Although the playing time was hard to come by and injury forced him to miss final fixtures, Ayumu Goromaru has reflected positively on his Super Rugby season with the Reds.
"It was a good experience being able to play in matches although chances were more limited than expected," Goromaru told Kyodo News on Friday before the Reds hosted the Chiefs in their penultimate fixture of the regular season.
The 30-year-old fullback joined the Reds following Japan's impressive performance at last year's World Cup in England, where he scored 58 points in four matches. But he was limited to eight appearances and 30 points for the Reds.
He suffered a right-shoulder injury against the Sunwolves on May 21 before undergoing surgery that ruled him out for the rest of the season. And with the Reds missing out on a play-off berth, Goromaru already has his sights set on a new challenge with the French Top 14 side Toulon from August.
"I lost quite a lot of muscle on my upper body. I'll properly ready myself physically and hope to take things on in a fit condition," Goromaru said.