Ardie Savea, one of this generation\u2019s best players, has revealed the struggles he went through to get to where he is today, which included almost quitting the sport altogether.<\/b><\/p>\n
The All Blacks great, who was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2023, made his international debut in 2016 and has been a fixture in the squad since then.<\/p>\n
Savea<\/a> was initially seen as an impact player off the bench, doing that in both 2016 and 2017, but it was in the second of those years where he struggled with that role.<\/p>\n The back-rower was only given limited game time and the 31-year-old has admitted that he contemplated leaving New Zealand<\/a>, and potentially quitting the sport, as a result.<\/p>\n \u2018Being young, you kind of believe that stuff\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2016, I made the All Blacks and in the media I was like this superstar, I was the guy coming through,\u201d the All Black told American YouTuber Donald De La Haye, who is also known online as Deestroying.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing young, you kind of believe that stuff and let it get to you. I didn\u2019t show it on the outside but, yeah\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThe following year things went downhill. I made the team but I wasn\u2019t getting picked to play and it just wasn\u2019t something I was used to. It was my own fault, I was just stubborn.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the off-season, I told my wife I wanted to leave New Zealand, and I almost got to the point where I wanted to quit rugby because I wasn\u2019t enjoying it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Savea would of course decide to give it another go and by the end of 2018, the back-rower cemented his place in the starting All Blacks line-up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat brought me back was a conversation with my wife. She just said: \u2018Who cares about selection, coaches, players. Just go out there and have fun\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe following season, I just said: \u2018I\u2019m going to train hard and just love the work I do\u2019, and I did that.\u201d<\/p>\n