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Fissler Confidential: Bears' fight to keep LRZ, England star on the move
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Toulon and La Rochelle in a race to scoop Georgian mastermind
Davit Niniashvili will be a free agent after his contract with Lyon Olympique Universitaire comes to an early end, freeing up the 21-year-old to find a new home, which is sparking a bidding war between two of the most coveted Top 14 sides. RC Toulon and Stade Rochelais are the two rumoured destinations, but negotiations are far from over, and his future is still engulfed in doubt.
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The Georgian fullback arrived in France in 2021, collecting more than fifty caps for the Lyonnais side, scoring 23 tries and helping his club win an EPCR Challenge Cup back in 2022. As he arrived in France as an Academy player, he fell under the JIFF status, making it easy to change sides inside the French system.
He became a Lelo international back in 2021, debuting in the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship of that season, and quickly rose as the starting fullback. He has summed a total of 28 caps and 9 tries in the last three years and was vital to take down Italy and Wales in 2022. The utility back was one of the star players of the 2023 Rugby World Cup pool stages, ranking up as the unit with the most metres run and defenders beat.
Niniashvili’s contract is due to end on the 1st of Jule 2025, and there were talks of a possible new extension until 2026, but it seems the vibrant fullback is searching for a new challenge for his career. La Rochelle are searching for a new fullback, as Brice Dulin will complete his 35th anniversary next April, and the Georgian fits in the teams requirements. As for Toulon, they were the first showing interest in Niniashvili, and with Aymeric Luc leaving for Pau, there’s an open vacancy in the back three.
Although he still has one year to go, Niniashvili can change sides in this Summer, pending if the new club is available to pay a compensation fee to LOU.
