The Crusaders came calling, but All Blacks midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown is sticking with the Chiefs, signing a new deal with the Super Rugby franchise, and New Zealand Rugby, through to the end of 2020.

The Chiefs announced dual-signings on Monday, with fellow All Black, hooker Nathan Harris, also remaining put till 2019.

Neither of the pair were the sort of candidates to head offshore, both still not long into their careers, and both still very much in the frame to wear the black jersey, but, for Lienert-Brown at least, there was the possibility of moving back home to Christchurch.

PHIL WALTER/GETTY IMAGES Nathan Harris will remain with the Chiefs through to 2019.

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson sounded out the 22-year-old, but in the end Lienert-Brown said it was a pretty straightforward decision to stay with the team which gave him his opportunity.

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"I'm a Christchurch man, and I know Razor [Robertson] well, and he did ask the question," said Lienert-Brown, who, incidentally, has brother Daniel playing at the Highlanders.

"The Chiefs and Waikato have done a lot for me, and it was an easy decision in the end."

Ironically, Lienert-Brown will this weekend be going toe to toe with those Crusaders, and with his red and black links it's a contest he does love.

"I do, all my mates give me stick, and they're still Crusaders supporters, so whenever I can get one up over them it's great," he said.

Having debuted for the Chiefs as an 18-year-old in Pretoria in 2014, before playing NPC, Lienert-Brown's rapid rise continued, with nine tests last year, and now he's looking to get back into top gear, with the All Blacks' midfield stocks chocka ahead of the British and Irish Lions series.

"I'd be the first one to admit it hasn't been my best year so far," he said, noting his prominent offloading game seen with the All Blacks had been quiet. "But I've sat down with people and had chats and I think it's just about trusting that process. And I believe in hard work, and if I keep working hard I just hope good things will come from there."

Meanwhile, for Harris, he's looking forward to just logging some game-time after making a return from a serious knee injury in the Chiefs' outing before the bye, against the Reds in New Plymouth.

"This is where I started at the Chiefs, and they're my family, so for me it's just staying here and staying loyal," he said.

The 25-year-old has been struck hard by injury, with firstly a broken ankle after two tests in 2014, then a ruptured ACL in August last year when on national duty, after adding two more test caps in the June series against Wales.

On his comeback, Harris has trained the house down to focus on getting the strength back in the leg, building upper body strength, and take on what he said was a constant struggle of keeping a lean body.

"So there were some days where I was pretty fatigued, but you wake up the next day and watch the sun rise, and you rip back into it," he said.

With Dane Coles' injury and concussion struggles, it's rather timely that Harris is hooking back into it, though he said he had to keep working hard if he was to get back up the national pecking order, with Codie Taylor having usurped him, and Liam Coltman debuting on last year's end-of-year tour.

"I've got to earn my stripes here first. I got a taste of Super Rugby last week so I've got to sink my teeth into that first before I can even think about doing the big stuff with the big boys, I guess."