1
Nemani Nadolo will be a Leicester Tiger next season
By Ian Cameron
Giant Fijian winger Nemani Nadolo is to be a Leicester Tiger next season after agreeing terms with the club.
ADVERTISEMENT
The move, which is expected to be announced early next week, will see the 32-year-old swap Top 14 giants Montpellier Herault for Welford Road.
RugbyPass understands the 6’4, 137kg Nadolo has signed a two-year deal with Geordan Murphy’s side, where he will look to help improve the Leicester Tigers’ fortunes after two difficult seasons in the Premiership for the former heavyweights of English rugby.
The heaviest back to ever play professional rugby, Nadolo has enjoyed a four-year stint at Montpellier, where he scored a remarkable 53 tries in just 68 games.
It’s not his first time in the Premiership. Born in Sigatoka, Fiji, the hulking wing had a short spell with Exeter Chiefs back in 2011, before moving to Japan with the NEC Greenrockets.
He spent four seasons with the Top League side, where he averaged more than a try a game, before starring for the Crusaders side in Super Rugby, where the proven finisher bagged 27 tries in 40 games over two seasons in Christchurch between 2014 and 2016.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nadolo was a star of 2015 Rugby World Cup in England with his native Fiji, but retired from international rugby prior to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Making the decision in January of last year, Nadolo cited challenges both on and off the field over the previous 18 months and explained it was a move that was right for him and his family.
“I could’ve waited ‘til after the World Cup but it just felt right to do it now. It felt like a big burden off me. Probably the last 10-11 months I’ve been thinking about it,” Nadolo told RugbyPass at the time.
Director of rugby Vern Cotter was granted early release this month to start planning for his new role in charge of the Fiji national team, with Philippe Saint-Andre taking over a new era at the Top 14 club.
ADVERTISEMENT
WATCH: ‘Nadolo’ explores the life and career of Fijian rugby legend Nemani Nadolo.
