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Vannes have torn up their two-year deal to sign Alapati Leiua
By Liam Heagney
Former Samoan international Alapati Leiua has had his deal to join Vannes scrapped just weeks ahead of the start of the 2022/23 PRO D2 season in France. It was April 28 when Bristol confirmed that the soon-to-be 34-year-old would be leaving after a five-year stay featuring more than 100 appearances.
At the time, Bristol boss Pat Lam said: “Alapati has truly been a fantastic servant to the Bears and a leader for our culture and environment. He has made an immense contribution on and off the field, laying the foundations for the next chapter of the Bears’ journey.
“We are delighted for Alapati, his wife Carmel and son Manu about the opportunity that has come up to play in France and to experience a different culture. He can be proud of what he has achieved and the standards that he has set. He departs with our love and best wishes.”
However, the decision by Leiua to link up with Vannes has now encountered a deal-breaking hitch four months later.
The second-tier club that has ex-England international Nick Abendanon on its books is due to open its latest campaign with an August 26 away game at Soyaux-Angoulême and they are now planning for that match - and for the season - minus their newly-signed Samoan.
A media release by Vannes read: “Alapati Leiua will ultimately not join Rugby Club Vannes. Despite an agreement reached to join Rugby Club Vannes this summer, the Samoan centre did not pass the medical examinations required by the protocol of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby. We wish him all the best for the rest of his career.”
It’s a devastating development for Leiua as he had secured a two-year deal at Vannes through to the end of the 2023/24 season, but he is now suddenly on the lookout for a new club. Having made a Super Rugby breakthrough at the Hurricanes in 2010, he came to England after joining Wasps for the 2014/15 season and he stayed there for three seasons before switching to Bristol.
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Latest Comments
Yeah well you guys couldn't do it at home could you, never mind in Italia. Theyve been good for a few years now, 23' when France and Ireland were at their best were arguably better Italian performances than this years 6N results.
My point was of course they don't want to get ahead of themselves and then lose against teams that they should be beating. That's the difficulty with getting better and better.
Go to commentsThey’re being dressed as midfielders. Neither of them is a natural midfielder, they’re both converts.
You can call a rose by any other name, yada yada, as Billy Shakespeare says. Semantics.
New Zealand went all the way from having a surplus of midfielders in about 2015 to having to convert wingers and two different utility backs (Havili, Jordie). How did that happen?
All the while actual specialist 12s and 13s are not even getting a proper shot. Laumape lost patience with that nonsense. Big Leicester as well (now that’s a winger convert that would actually make sense at 13). It’s literally stupid not to try players out.
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