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Johnstone heads to Biarritz

Monday 21st July 2008

Campbell Johnstone: Off to France

Canterbury tighthead prop Campbell Johnstone has moved to Biarritz in France, and will leave midway through the Air New Zealand Cup in September once the Tri-Nations is over.

Johnstone, who last appeared for the All Blacks in 2005, was given an early release from his contract by the NZRU over the weekend.

"I'd always decided that 28 would be the right time to go overseas and then the offer came up to go to a really good club and I decided to take the chance," Johnstone told The Press newspaper.

"I guess I just got a little bit tired of the whole rotation policy. I got rotated out of the All Blacks in 2005, although I think that was more a case of being dropped than rotated. I kept waiting for things to rotate round again."

Johnstone has had a miserable 2008, missing much of the Super 14 after undergoing surgery on a finger tendon injury. He leaves Canterbury with 62 appearances and three Super Rugby titles under his belt.