Super Rugby club emerges as shock contender to sign Fijian lock Leone Nakarawa following sacking from Racing 92
The Waratahs have emerged as shock contenders to sign star lock Leone Nakarawa following the Fijian’s sacking from Top 14 club Racing 92.
Nakarawa was fired from the Paris-based club on Friday after returning two weeks late from the World Cup in Japan as he had returned to Fiji to help construct a new family home following his country’s pool stage elimination in October.
An attendee of three World Cups and a member of Fiji’s Olympic gold medal-winning sevens side of 2016, Nakarawa is widely regarded as one of the world’s premier second-rowers.
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Subsequently, his newfound free agency has reportedly made him a target for numerous clubs in England and Scotland, but media reports in France have also included the Waratahs as a potential new destination for the 31-year-old.
Rugby.com.au is also reporting that the New South Wales Super Rugby side have made contact with the Fijian’s management team about the possibility of bringing the move to fruition.
The Waratahs would not be able to match the significant financial sums that will inevitably be thrown Nakarawa’s way by European clubs, but it is believed that the 62-cap international is interested in testing himself in Super Rugby – a competition of which he has never played in.
Also working in the Waratahs’ favour is that there is a favourable window whereby Nakarawa could play for one season in Australia next year before returning to the northern hemisphere in August ahead of the 2020-21 domestic season.
New Waratahs head coach Rob Penney has spoken of his desire of recruiting barnstorming ball-carriers, and Nakarawa would fit that bill given his damaging offloading ability and impressive athleticism.
However, incoming Wallabies boss Dave Rennie could provide stern competition for the Waratahs, as the current Glasgow Warriors head coach is eager on bringing Nakarawa back to the club he played for over three seasons before moving to France in 2016.
As European player of the year in 2018, Nakarawa’s services are clearly in demand worldwide, but Racing’s patience wore thin with their star man after he took an extended break from his club duties and missed two matches.
Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall is said to have apologised for a comment he made on live television in which he labelled a teammate a "Jew".https://t.co/vUPkA8ofwU
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“This decision, taken in consultation with the sporting director of the club, follows on from the proven disciplinary manoeuvres of Nakarawa who, in particular, did not show up at the resumption of the training programme on October 28,” the club said in a statement.
“Nakarara, moreover, refused to answer the messages that the club addressed to him after having noted his unjustified absence and was willing to fix the date of his return.
“His abandonment of his post for more than two weeks has been a serious prejudice to Racing… moreover, it is a deplorable example for Racing players as his title of best player in the 2018 European Cup should have encouraged him to be exemplary.
“At Racing, the only star is the team and the individualistic attitude of Nakarawa is inconceivable. It indicates a total lack of team spirit and a characterised insubordination. In the interests of preserving the institution of Racing, this decision of rupture was imperative.”
The move to axe the 1.98m, 109kg lock means Racing are now short on second-row options, with only 35-year-old Irish international Donnacha Ryan, former All Black Dominic Bird and young Frenchman Boris Palu, as well as French international Bernard Le Roux, who usually plays in the back row, remaining at the club.
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We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments