PlanetRugby: Former All Black Jonah Lomu has announced his comeback to the National Provincial Championship in New Zealand, signing a two-year contract.

Lomu's decision, endorsed by his personal physician and former North Harbour and All Blacks doctor John Mayhew, is regarded as a coup for North Harbour.

Lomu does not have an NZRU contract at present and will need to link with a North Harbour club. Which one is so far undecided, but Mayhew's Northcote must be favoured.

After a kidney transplant last year, the All Black legend is upbeat about his health and his prospects of a full comeback.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be part of this union. This is a young, exciting team. Losing wingers (the Gear brothers) has opened up the door for me and I've stepped into it," he said.

His wife and manager, Fiona Lomu, confirmed they received several offers from within New Zealand and overseas but wanted to stay in Auckland.

Although North Harbour coach Alan Pollock will call on a very talented backline with the likes of Lomu, Anthony Tuitavake, Luke McAlister, Rua Tipoki and Rudi Wulf, there is disappointment the union have had to loan flanker Craig Newby to Otago for the NPC with a view to a full transfer.

Taite developing nicely

DLSP prop Keith Taite played his 50th consecutive AIB All-Ireland League game on Saturday, against Bective Rangers. It is an impressive milestone for the highly promising Taite, who is just 22 and played his first AIB All-Ireland League match game in Division One against Buccaneers in 2002.

He captained the De La Salle Churchtown SCT in 2001, played for the Leinster Under-21s last season and has recently been included in Leinster Development Squad sessions.

With an ever-shortening list of candidates to understudy John Hayes (32) at tighthead for Ireland, it is hoped Taite, along with Shannon's Tony Buckley and UCD's Keith Doyle (a former CBC Monkstown schoolboy and not, as it says in the UCD programme, Blackrock College) can progress to provincial teams.

All-Ireland team effort

The Irish Times and AIB have linked up again to sponsor the AIB/Irish Times Division One Team of the Season. Each year it gets harder to choose the final 15 and so we're looking for assistance from Planet Rugby readers.

This year's long list has been chosen with the help of the Division One coaches, each of whom nominated three of his own players and three from other clubs.

The resultant list is being scrutinised by an Irish Times team comprising rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley, John O'Sullivan, Johnny Watterson and Gavin Cummiskey, and the final XV will soon emerge.

Meanwhile, we want you, the rugby public, to vote for your team of the season, from that long list of players below. The premise is simple: the list contains 10 clusters of players. From those groupings, you have to choose a fullback, two wings, two centres, an outhalf, a scrumhalf, two props, a hooker, two secondrows, two flankers and a number eight.

When choosing wings, centres, props, locks and flankers you don't have to differentiate in terms of specialities; you may pick two right wings, or two outside centres or two tighthead props. We're just looking for the best two in those categories.

Public voting starts today, Monday, April 18th, and ends next Monday. The AIB League/Irish Times Team of the Season will be announced on Monday, May 2nd.

You can log your team by emailing aibleague@ogilvy.com

The 10 to pick the team that most closely matches the one selected by The Irish Times rugby writers will be invited to attend the League finals day as a guest of AIB and The Irish Times.

The prize consists in all of two tickets for the AIB finals day lunch, two stand tickets, and overnight accommodation in Dublin.

Candidates for the AIB/Irish Times Team of the Season:

FULLBACKS: Ross McCarron (UCD), John Lacey (Shannon), Andrew Finn (Garryowen).

WINGS: John Cleary (Galwegians), Niall O'Brien (Clontarf), Scott Young (Ballymena), Ted Robinson (Buccaneers), Paul McKenzie (Belfast Harlequins), Fiachra Baynes (Lansdowne).

CENTRES: Brian Tuohy (Shannon), WP Strauss (Belfast Harlequins), Tom Allen (Galwegians), Conrad O'Sullivan (Cork Constitution), Andrew Trimble (Ballymena), Andrew O'Neill (Blackrock).

OUTHALVES: Ian Humphreys (Belfast Harlequins), Richie Murphy (Carlow), Eoghan Hickey (UCD).

SCRUMHALVES: Pat McCarthy (Cork Constitution), Jerry Hurley (Garryowen), Andy Matchett (Belfast Harlequins).

PROPS: Pádraig Brennan (Carlow), Bryan Young (Ballymena), Declan Fitzpatrick (Belfast Harlequins), Tony Buckley (Shannon), John Wickham (Clontarf), Eamonn Bracken (Buccaneers).

HOOKERS: Nigel Conroy (Shannon), David Blaney (UCD), Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins).

SECONDROWS: Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon), Simon Crawford (UCD), John Duffy (Clontarf), Tom Hayes (Shannon), Shane O'Connor (Cork Constitution), Henry Head (Ballymena).

FLANKERS: Niall Ronan (Lansdowne), Kevin Croke (UCD), David O'Brien (Clontarf), Chris McCarey (Belfast Harlequins), Stephen Keogh (Shannon), Peter Malone (Garryowen).

NUMBER EIGHTS: David Quinlan (Shannon), Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University), Paul Neville (Garryowen).

Monkstown travelling well

Monkstown Under-17s are proving a well-travelled bunch. They have just returned from Toulouse, where they beat their Montauban equivalents as well as being hosted royally and provided with match tickets by Toulouse's favourite Irishman, Trevor Brennan.

Nor are their travels for the season quite at an end. A trip to Bath is scheduled for May 1st; they will take on the Bath Under-17s at the Recreation Ground, the match being a fundraiser for the Royal United Hospital, which treats injured rugby players. Tony Spreadbury will referee the game.

Incidentally the last time the teams met, Monkstown prevailed 6-5.