At 34, with a contract signed and a flight to Japan on the horizon, Kurt Eklund chose the harder path — the one that leads away from the game he had given his body to for years. The former Blues hooker and Māori All Blacks captain retired from professional rugby in early October after medical counsel made clear that continuing to play posed a serious risk to his long-term health. His decision, quiet and ungrudging, speaks to something older than sport: the moment a person chooses the life ahead over the life they have known.
Blues hooker Kurt Eklund retires from rugby due to persistent neck injuries
Eklund's career was cut short by cumulative neck injuries, forcing him to abandon a professional contract opportunity in Japan.
It's in my best interest to step away from the game
Mark
So he had a deal in Japan lined up and just walked away from it?
Mimi
Yes. He'd signed with Yokohama Canon Eagles, was supposed to go with another Blues player, Stephen Perofeta. But the neck injuries had been building for years, and medical advice finally said it wasn't safe to continue.
Luke
Do we know what the medical advice actually was? Like, was it a neurologist, a team doctor, a specialist? The source just says he was "advised."
Mimi
That's fair—the statement doesn't specify who gave the advice or what the exact diagnosis was. Just that it was serious enough to override a professional contract.
Mark
And he'd been dealing with this for years?
Mimi
Multiple years, yes. He doesn't give a timeline, but it was chronic enough that it shaped his decision at 34, when he could have played longer.
Luke
Thirty-four isn't that old for a hooker, either. He had earning potential left. The fact that he walked away suggests the risk was real.
Mimi
Exactly. He played 75 matches for the Blues, captained the Māori All Blacks. He had a career he could be proud of. But he chose health over extending it.
Mark
How did people react?
Mimi
Teammates like Sam Cane and Ruben Love left supportive comments. Cane said he was sorry it ended that way. Love said Eklund had made him feel welcome when they first played together.
Luke
Those are nice gestures, but they're also the expected response. What we don't see is any statement from the Blues organization or the Japanese club about what happens next—financially, contractually.
Mimi
True. The source doesn't cover the business side of the retirement at all.
Mark
What's next for him?
Mimi
That's not in the announcement. He just says he's grateful and moving on to "the next venture," but doesn't say what that is.
Luke
So we know why he retired and that it was medically advised, but we don't know the specifics of the injury, the contract terms, or what he's doing now.
Mimi
Right. It's a clean announcement of a decision, but the deeper story—the medical details, the financial impact—isn't there.
The Pulse
- A signed contract with the Yokohama Canon Eagles evaporated when doctors told Eklund his neck could no longer withstand professional rugby — the opportunity was real, and then it was gone.
- Years of accumulated neck damage had reached a threshold where the medical advice shifted from management to cessation, leaving Eklund with no safe path forward in the sport.
- At 34 — still within the earning years of a professional athlete — Eklund faced the collision between financial incentive and physical survival, and chose his body.
- His announcement drew warmth rather than silence: All Blacks captain Sam Cane and former teammates offered public tributes, reflecting the respect Eklund had built across 75 Blues matches and nine Māori All Blacks appearances.
- The retirement lands as a quiet but pointed reminder that professional rugby extracts costs that contracts cannot account for, and that heeding medical guidance can require more courage than playing through pain.
At 34, with a contract signed and a flight to Japan on the horizon, Kurt Eklund chose the harder path — the one that leads away from the game he had given his body to for years. The former Blues hooker and Māori All Blacks captain retired from professional rugby in early October after medical counsel made clear that continuing to play posed a serious risk to his long-term health. His decision, quiet and ungrudging, speaks to something older than sport: the moment a person chooses the life ahead over the life they have known.
Kurt Eklund had already signed with the Yokohama Canon Eagles and was set to join fellow Blue Stephen Perofeta in Japan when, in early October, he announced he would not be going — and would not be playing professional rugby again. The 34-year-old hooker had been managing a persistent neck injury for several years, and medical advice had finally become unambiguous: continuing posed too great a risk to his long-term health. He chose to stop.
"I've been battling neck injuries for the past few years and I've been told it's in my best interest to step away from the game, so that's what I am going to do," he wrote. The tone was not bitter. Eklund reflected on 75 matches for the Blues since his 2020 debut, 115 points accumulated, and the captaincy of the Māori All Blacks in 2025 — a career that carried genuine weight even if it ended earlier than planned.
"If you'd told 10-year-old me that I'd be able to achieve all the things I've been able to, I would have thought you'd be joking," he said. The response from peers was immediate and warm. Sam Cane wrote: "Top man. Sorry to hear it finish this way bro." Ruben Love recalled Eklund making him feel welcome on his first day with the Māori All Blacks in 2022.
What Eklund's retirement quietly underscores is the physical arithmetic of professional rugby — the way years of contact accumulate in the body long after the final whistle. At an age when most athletes would push back against medical counsel, especially with a contract already signed, he did not. That choice, more than any match statistic, may be what defines how his career is remembered.
Kurt Eklund was 34 years old and had just signed a contract to play for the Yokohama Canon Eagles in Japan when he announced he would not be going. The former Blues hooker posted to social media in early October to say he was stepping away from professional rugby entirely, ending not just the Japanese opportunity but his playing career altogether.
The decision came after years of managing a persistent neck injury. Eklund had been wrestling with the problem for several years, and medical advice had finally tipped toward the irreversible: continue playing and risk serious harm, or stop now. He chose to stop. "I've been battling neck injuries for the past few years and I've been told it's in my best interest to step away from the game, so that's what I am going to do," he wrote in his statement.
The timing was sharp. Eklund had already committed to Japan alongside fellow Blues player Stephen Perofeta, but the medical counsel overrode the contract. He never left New Zealand. At an age when many professional athletes are still in their prime earning years, he was being told his body could no longer sustain the demands of the sport.
Yet Eklund's tone in announcing the retirement was not bitter. He had played 75 matches for the Blues since his debut in 2020 against the Chiefs, accumulating 115 points across his tenure. He had captained the Māori All Blacks in 2025, appearing in nine matches since first joining that squad in June 2021. These were substantial accomplishments in a career that, while not lengthy by some measures, had carried real weight and responsibility. "I'm truly grateful for all the opportunities the people I have met and the memories I've made along the way," he said. "If you'd told 10-year-old me that I'd be able to achieve all the things I've been able to, I would have thought you'd be joking."
The announcement drew immediate support from his peers. Sam Cane, the All Blacks captain, left a comment acknowledging the difficult end: "Top man. Sorry to hear it finish this way bro. All the best for the next venture." Ruben Love, who had played alongside Eklund in the Māori All Blacks, wrote: "All the best brother made me feel welcomed first day Māori ABs 2022 will never forget. Respect bro!"
Eklund's retirement is one data point in a larger conversation about the physical toll of professional rugby. Neck injuries in particular carry long-term consequences that extend well beyond a player's career. The decision to step away rather than pursue one more contract—even one that would have taken him to Japan and presumably paid well—suggests that the medical advice was serious enough to override the financial and professional incentive to keep playing. At 34, with a contract signed and a move planned, most athletes would push back against such counsel. Eklund did not.
Notable Quotes
I've been battling neck injuries for the past few years and I've been told it's in my best interest to step away from the game— Kurt Eklund, in his retirement announcement
Sorry to hear it finish this way bro. All the best for the next venture— Sam Cane, All Blacks captain, in response to Eklund's retirement
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