Whetu Douglas had barely left New Zealand and he'd begun plotting his return to Christchurch.

The 27-year-old loose forward didn't want to board the plane to Italy last year in the first place, not after he made a name for himself filling in for injured Crusaders No 8 Kieran Read.

But Douglas had already signed with Pro 14 club Treviso, and had no choice but to honour the contract and reluctantly farewell the team he'd fallen for in April last year.

KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY IMAGES Loose forward Whetu Douglas is contracted to the Crusaders until the end of the 2020 season.

Fast forward 16 months, and he's back, having signed two-year deals with the Crusaders and Canterbury, who he will co-captain with Mitch Drummond in this year's Mitre 10 Cup.

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"It's hard to find anything not to love," Douglas said of being back.

He had the chance to play another year under Kiwi coach Kieran Crowley in Italy, but opted not to take up the second-year option of his contract.

JOHN DAVIDSON/PHOTOSPORT Whetu Douglas and the Crusaders perform a haka before playing the French Barbarians in Christchurch in June.

"My wife and I, we were keen to get back as soon as possible. So I had talks through my agent, we were able to keep in contact with [general manager for professional rugby] Angus Gardiner back here at the 'Saders, and the opportunity arose and I jumped at it. We had to let them [Treviso] know quite early that we would be returning to New Zealand."

Douglas played both flanker and his preferred No 8 spot for the Italian club, combining with a bunch of Kiwis, including Marty Banks and former Highlanders and Canterbury No 8 Nasi Manu.

KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY IMAGES Whetu Douglas drags down All Black Ngani Laumape during the 'game of three halves' in Christchurch last Friday.

They helped the side punch above their weight and produce their most successful season in years, winning 11 of their 21 games.

"I think I'm better for having gone, a bit of character building and a bit of learning out of playing European footy," Douglas said.

But the Crusaders, who Douglas played six games for before leaving, were never far from his mind.

KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY IMAGES Whetu Douglas trains with the Crusaders in July.

He watched closely as they dropped just one game on their way to the title, which they sealed by beating the Lions in Johannesburg.

"It was amazing. We had the TV running in the main cafe at our park and Razor [coach Scott Robertson] and some of the boys sent messages through, telling me that I was a big part of that season. So that made me feel even more of a part of it."

Douglas and his family returned in June, and he played for the Crusaders against the French Barbarians and Western Force during the international window.

GETTY IMAGES Canterbury have rested wing George Bridge for Friday night's match against Tasman.

​Sanzaar rules – teams are required to forward a list of players who will participate in the playoffs at the start of the season – meant he wasn't eligible for selection during their playoff run. Not that it stopped him lapping up title number nine.

"Extremely special. Last year I wasn't able to finish with them, but this year I was able to be a part of that part of the season. To experience it, I think it's only going to do good for me, not only for my rugby but also for the co-captaincy."

GETTY IMAGES Tasman captain David Havili is one of seven Crusaders in his team's starting side to play Canterbury.

Rotorua-born Douglas' ultimate goal is to make the All Blacks, a road which starts with Friday night's Mitre 10 Cup opener against Tasman in Blenheim.

Douglas was on Wednesday named co-captain with Drummond for the season, as Canterbury chase their fourth straight title, and 10th in the past 11 years.

"I'm super stoked. But I know it's a bit of a responsibility with the history of the union and all," Douglas said.

"Drummo and I met before the announcement. When the question was put to us, we just decided we'll tackle this head on. And when things come up, we do it as as a team and make sure we front it together."

Both Canterbury and Tasman have included a stack of Super Rugby players for the rematch of the 2016 and 2017 final, although Canterbury coach Joe Maddock has rested wing George Bridge, who played more minutes than any other Crusader this year.

AT A GLANCE

Canterbury v Tasman

Lansdowne Park, Blenheim, Friday, 7.35pm

Canterbury: Josh McKay, Caleb Makene, Sam Beard, Phil Burleigh, Braydon Ennor, Brett Cameron, Mitchell Drummond (cc), Whetu Douglas (cc), Tom Christie, Tom Sanders, Mitchell Dunshea, Luke Romano, Chris King, Nathan Vella, Alex Hodgman. Reserves: Greg Pleasants-Tate, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Sef Fa'agase, Hamish Dalzell, Reed Prinsep, Connor Collins, Filimona Waqainabete, Ngane Punivai.

Tasman: Will Jordan, Jamie Spowart, Levi Aumua, David Havili (c), Solomon Alaimalo, Mitch Hunt, Jack Grooby, Vernon Fredericks, Jed Brown, Ethan Blackadder, Pari Pari Parkinson, Quinten Strange, Tyrel Lomax, Andrew Makalio, Wyatt Crockett. Reserves: Ray Niuia, Ryan Coxon, Blair Princep, Michael Curry, Sione Havili, Ben Finau, Tim O'Malley, Alex Nakivell.