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Fainga'anuku's Toulon move confirmed but his All Black ambitions remain
Crusaders wing and All Black Leicester Fainga’anuku’s move to Toulon next season has been confirmed, with the 23-year-old set to join the French glamour club on a unique deal.
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Fainga’anuku has signed on a 19-month term, which covers one and a half seasons in the Top 14 and will conclude in July 2025.
He will be 25 when the deal finishes, opening up the door to a return to New Zealand after being courted heavily by Crusaders coach Scott Robertson during this contract negotiation.
The incoming All Blacks head coach tried desperately to retain his young star, but a desire to test himself out overseas won Fainga’anuku over.
“The opportunity to stay here was there with NZR and the Crusaders,” Fainga’anuku told Stuff.co.nz.
“Razor [Robertson] made it quite clear and obvious. Just seeing the amount of effort they put in to hopefully retaining me, throwing the kitchen sink at me, showed a lot of care and how much they really saw the potential in me for the next few years in that black jersey. It really meant a lot.
“Heading overseas, I’ll definitely have that in the back of my mind.”
Fainga’anuku has quietly amassed 52 Super caps with the Crusaders since his debut in 2019, winning two Super Rugby Aotearoa titles in 2020 and 2021 before the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific title in 2022. He played one Super Rugby game in the Crusaders’ 2019 title-winning season.
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He made his All Black debut in 2022 against Ireland in July but after two caps missed out on selection in the Rugby Championship squad. He was recalled for the end-of-year tour but remained home for personal reasons.
The motivations for the European move extend beyond the financial rewards, but Fainga’anuku holds a deep respect for European rugby and is keen to play against the ‘majority’ of the world’s best players.
“When people hear about this, they think straight to the money, but for those rugby heads who really look into the European competition and the footy they play, it’s got to take guts for a 23-year-old to leave everything behind and head over,” he said.
“That’s the thing that excites me. The money is just the bonus, but the real excitement is competing against some of the best international players in the world every week, the majority of them are up there.”
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Fainga’anuku hasn’t given up on representing the All Blacks again in the future, claiming he is still chasing more time in the black jersey particularly with the World Cup on the horizon.
“100%, I’m still hungry for that black jersey. Obviously, last year I didn’t quite get as much game time as I expected, but this season I really want to make a mark,” he said.
Comments on RugbyPass
Good decision, very good player but not international quality. But so was Jamison Gibson Park …..
2 Go to commentsLoose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
5 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
24 Go to commentsGood summary. As said, Sevu Reece has been electrifying for the Crusaders. Great try and he has been everywhere. Amazing he is now equal with Caleb Ralph , club record of 52 tries for the Crusaders. That record beckons. Good to see Dallas McLeod getting regular starts at last. A big few weeks are ahead.
5 Go to commentsGood article/interview.As was said Christian Lio-Willie was barnstorming when he came on for the Crusaders. What happened at the end, self-explanatory.Captain fantastic Scott Barrett is due back soon as well, once they are back from Aussie. Great to see Ethan Blackadder back last week.
1 Go to commentsYou must have been watching one team, Andrew - and even then you missed the brightest star in the Chiefs pack - Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 2 turnovers, genuine line-out presence and grunt around the field, and the soft hands of a back.
5 Go to commentsHaha what a crock of sh!t these headlines are. Moorby’s best year was that first. Still doesn’t seem to have the same game about him as when he was fresh but has bounced back well this season to be playing consistent tight accurate footy
2 Go to commentsIt’s even dumber than Bernard Foley not kicking the penalty to touch in the Melbourne Bledisloe in 2022.
3 Go to commentsYes, they are traveling well but it’s early days. The Chiefs were in front with 20 to go while they snatched a last minute win v the Reds. Keep calm.
1 Go to commentsThe failure of the Irish system / rugby playing style to produce their own backs has them looking elsewhere for innovation and flair - not that Jordie has much flair. He’s a converted fullback. The Canes have plenty of other younger options.
9 Go to comments1.Watch Wallace Sititi be the wild card AB. A genuine full time no 8 2. Luke J like Sotutu has not delivered. 3. Chiefs have all the right cattle but badly miss the leadership of Webber. LJ is about as unconvincing as Sam Cane when under the pump. They had the winning of that game in the second half then fell apart.
5 Go to commentsYes the Rebels are showing signs of life because they are literally playing for their live -lihoods and thanks to their Australian attack coach. However they are still playing an essentially dull boring south african style for the rest of the time. And Geoff Parling must be the most useless lineout coach ever. Worse than Steve Hansen even. Interestingly we are starting to see more cheap shots and attempts to get away with cheating by Australian players, now they are being influenced by Joe Schmidt. It was exactly the same when Rennie started out as Wallaby coach and thru his tenure. Trying to teach Australians to play like kiwis doesn’t work, as the last 20 years has conclusively demonstrated. Especially when we are not as good at it as kiwis. Which of course is the whole idea …..
24 Go to commentsGreat signing, not sure where he’ll fit in though. As for him ‘playing alongside RG Snyman, that’s highly debatable given the likelyhood that the latter will spend most of the season on sick leave.
9 Go to commentsWowee!
9 Go to commentsEvery team that has played a game in Africa this Champions Cup season is already out of the competition - including the SA teams. Could be a concidence.
30 Go to commentsthat should offer some experiences for Jordie.
9 Go to commentsJust remember: He is not a winger. Took Ian Foster 2 years to figure that out.
9 Go to commentsExcellent article, Nick. We (your RP colleague Brett McKay and my 8/9 Combo cohost), are going to have LSL on our podcast later this month. He has shown consistent excellence as a leader and lock. I’ll chat with you offline about a line of questioning if you have time. H
24 Go to commentsSo no Irish fan or journalist suggested JGP was as good as DuPont. Then even the guy who supposedly did is from Wales and said JGP would be the best around if it was t for DuPont. Right, so what is this story about again
19 Go to commentsGreat news for the URC. Leinster will always attract top talent. Another huge name added to their stable
9 Go to comments