Northampton Saints sign Fijian international Frank Lomani

Northampton Saints have confirmed that they have signed Fijian international Frank Lomani from Australian side Melbourne Rebels.

A regular starter with Fiji since winning the first of his 17 caps, the 25-year-old scrum-half is expected to arrive in September for the start of the new Gallagher Premiership season.

Lomani featured in the recent series against the All Blacks as well as the 2019 Rugby World Cup – and makes the switch to the Northern Hemisphere to join international teammates Sam Matavesi and Api Ratuniyarawa at Franklin Gardens.

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“I am really excited to be joining Northampton Saints, and to get the opportunity to play at the very highest level of European rugby,” Lomani said.

“The squad is filled with talented players, and I have already heard great things about Northampton, the stadium, the history of the Club and Saints’ passionate supporters from some of my Fijian teammates.

“I hope I can develop my skills and improve all-round on the field playing Northern Hemisphere rugby and working with a really impressive set of coaches – I can’t wait to get started!”

Lomani, who spent two years at the Rebels in Super Rugby, is an exciting prospect for Saints, who say they are excited by his all-court game.

“We’re thrilled to sign a scrum-half of international quality in Frank,” said Saints’ Director of Rugby, Chris Boyd. “It’s really important to have strong competition for places across our whole squad, and we’re very confident Frank will bring a lot to the table within our young group of No.9s.

“He’s also a player who I am sure our supporters will enjoy watching; Frank plays the game with a smile on his face and is capable of creating opportunities from anywhere on the park.”

Lomani made his breakthrough in 2018, with a series of impressive performances for the Fijian Drua in the Australian NRC earning him the competition’s Player of the Year award, as well as a call-up to play for the Barbarians in their 38-35 victory over Argentina at Twickenham.

After cementing his place in the Flying Fijians’ line-up throughout their 2019 Pacific Nations Cup campaign, Lomani started three matches at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and signed up with the Rebels in Melbourne, where he subsequently made 25 appearances in the Super Rugby competition.