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Coup for Wasps as they bring in ex-All Blacks forward Fifita
By Liam Heagney
Wasps have signed former All Blacks lock and flanker Vaea Fifita, the 29-year-old who won the last of his eleven Test caps in the July 2019 Championship match versus the Springboks in Wellington. The 6ft 5in, 111kg Tongan-born player, who moved to New Zealand for school, was a Super Rugby title winner in 2016 for the Hurricanes alongside current Wasps players Brad Shields and Jeff Toomaga-Allen.
A try-scorer against the touring Lions in 2017 for his club, he debuted that same year for the All Blacks off the bench versus Samoa and his first start is remembered for how he sprinted in from 40 metres out to score.
He out-ran Argentine backs Santiago Cordero and Joaquin Tuculet in a man of the match performance. He had re-signed last October for another year at the Hurricanes but will now leave the Wellington-based franchise.
Wasps boss Lee Blackett said: “We have been looking for a quality lock and back-rower and Vaea fits the bill perfectly.
"We are therefore delighted to be able to bring an experienced international forward like him on board for next season. We are all excited to work with him and the strong group of forwards we have at the club for next season.”
Fifita added: “I'm proud to be joining one of the most historic rugby clubs in the world. I can't wait to get started on what promises to be a very exciting journey with Wasps. I will be working hard to help the team achieve as much success as possible. My family and I look forward to experiencing everything that England has to offer.”
A player with immense speed for his size, Fifita should be invaluable at the lineout for Wasps as his impressive athleticism saw him make the most lineout steals (22) of any New Zealand player in Super Rugby since the beginning of 2016. He played more than 50 games for the Hurricanes, while also appearing for the Wellington Lions.
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Go to commentsI’d take the Sharks, Stormers, Bulls, and Lions back in a second. Super Rugby Pacific is improving and the conference system sucked ass and never should have been implemented but if you think the quality of rugby is better without the South African franchises, you are kidding yourself.
And there is nothing authentic about Moana Pacifika, it is a sixth NZ franchise. Almost all of the players are NZ citizens, born and raised in NZ, were developed by NZ secondary schools and play in the NPC. The players just happen to be of Pacific heritage (just as there are a very large number of Pacific heritage players on the original five NZ franchises). Moana Pacifika is a marketing ploy for Auckland’s second SRP franchise.
Fiji Drua are legitimately a Pacific island team. Most players are born in Fiji, the players live and train in Fiji, and they play their home matches in Fiji.
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