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Highlanders icon Nasi Manu among three new Otago signings ahead of Mitre 10 Cup campaign

Nasi Manu. (Photo by Rob Jefferies/Getty Images)

Inspirational Tonga loose forward and former Highlanders co-captain Nasi Manu is returning to New Zealand rugby.

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The 31-year-old has returned to New Zealand after five-year stint in Europe to sign a one-year deal with Otago for this year’s Mitre 10 Cup.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Manu, as although he has never represented Otago at provincial level, he established himself as a Highlanders great during his six-season spell with the Dunedin franchise between 2010 and 2015.

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In his final year with the club, he – alongside former All Blacks fullback Ben Smith – co-captained the Highlanders to their maiden Super Rugby title, claiming a 21-14 grand final win over the Hurricanes in Wellington in his last game for the franchise.

He has since spent time with PRO14 clubs Edinburgh and Benetton Treviso, but his time with the latter side was interrupted by a testicular cancer diagnosis that kept him out of the game for the entire 2018-19 European domestic season.

After undergoing chemotherapy treatment, however, Manu made a full recovery and played three times for Tonga at last year’s World Cup in Japan.

Such experience both domestically and internationally will be highly valued by Otago, especially given the departure of Adam Thomson, who has signed with Waikato after joining the Chiefs for this year’s Super Rugby competition.

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Manu will be joined by two other new additions to the Otago squad, including his former Highlanders teammate Josh Hohneck, who has also returned to Dunedin four years after leaving to join Premiership outfit Gloucester.

A former Waikato and Bay of Plenty prop, the 2015 Super Rugby winner made four appearances for Otago before linking up with the Cherry and Whites in England, where he notched up over 100 matches for the club.

The 34-year-old announced last month that he would be ending his four-year tenure at Gloucester to return to his homeland, and will add plenty of experience to a promising Otago front row in his one-season deal.

Rookie wing Freedom Vaha’akolo has also been picked up by the union after moving down to Dunedin from Auckland.

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Unable to break his way into the Auckland Mitre 10 Cup squad, the 23-year-old headed south in search of opportunities and has been rewarded for his scintillating form at grassroots level, that has seen him bag six tries in five games, with a one-year contract.

The acquisitions of all three players takes the number of players contracted to Otago for the 2020 season to 23, but ORFU general manager Richard Kinley told the Otago Daily Times that players will be continually added throughout the campaign.

Manu’s and Hohneck’s returns are representative of the growing trend of experienced players coming back to New Zealand after periods away offshore in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two-time World Cup-winning All Blacks flanker Liam Messam is among the headline returnees after deciding to head back to Waikato following two years in France with Toulon.

Elsewhere, former Blues outside back Lolagi Visinia and Tonga international and Chiefs cult hero Sona Taumalolo have signed with Hawke’s Bay, while Samoa midfielder Kieron Fonotia and and veteran hooker Quintin MacDonald have returned to Tasman.

Otago players contracted for 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season

Props: Jonah Aiona, George Bower, Josh Hohneck, Saula Ma’u, Hisa Sasagi

Hookers: Liam Coltman, Ricky Jackson

Locks: Josh Dickson, Josh Hill, Sione Misiloi

Loose Forwards: James Lentjes, Nasi Manu, Slade McDowall, Dylan Nel

Halfbacks: Kayne Hammington

First-Fives: Josh Ioane

Midfielders: Aleki Morris-Lome, Patelesio Tomkinson, Matt Whaanga

Outside Backs: Michael Collins, Vilimoni Koroi, Jona Nareki, Freedom Vaha’akolo

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Bull Shark 1 hour ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

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