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Ex-All Blacks winger Waisake Naholo is one of nine players leaving London Irish

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Bob Bradford/CameraSport via Getty Images)

London Irish have released ex-All Blacks winger Waisake Naholo following his injury-hit spell at the Gallagher Premiership club. The Exiles confirmed on Friday that nine players are leaving following the completion of the 2020/21 campaign and that list is headed by the exit of Naholo, the 30-year-old who played 26 times for New Zealand between 2015 and 2018. 

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The winger was unveiled as a massive signing coup in 2019 when London Irish gained promotion back into the Premiership but his stay at the club was an on-field disappointment as he was limited to just four appearances – and two tries – in his two-season stay. 

He made a debut in November 2019 and played his fourth match the following February but he didn’t appear in another competitive fixture in his 16 months following that at Irish due to his slow rehabilitation from knee surgery. Irish boss Declan Kidney had praised Naholo in recent months for how he had coped with his adversity, adding that he was excellent in becoming an off-field mentor to the club’s raft of young backfield players.

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“If somebody was to write a book about rehabbing (an injury) I would be interested in his. Sometimes when you see a player on the pitch it comes down to talent but professionalism is about how you go about your job and stick to the task. The way he has gone about his would show any player the way back and it hasn’t been easy for him – but I haven’t heard a word of complaint out of him.

“It was a case of getting it right and he has worked as diligently as anyone I have met. You don’t ever want to see a player in that position. In adversity, you see the best of people and I cannot speak highly enough of him. He never dragged his arse about the place or felt sorry for himself, never acted the victim. He is not a guy to steal the limelight and he has helped the back three in training.”

That admiration, though, hasn’t resulted in a contract renewal for a player who this time four years ago was involved with the All Blacks in their drawn series with the Lions. Naholo won’t be alone either in leaving Irish as eight other players are on the list of departures – retiring duo Theo Brophy-Clews and Tom Homer, Harry Elrington, Nic Groom, Charlton Kerr, Andrei Mahu, Motu Matu’u and Vladimir Podrezov.

Kidney said: “On behalf of everyone at London Irish, I would like to thank the departing players for all their hard work and efforts. I also want to thank their families because without them the players wouldn’t have been able to give their all for the club.

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“Tom retires after making more than 100 appearances for the club, with Theo and Harry both reaching the 50-game milestone. All three have been fantastic servants. Motu, Nic and Andrei have all worked tremendously hard to get London Irish to where we are at present.

“Although not able to play as much as he wanted, Waisake has been a brilliant influence on our back three players and so is leaving with a long-term positive effect on the club. Charlton and Vladimir will not be as well known by our supporters, as unfortunately injuries and opportunities did not fall their way, but both are great people and we thank them for the work rate and energy they both brought to the squad. It’s been a pleasure to work with them all and they are always welcome back at Hazelwood.”

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

35 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

35 Go to comments
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