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Ospreys sign Waisea Nayacalevu as he exits Sale mid-season

Waisea Nayacalevu of Fiji is consoled by Simon Raiwalui, Head Coach of Fiji, after defeat to England during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between England and Fiji at Stade Velodrome on October 15, 2023 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Adam Pretty - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Ospreys have agreed an immediate deal with Sale Sharks to sign Fiji skipper Waisea Nayacalevu, who has flopped since moving to the North-West last summer.

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RugbyPass exclusively revealed last month that the Sharks had told the outside centre he was free to leave the club after only playing 21 minutes since returning from international duty in the Autumn Nations Series.

Nayacalevu signed a one-year deal with the Sharks, with the option for a second year, as a replacement for England and Lions star Manu Tuilagi when he moved to Bayonne, but he has struggled to hold down a regular place in the side.

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The 6’4” star, who weighs in at 16st 7lb, has only made seven appearances for the Sharks this season, although he did play the full 80 minutes in a 19-17 Premiership Cup win over Newcastle Falcons two weeks ago.

However, they have decided to cut their losses and allow Nayacalevu, who famously scored for Fiji in their memorable pre-World Cup win against England at Twickenham, to immediately move to South Wales.

Nayacalevu spent ten years in France at Stade Français, playing 185 times before moving to Toulon in 2022, where he featured 29 times before linking up with Alex Sanderson’s side.

He is due to return to the South of France next season after agreeing on a two-year deal with Nice, despite them facing relegation to the third tier.

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Nice are 23 points adrift at the bottom of the Pro D2 table after losing 18 of their 21 games this season, and with a points difference of -252, they are determined to spend big to ensure a quick return to the second tier.

Ironically, one of the players they have signed – former Wales fly-half Owen Williams – will be a teammate of Nayacalevu’s at the Welsh region for the next few months until they reunite back in France.

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Anendra Singh 1 hour ago
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I wrote posts on this on two rugby union FB platforms on June 9 (NZ time). I took it further to not only label this QF a “dead rubber” but also if the two sides had manufactured a win, with the Blues taking a raincheck on paying back the Chiefs in a future season, when a bottle neck arises.

Speculation? Indeed, but worth it to inject some credibility in SRP. With flagging interest in what has been a weak SRP, there needs to be some meaningful discussions around what needs to be done to make SRP a platform to select ABs/Wallabies from.

Now, I had reactions of “conspiracy theories” but it basically questions the motive of a repechage “Lucky Loser” facet because it only opens the playoffs to manipulation. It’s called the knockout stage for a reason. You snooze; you lose. No sweeteners required.

The only reason organisers opted for the Top 6 is for a revenue-gathering exercise but, it seems, it has backfired. The 8 qualifying format was a joke, akin to the Blues losing so many games and still making the playoffs. That smacks of the previous seasons’ dilemma.

It’s also worth noting some pool games were questionable because elite teams had done their homework on what boxes to tick for wins and which ones to forfeit. For example, Chiefs and Tahs had not performed in Lautoka against Fijian Drua on what is perceived to be a hostile pitch. Tahs had rested all Wallabies and marquee players.

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frandinand 5 hours ago
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My favorite wine used to be Shiraz and I also enjoy a nice malbec. But having discovered quality pinots my preferences have definitely changed. Sorry Nic. But the great red wines of the world are pinots. The problem is being able to afford them. A friend in NZ sent me this list of their top 25 across regions prices and styles Hope you can source some of them Carlos.

Grove Mill 2023 Marlborough Pinot Noir - $15.99

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