33 - 27

35 - 20

31 - 14

22 - 21

51 - 20

61 - 24

20 - 30

36 - 10

24 - 21

19 - 52

33 - 28

18 - 19

39 - 12

12 - 50

45 - 12

36 - 33

5 - 40

48 - 12

34 - 32

62 - 24

WOMENS

33 - 52

33 - 21

19 - 15

26 - 21

52 - 26

10 - 59

29 - 31

41 - 14

WOMENS

41 - 38

41 - 14

21 - 23

29 - 26

21 - 23

26 - 7

WOMENS

LIVE

48'

Today

21:30

Tomorrow

07:30

Tomorrow

12:05

United Rugby Championship

Maori All Blacks lock Isaia Walker-Leawere makes shock URC move

By Jon Newcombe

46 days ago

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 06: Isaia Walker-Leawere of the Hurricanes celebrates after the round four Super Rugby match between NSW Waratahs and Hurricanes at Allianz Stadium, on March 06, 2026, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Benetton Rugby have pulled off a transfer coup after securing the signature of Hurricanes mainstay and All Blacks XV and Maori All Blacks lock Isaia Walker-Leawere on a one-year deal, with the option to extend for a further season .

The 122kg, 1.99m tall, who won the Junior World Cup with New Zealand in 2017, has spent the last 10 years in Wellington,

He made his debut for the Wellington Lions in 2016, before becoming the youngest player to join the Hurricanes squad, aged just 19.

VIDEO

Walker-Leawere has made 79 appearances for the Hurricanes and scored two tries, while also playing 39 games in the NPC for Hawke’s Bay.

The physically imposing and athletic player is the son of Kele Leawere, who capped his remarkable career by scoring a try in the victory over Wales at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, where he captained Fiji.

“We are delighted to welcome Isaia Walker-Leawere to Benetton Rugby,” said club president Antonio Pavanello.

“He brings exceptional physical and technical qualities, developed in one of the world’s most competitive environments, New Zealand.

“Isaia is a commanding second row, highly effective in the lineout and capable of making an impact in open play thanks to his physicality and mobility.

“In addition to his athleticism, he comes from a rugby school that guarantees solid fundamentals, discipline, and game intelligence.

“His experience with the Hurricanes, Maori All Blacks, and All Black XV is testament to the value of his career and the level at which he is accustomed to competing.

“We are confident that Isaia can make a significant impact on our second row, adding depth, leadership, and quality to the unit.

“At the same time, we believe that Benetton Rugby represents the ideal environment for him to enthusiastically embark on his first European experience and continue to grow within our sporting project.”

Commenting on his move, Walker-Leawere said: ” I’m incredibly excited to join Benetton Rugby and begin this new chapter in my career.

“The opportunity to move to Italy and represent such a prestigious club in the URC and EPCR is something I’m looking forward to with great excitement.

“This move is also a great experience for me and my family, and we can’t wait to live our new life in Treviso.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Hurricanes and the Hawke’s Bay Magpies for everything they’ve done for me. Both organisations have played a fundamental role in my development, both as a player and as a person, and I’m very grateful for the support I’ve received.

“I remain fully focused on the final part of the Super Rugby season and am excited for what lies ahead with Benetton Rugby.”

LIVE

Comments

11 Comments

Downer 46 days ago

Walker-Leawere to me is a bit lazy, does a fair bit of walking around the field.

JW 46 days ago

Why’s that a shock, aren’t Benetton the good Italian team? Think he should fit in well there.

GS 46 days ago

Loss for NZ Rugby and the Hurricanes in particular - next year will be without Dearns and Walker, so a bit of a loss there.

Comes down to the big question for these players: once they realise their ABs dreams won’t come to fruition, can NZ Rugby pay wages that will retain them vs. overseas option?

Walker-L is 28, about to turn 29, so he really needs to cash in on his talent and build that capital nest egg for the next part of his life, post rugby career.

JW 46 days ago

Yep, and now he can play int footy as well, much better than these one year options the Islands normally get their players signing up for.

Hopefully it opens up funds and playing opportunities for Gallagher to return.

can NZ Rugby pay wages that will retain them vs. overseas option?

It’s not so much a case of wages, it’s the limited SR options, in the Kiwi teams there would not be many spots available (its like 3 or 4 non AB eligible spots). So even if models were changed, from say central funding where NZR pay for All Blacks to SR clubs getting the money direct and only paying for Super (ABs are paid by overseas), there would currently need to be a big domestic overhaul too where something more like the NPC became the defacto competition (offering more opportunity).

Assuming that’s what you meant, as obviously the moneys not there now. Using the player pool funds, where they have to spend 38%. Because you’re right about the choice he’s making, it’s not just pay, he’s giving up on his AB dream so he can represent Fiji no doubt, and go to a WC (with R360 after that?). NZ and ARUs topend pay structure has kept entry costs to SR down, allowing new start ups but no doubt this has equated to the same difficulty for Drua and Moana to attract these sorts of players, but even if both unions changed how they distributed funds to the domestic game, this would not include these two teams.

Icefarrow 46 days ago

The only loss will be how many cards he gets.

SB 46 days ago

Could play for Italy one day. Needs to sort out his discipline though.

SC 46 days ago

The second best ball carrying lock the past 5 seasons in NZ behind Patrick Tuipulotu.

Should have been selected to All Blacks ahead of Lord and Darry back in 2024 as he is a true tight lock with a nasty edge and bulk others do not have.

JW 46 days ago

Last thing the All Blacks team needs is more smilers.

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!