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Malakai Fekitoa's move to Premiership 'now a certainty' - reports
By Online Editors
Former All Black Malakai Fekitoa's move to the Premiership from Toulon is 'now a certainty' according to reports coming out of France.
Fekitoa has been at Toulon for two seasons, but is now set to leave the struggling French giant.
French sports outlet L'Équipe report that Tongan born centre's switch to Wasps signature will be 'soon formalised'.
Fekitoa would link up with his former Highlanders team-mate Lima Sopoaga, two key members of the team’s first ever Super Rugby success in 2015. He would also have regularly played against former Hurricanes captain Brad Shields.
Most of the recent transfer rumours linked players with a move out of Wasps, whose much publicised financial predicament and the current lack of a high-level training facility seen as a major issue for its top players.
However, two weeks ago Wasps announced that the club were finalising a planning application to Warwick District Council to build a centre of excellence for rugby.
Earlier this year the Wasps revealed their vision to build a new training ground at the home of Old Leamingtonians RFC on the outskirts of Leamington.
The planning application is the next stage of the exciting development after both Old Leamingtonians RFC and Wasps agreed and finalised legal contracts, providing Wasps with a long lease and the ability to create purpose-built, state-of-the-art facilities. The new-look facilities would include a rugby pitch for every age group at Old Leamingtonians RFC, and a new artificial pitch so matches and training can continue throughout winter.
Fekitoa lifted the World Cup with the All Blacks in 2015, scoring two tries during their title-winning campaign. He has 8 tries in his 24 tests for New Zealand.
The departure represents a massive blow for Toulon, who lost another All Blacks centre, Ma’a Nonu, last year.
The Tongan-born player had also been linked to Northampton Saints and Saracens and would join Wasps for the start of the 2019/20 season and as a result would continue to be ineligible to represent the All Blacks.
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Latest Comments
Perenara is super woke, the treaty of long ago is irrelevant to a game of rugby in Italy. By referencing it and claiming the countries going through tough times is clearly because Perenara doesn't agree with the democratically elected government of New Zealand that people from all ethnicities voted for. Perenara is making it divisive and political despite many of his team mates that wouldn't agree with his decision. The Allblacks saved this year's worst performance to combine it with the most divisive haka statement. Perhaps it's overdue now for NZ rugby to leave the haka for home games only, ensure that only the players that want to do it are included and never again have 'insertions' added by political activist players.
Go to commentsI expected a larger win than this and the ABs were off slightly whilst the rested Italians were well up for this and gave a real committed performance
Frustrating but a lot of those ABs forwards have done huge minutes this tour and Italy are not the side from the World Cup
Remember they beat wales and Scotland in the 6N
Drew with France and lost to England by 3
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