Julian Savea responds to criticism from Toulon owner and fans

Julian Savea has responded to the recent criticsm he has faced after being told he is ‘no longer welcome’ at Toulon by club owner Mourad Boudjellal.

Boudjellal said of Savea in an interview with RMC Sport “I’m going to ask for a DNA test. It is not Savea that we recreated but ‘Savéapas’. They had to change it on the plane. If I were him, I would apologize and I would go home.

“When we reach this level of play, we must apologize and leave. I told him he was released and he was no longer welcome in Toulon!”

Savea tweeted a response earlier today, saying he is "putting all the negativity behind me and heading into this week with a positive attitude."

"Whether I am welcomed or not I am still contracted to my team and I will continue to train week in and week out with my brothers."

Savea's wife Fatima and brother Ardie came to his defence earlier, with Fatima expressing her 'disgust' with fans in a series of tweets.

Julian was capped by the All Blacks 54 times and scored 46 tries, giving him one of the best try scoring strike rates in international rugby history. A loss of form saw him slip out of favour with the All Blacks and eventually the Hurricanes, at which point to decided to make the switch to Europe.

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