A hooker with Super Rugby miles
Leicester Tigers have signed Samoa hooker Richie Asiata with immediate effect. The 30-year-old arrives from NPC side Tasman and has previously played for Benetton and the Queensland Reds.
Asiata has two Samoa Test caps, the first of them in July’s World Rugby Nations Cup. He was recently named in Samoa’s extended squad for the November Tests, so the move gives him a Premiership platform just ahead of the international window.
Head coach Geoff Parling said Asiata brings “over 50 Super Rugby caps” to a position of need. That is a plain admission that Leicester wanted cover at hooker, and a signing made in October rather than the summer suggests the need was pressing.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
Another Wallaby heads out of France
Elsewhere in the transfer market, Wallabies forward Rob Leota has left Top 14 side Bayonne. The club said he would leave the professional squad from 13 October by agreement. The 29-year-old back-row and lock joined from the Waratahs last year and made 12 appearances in his first season in France.
Leota has not played since a knee injury against Montauban in March. His exit opens the door to a possible return to Super Rugby Pacific in 2027. He has 21 Test caps, the last of which came at the 2023 World Cup.
Discover the rest of our Rugby news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply