BACK IN NOVEMBER when Australia visited Ireland for the autumn tests, Wallaby head coach Michael Cheika said that there appeared to be a ‘moratorium’ on tackling Brumbies wing Henry Speight, such was the destructive manner with which the afroed flyer was going about his business.
That decision appears to have been lifted and transferred to Waratahs wing Taqele Naiyaravoro. The Fijian scored a try of such immense power against the Western Force last weekend that FOX Sports branded him the ‘Lomu clone’.
It’s not hard to see why they cranked the hyperbole dial all the way up to the ‘Sky Sports’ setting…
And we could be seeing a lot of of this guy next season, as according to ESPN he has signed a contract to play for Edinburgh in the PRO12. There still looks to be a bit of ambiguity of whether Naiyaravoro will definitely be joining the Scottish side, but it would be great for the league to have this sort of talent playing every week.
And if the ‘Tahs man does arrive as a replacement for Tim Visser, who is joining Harlequins, he will have a similarly bulldozing colleague in the pack. Highlanders back row Nasi Manu has already agreed to join the Challenge Cup finalists.
He may well be the offspring of a wrecking ball and a battering ram.
