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Former Sunwolves star returns home to Australia as he aims for Wallabies selection
Former Sunwolves star Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco has signed a two-year deal with the Waratahs as he aims to stake a claim in Dave Rennie’s Wallabies squad.
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Warren-Vosayaco, currently plying his trade in Japan’s Top League, has spent the past five years Japan after signing on NTT Communications Shining Arcs in 2016.
Now with Munakata Sanix Blues, the 25-year-old has set his sights on international honours by signing on with the Waratahs through until 2023.
Originally from New South Wales, Warren-Vosayaco already has Super Rugby experience after having played for the now-defunct Sunwolves between 2017 and 2019.
Standing at 1.88m and 103kg, the loose forward flourished for the Sunwolves under the tutelage of current Highlanders head coach Tony Brown, who played Warren-Vosayaco in the midfield during his final season with the franchise.
Renowned for his power-based game, Warren-Vosayaco notched up six tries in 24 appearances for the Tokyo-based side before shifting his full focus to the Top League last year.
However, once the current Top League season comes to an end, Warren-Vosayaco’s attention will then turn to chasing a Wallabies jersey, something he said he has been talking to Rugby Australia’s director of rugby Scott Johnson about for some time.
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“I’ve loved my time in Japan, it’s an amazing country with a beautiful culture and incredible scenery. Prior to the World Cup in Japan I had conversations with Scott Johnson about potentially coming home to Australia,” Warren-Vosayaco said.
“Seeing my childhood mate Brandon Paenga-Amosa doing well at the Reds and representing the Wallabies gave me the fire to come back and have a crack at Super Rugby.
“Growing up in Sydney and being part of the Manu Sutherland Academy at New South Wales when I was 15 and 16, the Waratahs was always a team I wanted to play for.
“I’m really excited to come back home and wear the sky blue jersey, and hopefully if I can perform well enough get the chance to play for the Wallabies one day.”
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— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 14, 2021
Waratahs chief executive Paul Doorn said the acquisition of Warren-Vosayaco is a key part of the franchise’s recruitment strategy as it looks to overcome an immense loss of experience in recent seasons.
Since the last World Cup alone, the Waratahs have lost a raft of Wallabies including Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Kurtley Beale, Sekope Kepu, Rob Simmons, Bernard Foley, Nick Phipps, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Karmichael Hunt, Ned Hanigan, Tolu Latu and Tom Robertson.
Club captain Michael Hooper has also left to join Toyota Verblitz on a sabbatical deal this season, but both he and Hanigan will join Warren-Vosayaco in returning from Japan next year to help bolster the franchise’s playing roster.
“We’ve seen what Rahboni is capable of in his previous stint in Super Rugby with the Sunwolves,” Doorn said.
“He’s an exciting, damaging ball runner who gives another point-of-difference within our back row.
“Rahboni is one of our strategic signings for the Waratahs as we look to bolster our squad for our 2022 campaign and beyond”.
The Waratahs, who are searching for a new head coach after sacking Rob Penney last month, currently lie in last place in Super Rugby AU with no wins from six matches and will continue their bid for a breakthrough win against the Western Force on Saturday.
Warren-Vosayaco and Munakata Sanix Blues, meanwhile, enter the first round of the Top League play-offs this weekend when they host the Kintetsu Liners at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday.
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
7 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
7 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
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