All Black and Blues player Nick Evans says a lifestyle choice and not money was the main reason he became the latest New Zealand rugby star to head to Europe.

Evans, 28, announced on Monday he had signed for the London Harlequins club until June 30, 2011, two months before the World Cup kicks off in New Zealand.

He will join the likes of former All Blacks stars Carl Hayman and Luke McAlister as players plying their trade in their prime in the northern hemisphere, while five-eighth Daniel Carter and flanker Jerry Collins have also been linked to massive European deals.

Evans said the decision probably ended his hopes of playing for the All Blacks in the home World Cup and he was unsure how it would affect his more immediate international future before he leaves at the end of the New Zealand provincial season.

"I am still hoping I get selected and if I don't get selected it will be because I am not playing well enough," he said.

Evans said his decision was not based on what the Harlequins and the New Zealand Rugby Union were offering.

"It never came down to margins and things like that," he said.

"It was just about the lifestyle choice and what I wanted to do."

Evans would not reveal what the contract was worth but said he had made a three-year commitment to the Harlequins, a club with a rich history, and he had no regrets.

He said, while it probably meant an end to his 2011 World Cup hopes, "you never say never".

"Things might happen," he said.

"I might end up coming back but my full commitment will be to them (Harlequins) for three years."

He said the New Zealand Rugby Union had put some offers on the table which came "pretty close" to the Harlequins offer and All Blacks coach Graham Henry had wanted him to stay.

"I took on board what he was saying and things like that but in the end it was my decision," Evans said.

"If I looked back I think I would be a fool if I didn't take this opportunity."

He said the money was "part of it but it is definitely not the full thing that swayed my mind at all".

He said while it was tough playing in the shadow of Carter, the best five-eighth in the world, he did not know if Carter would also sign offshore and that had not been an influence on his decision.

Evans made his Test debut against England in Dunedin in 2004 and has played 16 Tests, scoring 103 points.

At Super 14 level, Evans played 32 games for the Highlanders and 10 games for the Blues this season.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP