1
A bizarre reason has emerged as to why Leone Nakarawa has yet to report for duty at Racing
Racing 92 have claimed they are still unsure about Leone Nakarawa’s absence – even though Pacific Rugby Welfare have insisted he is finishing building a house in Fiji with the club’s blessing and his agent has been in communication with the Parisians.
ADVERTISEMENT
The coveted second row was part of the Fijian side eliminated from the World Cup when beaten by Wales on October 9, but he has failed to report back for club duty with the Parisians.
Nakarawa played in all four of his country’s pool matches at the finals in Japan and was seemingly expected to pitch up in France for training in the last week of October. However, there has been no sign yet of a player regarded to be one of the best in the world in his position.
Despite a Pacific Rugby Welfare tweet insisting the club knows what Nakarawa is up to, the situation has not gone down well with his boss Laurent Travers following a stuttering start to the Top 14 season that sees Racing struggling near the foot of the table ahead of Sunday’s Parisian derby with Stade Francais.
“He must resume,” said a perplexed Travers to L’Equipe at Racing’s pre-derby match media conference. “We have news, yes, the players have had. I think the club too but now, for the moment he is not present at Racing 92. We do not know more.”
(Continue reading below…)
Team-mate Camille Chat, who was part of the French squad whose World Cup campaign lasted longer as they reached the quarter-finals, added: “We all ask ourselves questions.
“If he will come back, if he will not come back, if the club will keep him… I find it unfortunate because he is a very good player, a very good guy.”
ADVERTISEMENT
We are informed he is finishing building a house in Fiji with the clubs blessing and his agent dealing with comms. If so, why the public witch-hunt? Bizarre. https://t.co/s0Y3jTJ2aa
— PacificRugbyWelfare (@pacificwelfare) November 5, 2019
All the French-based players who were with countries eliminated at the end of the pool stages of the World Cup were generally due to be back training with their clubs by Monday, October 28, except in the case of injury.
It was reported earlier in this week that so annoyed were Racing with the situation that they were exploring the potential of Nakarawa’s dismissal for serious misconduct rather than merely issue a warning or a sanction.
WATCH: The Scottish Rugby Union have been fined and told by World Rugby to write a ‘meaningful apology’
