All Blacks

The 28-year-old loose forward has signed a three-year contract with French Top 14 club La Rochelle.

He will join them after his Super Rugby commitments.

The New Zealanders have been decimated by injuries in the first two rounds and stand seventh on the table.

Sir Gordon Tietjen's men will defend their Wellington title with a mixture of players that include a number of fifteens' stars, such as Sonny Bill Williams and Ardie Savea, hoping to crack the squad for the Rio Olympics.

Little Ayla Collins will spend her first Christmas with her maternal grandparents and her aunts, uncles and cousins in Canada.

Darrell and Ruth Madill have looked after the eight-month-old baby since the former All Black and his partner daughter were killed in a car crash in France on June 5. 

The SRU announced in July it was a facing a loss of US$580,000 from the historic test, citing smaller than expected earnings from broadcasting and sponsorship.

SRU Chief Executive Officer Faleomavaega Vincent Fepuleai says, since that announcement, the Samoa International Finance Authority provided additional sponsorship from the test, turning the deficit into a profit of US$300,000.

Former All Blacks doctor John Mayhew told the BBC that Lomu would have felt little pain when he died suddenly last week.

Mayhew spoke to BBC Five Live last night and said: "He returned from the UK via Dubai and appeared to be in good health before he died."

"We think the most likely cause was a clot on the lung which can be a complication of long distance travel. Jonah was at greater risk of that happening because of his renal condition."

In the church he used to go to as boy, the Lotofale'ia Methodist Church in Mangere, 40 candles were lit on a table at the front to represent each of the years of the rugby great's life. Jonah Lomu died suddenly last week after suffering for many years from a chronic and serious kidney disorder.

Music filled the church during yesterday's three hour service, from traditional Tongan and modern singing and a brass band, and people came to tell stories about "their son".

The memorial service at the Lotofalei'a Tongan Methodist Church in Mangere is the first public event for the rugby legend since he died on Wednesday, aged 40.

Lomu died suddenly this week, aged 40, after suffering for many years from a chronic and serious kidney disorder.

The All Black great is survived by his wife, Nadene, and their two young children.

The 34-year-old flanker played a world record 148 Tests, 131 of them wins, and led the All Blacks to two World Cup final victories, including last month's triumph against Australia.

McCaw is also a three-time winner of the World Player of the Year award.

The news, expected for some time, comes 24 hours after the death of iconic All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu.

Yesterday, students and staff at the school south of Auckland, were stunned by his sudden death.

One of his teachers, Richard Smythe, said Lomu at first showed no interest in rugby.

"He was always telling me he was going to run away from the school in the weekends and go and play league with his mates."

Smythe said the first time Lomu played rugby, there was "nothing".