Photo: Japan Rugby Football Union
The Hurricanes have bolstered their tight five ahead of next Super Rugby season with the signing of Japan international Warner Dearns for 2026.
Twenty-three-year-old Dearns was born in Wellington and grew up in Hawkes Bay, where his father Grant was a strength and conditioning coach for the NPC side.
Photo: Japan Rugby Football Union
His mother is former Silver Ferns netballer Tanya Dearns.
Warner Dearns moved to Japan as a teenager when his dad worked for the Green Rockets team near Tokyo.
"I'm really excited about the opportunity to join the Hurricanes and take on a new challenge in Super Rugby," Dearns said.
"I'm looking forward to continuing to grow as a player and giving everything I have for the jersey,"
Dearns will take a sabbatical from his Japanese club Toshiba Brave Lupus to join the Hurricanes for a season.
"I'm also incredibly grateful to Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo for supporting me in taking on this challenge in 2026."
The 2.02m and 124kg lock, who has made 21 appearances for Japan, adds height and strength to the Hurricanes forward pack.
"It's really exciting news for the club to sign an international lock in Warner," Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw said.
"He's a young Kiwi guy who's plying his trade in Japan. His family moved up there, he's qualified for Japan, and he's taking a sabbatical from Toshiba. He had a lot of interest, not just in New Zealand, but around the world, so for him to choose to join the Hurricanes is really exciting.
"Warner has family ties to the Hurricanes region - his sisters live in Wellington, his mum's the chief executive of Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union, his dad has been involved with Hawke's Bay in the NPC - so there's a lot of connection to the club."
Photo: Toshiba Brave Lupus
Laidlaw believes Dearns will have an immediate impact.
"We're looking forward to welcoming him when he comes after the November tests. He's an exceptional athlete. He's got a good set piece, particularly at the lineout, as well as around the field, so we think he can really add to our game.
"Warner's also experienced around the world, in Japan and international rugby, so he'll be really valuable as we build the team towards next season."
Warner Dearns:
Date of birth: 11 April, 2002
Place of birth: Wellington, New Zealand
Position: Lock
Height: 2.02m
Weight: 124kg
International side: Japan (21 tests, 4 tries)
Club side: Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo (62 matches, 11 tries)
Honours: 2x Japan Rugby League One champion (2024, 2025)
