London
31 °C
Manchester
26 °C
Glasgow
28 °C
Dublin
Belfast
18 °C
Washington
Denver
Atlanta
Dallas
Houston Texas
New Orleans
El Paso
Phoenix
Los Angeles
29 °C
7 °C
15 °C
Fiji's Nakarawa joins Castres with Rugby World Cup motivation / Photo: © AFP/File
Fiji's Nakarawa joins Castres with Rugby World Cup motivation
Lock Leone Nakarawa said on Friday he has joined Castres on a one-year deal to help him claim a spot in Fiji's squad at next year's Rugby World Cup.
Nakarawa, 34, left Toulon at the end of last season and will feature alongside fellow Fijians such as Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Vilimoni Botitu.
The former Racing 92 forward, who can also play in the back-row, played the last of his 62 Tests in November and has been omitted from his country's squad for this month's Pacific Nations Cup.
"I'm going to re-discover Fijian friends with who I play with at the national team which will help with my integration," Nakarawa said in a club statement.
"I want to do every thing to play in the next World Cup and I know that comes by having a good season with Castres," he added.
In 2019, the 2016 Olympic gold medallist was sacked by Racing for returning late from that year's World Cup.
Last June, he joined Toulon after failing a medical examination with Ulster, before a possible move to Ravenhill.
The new Top 14 season starts on the weekend of September 3 as Castres, last season's runners up, head to Racing.
K. Petersen--BTZ
