Our latest rugby transfers and rumours update centres around the demise of Moana Pasifika, the next Fiji head coach and PREM Rugby clubs’ targets.
Clubs pounce after Moana’s demise as Harlequins target former All Blacks centre
The news that Moana Pasifika will disband at the end of the current Super Rugby Pacific season has sparked speculation of where some of the team’s top talents will land.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Harlequins could be one of the benefactors as they position themselves to snap up the services of former All Blacks midfielder Ngani Laumape, who is bound to be in high demand.
Quins have struggled to fill the void Andre Esterhuizen left when he returned to the Durban Sharks at the end of the 2023/24 season, and the situation wasn’t made easier when Lennox Anyanwu signed for Montpellier. According to the report, a source suggests that Laumape would be an attractive proposition for the Famous Quarters, who have fallen short in moves for Sione Tuipulotu, Levi Aumua, and Santiago Chocobares.
The report claims that most PREM clubs have completed their recruitment for next season already, but are monitoring a handful of Pasifika players who will now be on the market.
Meanwhile, it’s yet to be seen what the disbandment of the team will mean for All Blacks star Ardie Savea, who was set to rejoin the side following his stint in Japan with the Kobe Kobelco Steelers. Savea is contracted with New Zealand Rugby through to the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup and could end up at one of the New Zealand Super Rugby clubs, probably his former team, the Hurricanes.
Snubbed scrum-half set to join Sale
Sale Sharks looked to have finally found a successor for Newcastle Red Bulls-bound Raffi Quirke with the North West-based club snapping up the services of Xavier Roe.
The Chiefs scrum-half represented the All Blacks XV last year but was unable to force his way up the pecking order under former head coach Scott Robertson, who preferred the likes of Cam Roigard, Noah Hotham, Cortez Ratima, and Finlay Christie for the national team’s number nine jersey.
According to SportsMail, Roe has agreed terms with the Sharks and will link up with Alex Sanderson’s charges following the conclusion of the Super Rugby season with Sale also announcing the signings of South African lock JJ Scheepers and Coventry winger David Opoku-Fordjour.
While Roe wasn’t able to force his way into the Test squad last year, he has been the first-choice scrum-half at the Chiefs ahead of Ratima this season, starting five times and has been named on the bench twice.
The signing of Roe comes after Sale also missed out on the services of Springboks scrum-half Faf de Klerk, who will return to South Africa, while they have also been linked with Bulls star Embrose Papier.
Rugby Transfers: Sharks circle Springboks snub, Bulls’ post-Ruan Nortje plans and Stormers’ rebuild
All Blacks hopeful re-signs
Over in Auckland, the Blues have announced that outside back Zarn Sullivan has re-signed with the club through to the end of the 2028 Super Rugby Pacific season. A product of King’s College and the Blues development pathways, Sullivan has been part of the Blues environment since his teenage years.
The 25-year-old made his Blues debut in the final round of the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season and has since become a regular starter for the side.
“This club means a lot to me. I’ve come through the system here and had incredible support from the coaches, players and staff along the way,” Sullivan said.
“I feel like I’ve still got more to achieve and a lot more to give. I’m excited about where this group is heading and grateful to be part of it for the next few years.”
A capped Māori All Black, Sullivan has yet to earn international honours for the All Blacks but could well come into contention under new head coach Dave Rennie.
Fiji miss out on top head coach target as RC Toulon swoop
Fiji have failed in their pursuit of Franck Azéma to be the national team’s next head coach and have now turned their attentions to another Frenchman, according to reports.
Earlier this month, the union announced the departure of Mick Byrne, due to health concerns, with Senirusi Seruvakula taking over on an interim basis.
The union has been looking for a long-term successor since and had identified the experienced Azéma as their top target. The Frenchman vacated his position at Perpignan after the club’s poor start to the season and was reportedly in talks with the Fijian Rugby Union.
However, L’Equipe reports that the slow pace of those discussions frustrated the former Clermont boss who ended the talks and is now on the brink of rejoining RC Toulon, becoming the club’s head coach.
Azéma is being brought in to support Pierre Mignoni, who suffered a breakdown (his own words) and took a break from his duties earlier this season. The report adds that Munster lineout coach Alex Codling will also join Toulon and fill Sergio Parisse’s void, who is joining Italy’s coaching staff at the end of the season.
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So where does that leave Fiji? L’Equipe states that the union has turned their focus to current Perpignan boss Laurent Labit, who took over at the Top 14 club after Azéma’s departure.
The report adds that it’s entirely possible that Seruvakula could retain the head coach gig through to the Rugby World Cup, but that the FRU hasn’t given up the hope of recruiting a French coach, with the publication’s sources stating that the union ‘greatly admires’ Labit’s work.
His contract with Perpignan runs through to the end of the 2026/27 season but crucially, he has an exit clause in the event of the club being relegated, which is a real possibility as they rank 13th overall after 20 rounds of action. If they finish in that position, they would have to play the Top 14 Access Match against the losing club of the Pro D2 final.