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Christian Lealiifano set for historic trans-Pacific move

By Paul Smith

11 Oct 2021

Christian Lealiifano is set to join the new Pacific Island franchise (Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

Wallabies fly half Christian Lealiifano will be back in Super Rugby next season according to reports emerging from Australia.

The veteran playmaker is set to join newly-launched franchise Moana Pasifika where he will hook up with another prominent international midfielder in former All Black Aaron Mauger who is head coach of the Auckland-based Pacific Island outfit.

The Sydney Morning Herald believes the 26-times-capped Wallaby will next week be announced “as the club’s franchise star.”

Michael Cheika on life as Wallabies coach

Lealiifano previously appeared 150 times for the Brumbies between 2007 and 2019 and it is understood that Mauger faced competition from the Canberra-based side for Lealiifano’s signature.

Former Brumbies coach Dan McKellar believes the 34-year-old leukaemia survivor offers plenty to the newly-launched franchise.

“He’d be a great addition to the Pasifika side. He’s a proud Samoan man,” he said.

“A new club, having a leadership role and a mentoring role and establishing what that club stands for, obviously with his own strong ties with his Samoan and Pasifika background – he’s going to love that challenge.

“He still has a lot to offer, there’s no doubt. He’s a great captain, leads through his actions and he’ll have a real presence on that Pasifika group.”

“It’s good for the competition and it’s good for the young players that will be able to bounce ideas around and learn off someone like Christian Lealiifano.”

Lealiifano returned to the top of the sport at the 2019 World Cup after overcoming the leukaemia which struck in 2016.

After treatment he moved north to sample life in the (now) United Rugby Championship and Heineken Cup with Ulster, before returning to the Brumbies then eventually the Wallabies.

Since last appearing for Australia in their Japan 2019 quarter-final defeat at the hands of England, Lealiifano has plied his trade for Japanese Top League club NTT Communications Shining Arcs.

Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie has offered some insight behind Quade Cooper's denial that he will play for the Barbarians next month. #Wallabies #Barbarians https://t.co/OLgVEoloz3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 11, 2021

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anomy 1137 days ago

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Comments on RugbyPass

Mark 12 minutes ago

Fin Baxter wades into debate over the England losing streak

Totally agree, and with the Greenwood comment you have hit the nail on the head, England have never managed to replace Greenwood.

And although it's a simple analogy if you look at today's England side, how many of them would make a combined world xv?.

As you allude to, they are I'm afraid mediocre.

3 Go to comments

Lisa Decker 15 minutes ago

Ex-All Black accuses Ireland's Jack Crowley of 'disgusting' act in Argentina win

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44 Go to comments

Werner 17 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

I dare say it's an "everyone against the ABs" scrapbook. Only time I've seen him give half a compliment is when he talks about other teams beating the Springboks. Even in this article he puts the Argentina win in NZ down to the ABs being bad rather than the Argentines playing well, which they have been doing all year round.

49 Go to comments

AA 28 minutes ago

Fin Baxter wades into debate over the England losing streak

Agreed. Borthwick will have to write a new excuse book soon .

I have looked at the two world cup final teams from 2003 and 2020.

2003 team scored 187 tries between them in 389 caps

2020 team scored 113 tries between them in 473 caps. As you can see a huge disparity in scoring rate. Only Johnny May with 36 tries in 78 caps scored a higher amount of tries. Elliot Daly comes close but the rest are frankly very poor.

Farrell and Ford scored a pathetic 20 tries between them in a combined 210 caps.

There again , the 2003 team did have Wilko and Greenwood etc whereas 2020 team had Ford and Farrell .

So much people saying that Fords strength is of bringing others into the game .

Really. The figures totally disprove that notion .

It has been mentioned elsewhere that we have accepted mediocrity far too often and the figures would indicate that players are or have been picked far too often without performing .

3 Go to comments

Alex 35 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

Not disputing that NZ are ahead of Eng. Also not saying Eng are unlucky (though clearly the tone of the article is not that the ABs were unlucky but that they 'should have' won). Your team are looking great and are on the up. I just felt that Pundits have argued Eng 'should have' won the first test against the ABs, when it's more nuanced than that, and very fine margins determine results that Eng didn't get right. Same applies, therefore, to NZ and other nations. Ben Smith though doesn't seem to see it that way. To be clear: I'm not saying I agree with the 'should haves', but more that I take issue with the phrasing.

Good to see your respect for other nations is so strong! Proper rugby fan you are!!!

49 Go to comments

RedWarrior 39 minutes ago

Did Rassie Erasmus miss a trick with his latest South Africa squad?

GB is England, Scotland, Wales. They are the 3 constituent countries in Great Britain. Ergo playing only those three countries is a tour of GB. The difference between GB and the UK is Northern Ireland. It's not a huge deal to be accurate and call places by their correct name. But please refrain from your idiotic attempts to BS that GB=UK. It doesn't.

52 Go to comments

RedWarrior 42 minutes ago

'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'