Savea to carry on training with Toulon despite president telling him he is not welcome

Julian Savea has vowed to carry on plying his trade with Toulon, despite being told by the club president he is no longer welcome at the Top 14 club.

The former New Zealand wing was told to apologise and go home by Mourad Boudjellal, after his performance in Toulon’s 19-10 defeat by Agen.

But Savea, whose spell in France has been engulfed by controversy, has nevertheless said he will continue to train with his team-mates.

Julian Savea has vowed to carry on training with Toulon, despite being told he is not welcome

President Mourad Boudjellal told Savea to apologise and ‘go back to his home country’

‘Putting all the negativity behind me and heading into this week with a positive attitude,’ he wrote on Twitter on Monday.

‘Whether I am welcomed or not I am still contracted to my team and I will continue to train week in and week out with my brothers #endofstory #letsmoveon’

Savea, who was part of the All Blacks’ 2015 World Cup winning side, had been a shadow of his former self since joining the French club last year from Super Rugby’s Hurricanes, Boudjellal said.

‘I’m going to ask for a DNA test. They must have swapped him on the plane. If I were him I would apologise and go back to my home country,’ he told French radio RMC.

‘I’ve told him that he was free to go and wasn’t welcome at Toulon anymore.’

Savea scored 46 tries for the All Blacks in 54 tests but he has been unable to prevent Toulon slipping to 11th in the Top 14 standings.