Edinburgh lock down 'physical threat' Mesu Kunavula

Hard-hitting Fijian international back-row Mesu Kunavula is set to stay in Edinburgh after putting pen-to-paper on a new deal with the club.

The 26-year-old joined Edinburgh from the Fiji Sevens programme in 2019 and has since made 16 appearances for the capital club, the most recently against Brive.

Kunavula, a member of the Fiji Sevens team that won Silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, made his Test debut against Georgia at BT Murrayfield in 2020, crossing the whitewash on his debut for the Flying Fijians.

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The back-rower recently returned from a knee injury sustained during an Autumn International match against Spain last November, and he joins fellow Fijian star Viliame Mata in committing his long-term future to the club.

“Edinburgh feels like home, it means a lot to me. I’ve never signed for another club, so I appreciate it here. I enjoyed being back on the field after being away injured, which was tough for me, but I was really happy to be given another chance against Brive.

“I’m looking forward now. I’m happy because I’m getting a lot of opportunities to play. Next year is a World Cup year, so I’m going to work hard to improve myself and I want to try hard to play as much as I can.”

??? @fijirugby star Mesu Kunavula today puts pen-to-paper on a new deal!

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— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) January 27, 2022

Having bulked up following his seven career, the 6’5, 110kg Kunavula made his Edinburgh debut in the 2019/20 season opener against Zebre, which saw the back-row feature from the bench in the 50-15 victory.

He then made first start against Leinster at the RDS Arena in 2019.

Head Coach Mike Blair added: “It’s brilliant that we’re able to re-sign Mesu. He’s a player with a hugely exciting skillset and a guy that is really popular at the club.

“His physical threat is obvious but he also has great awareness of the space around him. He uses his offloading game to exploit that space, which was evident in Friday night’s win over Brive. I thought he had an exceptional game.

“It’s great that Mesu feels like Edinburgh is home and we’re really excited to see him continue to develop among a talented back-row group.”