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Worcester sign 'physical and powerful' Tongan No8 Sione Vailanu
Worcester have made Tonga forward Sione Vailanu their latest signing for 2021/22, the 26-year-old arriving at Sixways on a two-year contract from Wasps whom he joined following a season-and-a-half with Saracens. Vailanu is the second Wasps player Warriors have recruited for next season following tighthead prop Jack Owlett.
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They join Scotland international wing Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh), England scrum-half Willi Heinz (Gloucester), Wales hooker Scott Baldwin (Harlequins), scrum-half Will Chudley and tighthead prop Christian Judge (Bath) as newcomers.
“Sione is really powerful and explosive,” said Worcester boss Jonathan Thomas. “I have been an admirer of him as a player from his time with Saracens and since he joined Wasps.
“It’s an opportunity for him to make a real difference to us. In the Premiership, to be successful you need to have physical and powerful men and Sione is certainly that. The way he plays lends itself to what we are trying to achieve with our game moving forward.”
As well as Gallagher Premiership experience, Vailanu has seven caps for Tonga, the most recent in the August 2019 victory over Canada. He spent four years playing sevens rugby for Asahi University in Japan and was spotted by Saracens while playing for Samurai in the Hong Kong Tens in 2017.
The changes at Sixways continue under Jonathan Thomas https://t.co/q8LEkwA0rW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 27, 2021
“I’m extremely excited to have signed for Worcester and I’m looking forward to joining up with the club ahead of next season,” Vailanu said. “I know that Alan Solomons and Jonathan have ambitions for Warriors to become a sustainable top-six Premiership club and I’m looking forward to helping them achieve their objectives.”
Director of rugby Solomons said: “We are really pleased to have Sione join us here at Sixways. He is an experienced, powerful, ball-carrying No8 who will add huge value to the team. He is also a very likeable character who we all look forward to welcoming to the club and working with.”
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"I could easily have been rocking around Belfast going ‘I play for Ulster’, wearing all my Ulster tracksuits and living in fantasy land."@NiallAnnett2, speaking on the @RugbyTelf podcast, urges more fringe Irish talent to look overseas for playing time https://t.co/9vbb1aL9F0
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 25, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
smith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
36 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
36 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
36 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
36 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
36 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
36 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
36 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
36 Go to comments