Exeter sign 'explosive, dangerous, quality player' Solomone Kata
Exeter have made Tonga international Solomone Kata their fifth signing ahead of the 2022/23 season, the 27-year-old agreeing to a one-year deal that will see him involved at Sandy Park along with fellow recruits Jack Dunne and Rory O’Loughlin of Leinster and South Africans Aidon Davis and Ruben van Heerden.
The back will arrive in the Gallagher Premiership following a Super Rugby Pacific season with Moana Pasifika. Born in Neiafu in Tonga, he moved to New Zealand in 2011 to take up a rugby scholarship at Sacred Heart College in Auckland.
He then linked with NRL sides, the New Zealand Warriors and Melbourne Storm, before exiting league for union and joining the Brumbies where he spent two seasons before switching to Moana and now onto Exeter.
“It’s a big move for me and my family,” said Kata, the dual-code Tonga international ahead of the new season September 10 Exeter opener at home to champions Leicester. “Coming in today, the boys have been very welcoming and I’m really looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“I have watched a few games and I know it’s really physical here in the UK. I like that, it plays to my strengths. I don’t have a fancy step or anything like that, I just like to go through people and enjoy the contact. Apart from that, I don’t know too much more about what to expect.”
👊 𝙂𝙀𝙏 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙔 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 💪@ExeterChiefs fans here is a glimpse of what we can expect from new signing Solomone Kata following his arrival at the club today#exciting #powerful #newsigning pic.twitter.com/mdT7GPUh08
— Exeter Chiefs (@ExeterChiefs) August 3, 2022
Exeter boss Rob Baxter added: “He is explosive, he’s dangerous and a quality player. Obviously, he has just got here so he will take a few days to get up to speed, but you can tell by meeting him that he is already settling in well to the group and will give us those options we need in midfield.
“It’s no secret that Ollie Devoto is still some way away from returning, Henry (Slade) and Tom (Hendrickson) are still recovering from operations, so we were looking a bit thin in that area. That said, when a guy of Sol’s quality comes onto the market, we had a good look at him, we liked what we saw and we have brought him here. It’s over to him now to get on the field and show us what he can do.
“Talking to him, you get that feeling that he is up for a new challenge. He is here now and he is ready to go. In an ideal world, we would have liked to have signed him for more than a year, but he said ‘I’ll take the year, I’ll take my chance’ because he does think he will take off over here. We will see what happens then.
“Personally, I quite like that because he is challenging himself to come over here and go really well. Already I’m looking forward to seeing him on the field because I do believe he will offer us something a bit different.”
Comments on RugbyPass
In the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
5 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
6 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
5 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
6 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
6 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to comments