Japan-bound Magpies and Hurricanes star loosie Devan Flanders opens up on his ‘why’

Mark Story

Deputy editor·Hawkes Bay Today·

28 Aug, 2026 06:00 PM3 mins to read

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Devan Flanders was in white-hot form before signing a three-year deal with Japan’s Urayasu D-Rocks – a move that potentially cost him an All Blacks call-up. The 27-year-old Hurricanes and Magpies barnstorming loosie talks to Hawke’s Bay Today deputy editor Mark Story about his “why”.

Given your stellar season
for the Hurricanes, a new All Blacks coach and pending world cup, the timing of your move surprised many fans.

This decision was extremely hard, and we went back and forwards over it many times. I suppose the final part of that is knowing that we only have a short period of our lives playing rugby. All it takes is one injury, and our career can be over. I feel as if I have been playing very similarly over the past few years and have given the All Blacks a big enough crack. But it is also a business, and when the time was right for my fiancée and me, we made the decision to head offshore.

As a local player, your native Hawke’s Bay Magpies and Hurricanes provenance has been a big part of your “why”. What do you tap into in Japan, given you can no longer draw from this well?

These two clubs have been a huge part of my life and have contributed a lot to the person I am today. They’ll always hold a strong place in my heart, and I’ll continue to follow and support them. Although, my ‘why’ has always been my family and future family. So, moving to Japan, I’ll take that same mindset with me. D-Rocks will also become my family, so I’ll be doing everything I can to have a positive influence on the team.