GLASGOW WARRIORS HAVE announced that Leone Nakarawa will leave the club at the end of the season — with a year still to run on his contract — to join a team in France.
According to a Glasgow statement, Nakarawa’s new club will announce his capture “in due course”. The 28-year-old lock has been linked with a move to Ronan O’Gara’s Racing 92.
Over the course of his three-year stint in Scotland, Nakarawa made 66 appearances for Glasgow Warriors, including a man-of-the-match performance in last season’s Guinness Pro12 final victory over Munster.
With Glasgow currently in third place in the table, Nakarawa will be aiming to help his side to retain the title before he departs.
Renowned for his impressive offloading ability, Nakarawa — who featured at last year’s World Cup — has scored seven tries in 35 international appearances for Fiji.
“Leone has attracted a lot of interest from other clubs due to the form he’s been in over the last year. During the Rugby World Cup a lot of clubs were interested in signing him and although we were looking to retain him, we have now agreed to let Leone leave a year early,” said Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend.
“Right from when there was interest in him I’ve been fully involved with Scottish Rugby in the discussions with Leone and his agent, and the deal which was subsequently agreed has allowed us to strengthen our squad for next season.
“Leone has been a fantastic player for the club and has been a pleasure to coach. He has worked hard and developed into one of the best second-rows in the world during the past three years. He has worked very hard to improve and has shown on numerous occasions how much he cares for his teammates and this club.
“We will rightly remember his outstanding game in last year’s Guinness Pro12 final, but his performance this season at home to Leinster was equally as impressive. Following an injury to Peter Murchie, Leone became our captain in the second-half and really stepped up for his teammates, making smart decisions and putting his body on the line in defence.
“We are looking forward to Leone delivering similar performances as we enter a very exciting run of games at the end of this season.”
Nakarawa added: “These types of opportunities only come around once and I couldn’t turn it down. I’ll miss all of the players, but I’ll still keep in touch with them as I get on with them all so well.
“This is a new challenge which I’m looking forward to, but that is next season and my focus just now is trying to retain the Guinness Pro12 trophy and end my time at the club on a high.”
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
