chiefs, where injuries to other key props led to a rapid acceleration of Tu'inukuafe's career.
He was called into the All Blacks in 2018 with a debut against France at Eden Park where he put in an impressive preformance.
Such was his impact that season that he was nominated for World Rugby's Breakthrough Player of the Year.
However, illness and injury ruined his bid for a spot in the 2019 World Cup squad, as Tu'inukuafe missed two months of rugby before the tournament - ironically he was replaced by Atu Moli, who had just come off a break due to a chronic infection as well.
Tu'inukuafe returned to the All Blacks in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, scoring his only test try in the record-breaking 43-5 defeat of the Wallabies at Accor Stadium.
He played his last test in the tumultuous series loss to Ireland in 2022, before signing with Montpellier.