Exeter sign 'explosive, dangerous, quality player' Solomone Kata
Exeter have made Tonga international Solomone Kata their fifth signing ahead of the 2022/23 season, the 27-year-old agreeing to a one-year deal that will see him involved at Sandy Park along with fellow recruits Jack Dunne and Rory O’Loughlin of Leinster and South Africans Aidon Davis and Ruben van Heerden.
The back will arrive in the Gallagher Premiership following a Super Rugby Pacific season with Moana Pasifika. Born in Neiafu in Tonga, he moved to New Zealand in 2011 to take up a rugby scholarship at Sacred Heart College in Auckland.
He then linked with NRL sides, the New Zealand Warriors and Melbourne Storm, before exiting league for union and joining the Brumbies where he spent two seasons before switching to Moana and now onto Exeter.
“It’s a big move for me and my family,” said Kata, the dual-code Tonga international ahead of the new season September 10 Exeter opener at home to champions Leicester. “Coming in today, the boys have been very welcoming and I’m really looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“I have watched a few games and I know it’s really physical here in the UK. I like that, it plays to my strengths. I don’t have a fancy step or anything like that, I just like to go through people and enjoy the contact. Apart from that, I don’t know too much more about what to expect.”
Exeter boss Rob Baxter added: “He is explosive, he’s dangerous and a quality player. Obviously, he has just got here so he will take a few days to get up to speed, but you can tell by meeting him that he is already settling in well to the group and will give us those options we need in midfield.
“It’s no secret that Ollie Devoto is still some way away from returning, Henry (Slade) and Tom (Hendrickson) are still recovering from operations, so we were looking a bit thin in that area. That said, when a guy of Sol’s quality comes onto the market, we had a good look at him, we liked what we saw and we have brought him here. It’s over to him now to get on the field and show us what he can do.
“Talking to him, you get that feeling that he is up for a new challenge. He is here now and he is ready to go. In an ideal world, we would have liked to have signed him for more than a year, but he said ‘I’ll take the year, I’ll take my chance’ because he does think he will take off over here. We will see what happens then.
“Personally, I quite like that because he is challenging himself to come over here and go really well. Already I’m looking forward to seeing him on the field because I do believe he will offer us something a bit different.”
Latest Comments
I like Andy’s critical approach to all hot issues especially when it comes to the rugby big “bosses”. However, sorry Andy, I don’t support your “we shouldn’t be questioning the integrity of Karl Dickson or any other official”. May I ask why? They do have a lot of responsibility, but they are people like us with all their sins and weaknesses. We have to respect their decision during the games, but why they became untouchable afterwards and people cannot even criticize them and the ones, who does express their concerns, got punished for publicly analyzing their mistakes and asking questions. If they believe they did right, there shouldn’t be a problem for any of the refs to answer these “questions” publicly. I don’t really remember such cases. However, I do remember how Craig Joubert shown his running skills in 2015 or Pascal Gauzere shined in Cardiff in 2021. I do believe that Rassie, as anybody else, had a full right to share his vision of Nic Berry’s performance the same year. I do not support the hate in any form especially in public one, but creating the cast of untouchable refs and rugby bosses is not for me. As for Karl, he had all means to question his appointment for the game and since I don’t now whether he did it, blaming just RFU wouldn’t be quite correct at this moment. I love the game of rugby and almost every time I watch it I don’t support any team, I just wanna see the good game and fair referring. Sorry, Karl. last Saturday you got my Craig Joubert”s award of the round. It is up to Karl to prove that I am wrong, not to Andy or RFU’s corporate bla-bla-bla. Something like that…
Go to commentswell remember the blues had a guy called jed rowlands for a season. remember scott took his coaching team with him give him time
Go to comments