Former All Black scrum-half Byron Kelleher, who will play for Toulouse against Clermont on Saturday in the final of the French championship, admits he is eyeing a long future in France.

Kelleher, 31, has been one of the stars of a Toulouse side since joining after last year's World Cup.

The southwestern club narrowly lost the European Cup final to Munster (16-13), and finished second in the league to Clermont, who failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the European tournament.

"The season's gone well and I think it's about time to re-evaluate what I want to do," said Kelleher. "I'm happy here in France, enjoying my rugby in France. I've started a new life and I feel like I'm 21 again.

"Here it's a dream come true. To come here and play the European Cup final, and now the final for Top 14, I'm pretty happy about that.

"I will be looking to extend my contract (which runs through to 2009). I've decided to play here in France, and I want to play right through to 2011," said the ebullient scrum-half.

Kelleher, whose form pushed Jean-Baptiste Elissalde out into the No 10 shirt for Toulouse, admitted that he still had his eye on participating in the next World Cup, on his home soil in New Zealand.

"I haven't given up hope of playing in the 2011 World Cup," he said, adding that current rules would have to be amended to allow All Black selectors to choose players plying their trade in overseas leagues.

Kelleher, while evidently blossoming in his new-found youth in southern France as well as starting to converse in French, did acknowledge, however, that the season had been a tiring one.

"In New Zealand the seasons are short: the Tri Nations, Super-14, NP, with two to three weeks in between," said Kelleher, who played 57 tests for the All Blacks between 1999 and 2007.

"Here it's every week, you play and play and play... Mentally it's very hard. You play week-in week-out in a very long season, and then in a semi-final (last week against Stade Francais) they throw 40-degree heat on you. That's something I'm not used too, I've never played in that heat before."

The pugnacious No.9, a combative competitor who played second fiddle to Ospreys scrum-half Justin Marshall for the greater part of his playing international career, said the way French teams played rugby reminded of him of those days.

"There is structure, but it's also about flair, and that's what the All Blacks have, that's why I'm happy about playing here," he said. "But the intensity with the top teams have been incredible. I didn't think the intensity was here, but now that I have seen it, I can see why the All Blacks can be beaten in the World Cup - because there are such good players here."

Kelleher dismissed the idea that he had just traded himself in for a lucrative contract towards the end of his playing career by signing for Toulouse.

"A lot of people think that All Blacks or overseas players come here for the money. Sure enough, there is a big difference because of the exchange rate," he said.

"But my challenge was to come here because I wanted to learn a new culture, a new language, and the only reason I wanted to come to France was because they actually play rugby, not like some northern hemisphere teams where they kick the ball a lot, there is a lot of structure, it's all about pattern.

"When you feel adopted by the people, it's important to make sure they see that you are here playing for the right reasons. I'm very excited, because I feel that in the short time I have been here, I feel really like a Toulouse person now, in my heart."

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