TOULON CHASING FEKITOA
SPECULATION CONTINUES to grow that Highlanders midfielder Malakai Fekitoa will be heading to French club Toulon next year.
Fekitoa, 25, is o contract at the end of the year and has been targeted by a number of o shore clubs, with Toulon the favourites to snare him should he decide to leave New Zealand.
While speculation is strong, Fekitoa has given no indication as to his intentions. Having been a regular All Black since 2014, he missed selection for the squad to play the British & Irish Lions.
Instead, the All Blacks brought in Ngani Laumape, alongside Sonny Bill Williams, Ryan Crotty and Anton Lienert-Brown.
Crusaders centre Jack Goodhue was drafted in as cover for Crotty, suggesting Fekitoa was a long way back in the pecking order.
But after Williams was suspended following his red card in the second test against the Lions and Crotty still hadn’t recovered, Fekitoa was called up.
It was just reward after he had performed powerfully for the Highlanders against the Lions earlier in the tour. When he arrived back in the squad, his Highlanders teammate, Aaron Smith, said of Fekitoa:
“In the Highlanders we have a way we like to use him and he’s very good on our D and a good ball carrier for us.
“It is good to see him playing good rugby again, but then I think he has been going good all year.
“He is a real physical player and that suits his game, he’s really confrontational and he has a take nothing attitude. He’ll go hard and also if he gets the opportunity there is a bit of a chip on his shoulder and maybe a bit of a no fear attitude coming in.
“He knows what he has to do, but just seeing him around, he’s really happy to be here.”
Fekitoa is expected to confirm his plans in the next few months.