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Castres president makes bizarre admission after Nakarawa extension
By Josh Raisey
Fiji lock Leone Nakarawa has signed a one-year contract extension at Top 14 outfit Castres, taking him to 2025, which he has hinted could be the final year of his career.
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The mercurial forward joined Castres in 2022 from Toulon with the aim of making Fiji’s squad for the World Cup last year. While those plans did not come to fruition, he has earned himself an extra year at the Stade Pierre-Fabre.
The five-time French champions announced the deal on Thursday, with President Pierre-Yves Revol making a strange confession. Revol said that it was not the club’s plan to grant the 2018 European player of the year a new deal.
With two homegrown players brought into the squad, it was not planned to keep Nakarawa on. However, Revol admitted that his performances and attitude meant they could not turn down another year.
“The extension of Leone Nakarawa was not planned and we had recruited two JIFF players in the second row,” he said (translated by Google).
“But his performances and his importance in the life of the group led us when he expressed the wish to extend his contract for one more season.
“It was not not possible, despite his age, not to benefit a little longer from the talents of this unique player through his ability to bring the ball to life and ensure the continuity of the game. The OC is very happy to have been able to relaunch the career of this extraordinary player.”
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The Fijian has had a storied career, thriving at every club he has represented- Glasgow Warriors, Racing 92, Toulon and Castres. He has not been too far from controversy either, be that a failed move to Ulster or being sacked by Racing 92 after his late return from the 2019 World Cup.
In his pomp, the lock was one of the very best players in the world at the end of his career, but at the age of 35 now, he added that next season may be the final year of his career. He said that he is “very satisfied to be able to end my career in a family club with a collective spirit that I have rarely experienced and where I found a lot of pleasure in playing rugby.”
