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Racing confirm three new signings, including Cameron Woki
By Liam Heagney
Ambitious Racing 92 have confirmed three new additions to their squad, including recent France Grand Slam winner Cameron Woki. The 23-year-old forward has carved out his fine Top 14 reputation in recent seasons at Bordeaux, but he will now move to Paris along with fellow new signings Regan Grace and Wame Naituvi.
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Woki was a try-scorer last month when Bordeaux defeated Racing 36-16 in the Top 14 barrage. A Racing statement on Tuesday read: “In the desire to respect the salary cap set by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, Racing have formalised the movements within its professional team.
“Cameron Woki: Racing are pleased to announce his signing for the next four seasons. The back row joins from July 5 as an additional player. The club welcomes the arrival of this international player from the Ile-de-France region, who will continue to highlight the fertile ground of the Paris basin for French rugby.
“Woki will find in the Racingmen locker room his partner from the XV of France, Gael Fickou (centre), both recent winners of the 2022 Grand Slam and also Hassane Kolingar (prop) and Ibrahim Diallo (back row), his teammates from the title-winning U20 World Cup in 2018.
“Regan Grace: The winger has joined Racing 92 from July 1 for arrival in October 2022. The Welsh international rugby league player will strengthen the club’s backline at the end of the rugby league season with his current English club, St Helens.
'French players now want detail, especially the younger generation. They are quite challenging, which is a real positive'@mikeprendergas3 has had a ringside seat for French rugby's evolution. Now he's coming home with a huge amount of IP, w/ @heagneyl 👨💻https://t.co/7aa7TVzKbH
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 12, 2022
“Wame Naituvi: An agreement has been ratified with Mont-de-Marsan. The 26-year-old Fijian will join the Racing squad from July 1, 2023, after completing a final season in the colours of Stade Montois. Under the direction of Laurent Travers, these three players will contribute to enriching the club’s workforce until 2026.
“Baptiste Pesenti: A French player playing in the second row position, he joined Stade Francais Paris from June 30, 2022. This departure was the result of a joint decision between the French international and Racing 92. He played 14 matches during the 2021/2022 season.
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“Luke Jones: The Australian international, who also occupies the position of second row at Racing, is returning to his native country. He has worn the Ile-de-France jersey 38 times since the 2020/2021 season. Racing warmly thanks these two players for their involvement and their team spirit in the sky and white jersey and wish them much success in the rest of their sporting career.”
