Things got a bit awkward as Andy Ellis started to get emotional.

When the halfback was listed for a media interview on Monday morning he was expected to ruminate on his 150th Super Rugby appearance for the Crusaders, a milestone he will share with Wyatt Crockett and Corey Flynn, against the Waratahs on Friday night.

Not a chance. That topic was buried following the shock announcement that Ellis, despite having another year on his contract with the Crusaders, will finish-up after this campaign.

As the microphones hovered under his chin and the questions began, the enormity of the decision - even though he had made his mind up earlier in the season - seemed to hit home for the 28-test All Black.

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First his voice wavered. Then he joked about some dust in his eye. Finally the Crusaders communications manager asked if he would take a break to regather his thoughts.

That seemed to do the trick. Within a couple of seconds the Ellis declared himself ready to go and explained why he is going to sever his ties with a club he has represented since 2006.

Why? Because, he said, the timing was right. The 32-year-old wants to remove himself on his own terms, when he is still in good form.

"Age didn't come into it … I have seen both sides. I have seen guys who have stayed too long and stopped enjoying it as much and I have seen guys who have left a little bit too early," Ellis said. "For me, I just think now is a good time for me to leave while it is in my control."

Ellis has had to fight to keep his No 9 jersey for a decade. Kevin Senio, Kahn Fotuali'i and Willi Heinz all challenged him for his place and then went offshore. Now it is Ellis's turn to offshore, but first he has to keep Mitchell Drummond from deposing him.

He has no intention of dropping his boots into a furnace and walking into the sunset. There is a two-year deal with Kobe Steel, the Japanese club he has represented for the last two off-seasons, to honour and then he will think about what his next job placement with be inside or outside the rugby industry.

Ellis's talents as a landscape architect have been well documented. An effervescent type, he could potentially swing towards coaching, or maybe the business world appeals more.

There is no doubt Ellis will be missed the Crusaders organisation, on and off the field. Some veteran players can get a bit cranky as the seasons roll by, but he has never fallen into the trap of playing the big shot or lording over the younger pups in the squad.

He has also displayed no bitterness about the way the All Blacks selectors cast him adrift after the 2011 World Cup, a harsh blow for a loyal operator who took the field in late in the final against France in Auckland and calmly helped guide the team to victory. The two appearances since that 8-7 win at Eden Park were against Samoa and Argentina last year, when the selectors were forced to cast a wider net because the Highlanders and Hurricanes players was compromised by the Super Rugby final.

Ellis is well aware that he will soon be unable to train, play and hang around with some of his best mates who also happen to play for the Crusaders. There have plenty of good times, title wins in 2006 and 2008 and some real characters along the way - of which Norm Maxwell, he said, takes the cake.

"It's been such an awesome time in my life; for the last 10 years, to have a job that every fellow dreams of. And the boys, I have played with, too, are great mates. But that is cool because we will carry on drinking whisky and smoking cigars for a long time to come."

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