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NRL star Jordan Rapana poised to make switch to rugby union

Jordan Rapana. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

New Zealand-born NRL star Jordan Rapana is reportedly deep in negotiations with Top League side Panasonic Wild Knights to make a shock code switch to rugby union.

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The 11-test Kiwis winger, who plies his trade for the Canberra Raiders, is likely to join the Robbie Deans-coached Wild Knights, according to the Sun-Herald.

Coming off contract at the end of this season, the Raiders tabled an offer in an attempt to retain the services of the 30-year-old, but, due to salary cap restraints, the contract offer is paltry is comparison to what Rapana could earn while playing union outside of Australia.

A move to Japan to join Panasonic wouldn’t be the first time the 2017 Dally M winger of the year has forayed into rugby union.

After debuting in the NRL with the Gold Coast Titans in 2008, Rapana took a two-year break from rugby league to serve a Mormon mission in England and Wales.

He returned to Australia in 2011, and signed a deal with the Western Force ahead of the 2012 Super Rugby season.

However, he take to the field at all for the Perth-based club, and instead played for local side Palmyra in the Western Australia club competition.

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A move to Canberra beckoned in 2013 as Rapana eyed a contract with the Brumbies, but he was spotted by the Raiders while playing for the Queanbeyan Blues in the Canberra Raiders Cup and was handed a two-year deal.

Since then, he has gone on to represent New Zealand and the Cook Islands across two Rugby League World Cups, and has become an integral figure at the Raiders, forming a formidable partnership with fellow wing Joey Leilua.

His potential move to the Top League further emphasises the financial lure that Japanese club rugby has for top-class players throughout the rugby codes following this year’s World Cup.

The Wild Knights alone have secured the signatures of star Wallabies loose forward David Pocock, veteran All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock and New Zealand flanker Matt Todd on big-money deals next year.

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The recruitment of the duo bolsters an already imposing roster, which features 17 Japanese internationals, as well as ex-Wallabies Berrick Barnes, Digby Ioane and Daniel Heenan.

Elsewhere throughout Japan, clubs have thrown money at a range of stars around the southern hemisphere in recent months, with the likes of Will Genia, Quade Cooper (both Kintetsu Liners), Brodie Retallick (Kobelco Steelers), Kieran Read (Toyota Verblitz), Samu Kerevi (Suntory Sungoliath), Liam Squire (NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes), Ryan Crotty (Kubota Spears), Christian Lealiifano (NTT Communications Shining Arcs) and Jackson Hemopo (Mitsubishi DynaBoars) among those heading to the Far East next year.

The acquisition of Rapana would add depth to the quality evident within the Japanese club rugby scene, and be a significant loss for the Raiders – for whom he has scored 69 tries in 110 outings – New Zealand rugby league and the NRL.

He was rested in Canberra’s 24-20 final round defeat to the Warriors at GIO Stadium on Saturday, but is expected to play in next week’s quarter-final clash with the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park.

In other news:

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JW 1 hour ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

Even the 20/30 cappers did too I reckon.


IDK, I think Jordan has a limited life span in this side unless he can develop more to his game. Like you go on to mention, I think theyres more important things to worry about than the effectiveness of someone's extra strings, or secondary components to their game.


Bash backs are Fosters thing, and to a large part they've made it work. Theyre now one of the best teams in the world.


They boy's trucked it up a bit against Italy in the redzone, and against France, wasn't that effective without the right players probably.


Try and take a look at it this way. Dissapointed Havili and Blackadder were in the side? Havili despite clearly shown that he can't do what the team needs at 12 was kept on for the RWC. Back goes down and he brings in Blackadder who doesn't play. Refuses to drop Christie when he should and look who starts this season. Beauden Barret not playing well enough to keep his 10 jersey but we gotta keep him in the side. Weve only got one 8, we stuff developing another I'll just play Ardie every game.


This years team wasn't burdened overly with injuries but they were in every position Razor might have wanted to try and development, severely limiting options. I'm not defending Razor as there was also plenty of other opportunity to make up for it and he was a little gunshy, but I'm also not going to overly criticise him because he chose cohesion over a black slate.

How long are we going to keep blaming All Black failings on Ian Foster.

I think more and more people are on board with it being time to try alternatives, but then again, how would they have reacted to a loss against Italy? 😉

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