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Report: Nemani Nadolo set for Super Rugby Pacific return next year
By Sam Smith
Fijian star Nemani Nadolo is reportedly set to sign a one-year deal with the Waratahs ahead of next year’s Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
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That’s according to the Sydney Morning Herald, which reports the Sydney-based franchise will land Nadolo, one of rugby’s best wings, more than a decade after they let him go from their squad.
Since then, the enormous 34-year-old, who cuts an imposing figure at 1.95m and 138kg, has forged a well-travelled and impactful career all across the globe.
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A veteran of 32 tests for Fiji, Nadolo has starred for clubs worldwide, forging a reputation for himself as a colossal attacking threat through his sheer size, pace and power.
Formerly a member of the Crusaders, Nadolo starred for the Christchurch-based franchise during his three-season stint in Super Rugby between 2014 and 2016.
Over those three seasons, he scored 27 tries in 39 matches and, alongside Israel Folau, topped the try-scoring charts in 2014, even scoring one in that year’s final against the Waratahs in front of 62,000 fans at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
Prior to that, Nadolo was a point-scoring machine for the NEC Green Rockets in Japan, before eventually taking his talents to Montpellier in France, and now in England with the Premiership-leading Leicester Tigers, where he is a fan favourite.
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The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Waratahs aren’t expected to announce the acquisition of Nadolo for some time given he is still on-contract with Leicester.
However, it is believed he will leave the Tigers midway through the 2022-23 domestic season to report for the second half of pre-season training.
News of the franchise’s reported acquisition of Nadolo comes following confirmation earlier this year that experienced Wallabies utility back Kurtley Beale will also return to the Waratahs next year after two years with French club Racing 92.
The addition of both players will add plenty of knowledge and star power to a Waratahs backline that is flourishing in the wake of their shock Super Rugby Pacific victory over the Crusaders at Leichadt Oval last weekend.
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That result has lifted the Waratahs to sixth-place on the competition table as they head into this weekend’s clash with Moana Pasifika at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on Saturday.
I remember little Chiefs 15 DMacs most courageous tackle ever when he stopped Nadolo of the Saders scoring a try in the corner.