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Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle have a replacement for Teddy Thomas

La Rochelle's French wing Teddy Thomas (Photo by Romain Perrocheau/AFP via Getty Images)

With Teddy Thomas leaving for Stade Toulousain in the next season, Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle has finally found and signed a suitable replacement with Davit Niniashvili set to join them in June, as RugbyPass had previously reported.

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The Georgian international has finally made a decision about his future and chose Stade Rochelais as his next club. RC Toulon and a couple of others failed to reach an agreement with the outside back, losing the bidding race to acquire his services.

Niniashvili moved to France in 2021 to join Lyon Olympique Universitaire as an academy prospect signing, just one year after making his Test Match debut for the Lelos. He quickly made his way into Lyon’s starting team and would play a vital role in guiding them to their first and only European glory, the 2022 EPCR Challenge Cup.

In the four seasons he spent in Lyon, the outside back scored 25 tries and was hailed as one of the best players in his position, winning several Ligue Nationale de Rugby accolades.

As LOU failed to convince Niniashvili to sign a contract extension, the Georgian was allowed to find a new club, with La Rochelle immediately making a bid to land the 22-year-old. After five months of intense negotiations, a deal was finally struck in the first days of 2025.
Niniashvili’s decision was made based on Stade Rochelais’ chances of challenging for the Top 14 and the EPCR Champions Cup titles. With Nolann Le Garrec also announced as a future La Rochelle player, the club is still looking to add a couple more powerhouses to their ranks.

With the Men’s Rugby World Cup European qualification starting in February, the Georgian firecracker will join Richard Cockerill’s Lelos setup fully focused and ready to help his country add a 17th title to their trophy cabinet.

As reported by the Georgian outlet Free Rugby.ge, Niniashvili penned a two-year contract and will remain a La Rochelle player until 2027.

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J
JW 24 minutes ago
Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

MP are a NZ side through and through, NZ is even having to pay for it.

Yes they caved to public demand, I bet it accomplished a lot of internal goals. They could have left it to the other groups, but I’m of the belief that they weren’t showing the capability to make it work as being a good reason for NZR to jump in and do it. I think it’s actually funded 50/50 between NZR and WR though.

(when nothing was stopping a pi player playing for any side in Super Rugby)

Neither is that fact true. Only 3 non NZ players are allowed in each squad.


I see you also need to learn what the term poach means - take or acquire in an unfair or clandestine way. - Moana have more slots for non eligible players (and you have seen many return to an NZ franchise) so players are largely making their own choice without any outside coercion ala Julian Savea.

Not one of these Kiwis and Aussies would go live in the Islands to satisfy any criteria, and I’d say most of them have hardly ever set foot in the islands, outside of a holiday.

Another inaccurate statement. Take Mo’unga’s nephew Armstrong-Ravula, if he is not eligible via ancestry in a couple of generations time, he will be eligible because he plays his rugby there (even if he’s only their for rugby and not living there), that is a recent change made by World Rugby to better reflect examples like Fabian Holland and Fakatava.

It’s becoming the jump-ship/zero loyalty joke that international League is.

Look I understand you’re reason to cry and make an example at any opportunity, but you don’t really need to anymore, other recent changes made by WR are basically going to stop the Ireland situation, and time (perhaps no more than a decade) will fix the rest.

24 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.' 'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'
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