Colin Slade said the opportunity to play in France was too good to turn down.

Colin Slade will join French club Pau after the Rugby World Cup in England later this year. The 27-year-old All Blacks and Crusaders utility back confirmed on Monday night that he would be contracted to Pau through to mid-2018 on a deal believed to be worth more than $800,000 a season.

Opting to leave New Zealand, Slade said, was one of the toughest decisions he had ever made in his rugby career. Now the choice has been made he remains adamant he will do everything he can to help the Crusaders win a Super Rugby title and push his way into the All Blacks' World Cup squad.

"It certainly wasn't easy - I have lost a lot of sleep over it," Slade, who didn't want to talk about how much the deal was worth, admitted.

Getty Images Colin Slade in action for the Crusaders against his old side, the Highlanders.

"But it not just a rugby decision, a lifestyle decision or a financial decision. It is a combination of all three and with the stage of where I am in my life and my career, my wife and I have always wanted to do a bit of travel as well.

"I have always been pretty clear I wanted to go overseas at some point. It is exciting."

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Slade, who was also being chased by French club Toulon, had to weigh-up an option to stay in New Zealand Rugby against the opportunity to play for an ambitious club that is going places under former All Blacks first five-eighth Simon Mannix. Pau will play in the Top 14 competition in 2016 and have also recruited All Blacks centre Conrad Smith.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen made it clear he wanted Slade to stay and contest the No 10 jersey with Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett. He suggested Slade would have a chance to push for first-five, particularly if Barrett elected to concentrate on making the New Zealand Sevens team for next year's Rio Olympics.

Slade appreciated the support he had received from Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder and Hansen.

"From [purely a rugby point of view] an outsider would probably think it's a silly decision to leave now, but I have weighed-up every factor," Slade said.

"You just never know when these deals are going to come up - this is a good club in a good part of the world. It was just something I couldn't pass up."

Hansen said just because a player declares he will leave New Zealand, doesn't mean he will get a "slap on the hand" and be overlooked by the All Blacks selectors. If a player's form warrants it, he will be picked. Yet Slade said he knew he had to take the World Cup into consideration before declaring his future plans.

"That was one of the harder things. You want to do everything in your powers to make that. At the end of the day I've just got to focus on playing well and hopefully I still have a shot," he said.

"I am going to be giving it absolutely everything, because it's probably my last chance to win the Super Rugby title and make that [the All Blacks] team."

Slade said he was grateful to NZ Rugby for putting together a competitive offer: "They did everything they could to keep me here, I certainly wasn't discouraged by the package they put together."

He told his Crusaders team-mates of his decision on Monday.

Mannix will be very pleased to get this deal across the line. Slade, who has shown mental fortitude in repeatedly bouncing back from serious injuries in the past and came back from two broken jaws to make the 2011 World Cup squad, can play first-five and fullback and is a very reliable goal kicker.

"I have spoken to him [Mannix] a number of times and have been really impressed by what he presented and what he has done with the club," Slade said.