1
Lyon's latest South African signing suggests Tuisova exit locked in
By Ian Cameron
Lyon have made a significant addition to their back line for the upcoming season, confirming the signing of South African winger Thaakir Abrahams from the Southern United Rugby Championship side the Sharks.
The LOU made the announcement via a press release on Monday, and Abrahams will be joining fellow new recruit, Semi Radradra, who has also signed with the Rhone club for the next season. Together, the pair of signing heavily suggest that the club have given up any rumoured behind-the-scenes attempts to get Josua Tuisova to stay at the club.
Tuisova is leaving the club at the end of the season for Racing 92. The Fijian winger has been a key player for Lyon over the past few years, and his departure will leave big shoes to fill. It had been suggested that the former Toulon striker runner might have been looking to extract himself from an agreement he signed with the Parisian club in 2022.
The signing of Radradra and Abrahams suggests that if Tuisova does bust his Racing deal, it won't be to stay at LOU.
Abrahams is known for his explosive pace, agility and ability to break through defensive lines with ease, making him a formidable addition to any squad.
At 1.74m and 76kg, he has been compared to fellow South African winger, Cheslin Kolbe. Despite being an international U20 player, Abrahams has not yet received a call-up to the senior Springboks squad, but his performances for the Sharks have caught the attention of Lyon’s coaching staff.
With the departure of Toby Arnold and Josua Tuisova at the end of the season, Lyon was in need of reinforcements for their back line. Abrahams is the sixth recruit for the LOU, following the signings of Radradra, Martin Page-Relo from Toulouse, Pierre-Samuel Pacheco from Colomiers, Alban Roussel from Bordeaux-Bègles, and Valentin Simutoga from Clermont.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
David Campese names his Springbok world player of the year winner
3
Let's be real about these All Blacks
4
Why World Cup winner doesn’t blame All Black for leaving New Zealand
5
Latest Comments
I thought you meant in europe. Because all of the reasons theyre different I wouldn't correlate that to mean for europe, as in french broadcasters pay two or three times as much as the UK or SA broadcasters do, like they do for their league.
With France, it's not just about viewers, they are also paying much more. So no doubt there will be a hit (to the amount the French teams receive for only playing a fraction of it) but they may not care too much as long as the big clubs, the top 8 for example, enter the meaty end, and it wouldn't have the same value to them as the top14 contract/compensation does. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the 3 separate networks broadcast deals only went to the clubs in their regions as well (that's how SR ended up (unbalanced) I believe).
Go to commentsHis best years were 2018 and he wasn't good enough to win the World Cup in 2023! (Although he was voted as the best player in the world in 2023)
Go to comments