Nadolo to join Waratahs in 2023
FIJIAN-Australian powerhouse Nemani Nadolo is set to join the Waratahs on a one-year deal next season.
Twelve years after he was cut adrift by NSW, the Sigatokaborn, Brisbane-raised winger will join Test fullback Kurtley Beale in a return to Daceyville to add international class and devastating power to the Waratahs’ back line in 2023.
The 30-Test Fjii international has scored 15 tries in 33 appearances so far for UK Premiership side Leicester, becoming a cult hero among the club’s fans and attracting singular praise from revered coach Steve Borthwick, who said of Nadolo: “He can do things that I have not seen before”.
In an indication of his potential value to a NSW back line that is still finding its feet, Nadolo’s presence at Welford Road is credited with bringing through top young backs Guy Porter and Harry Potter - both of whom, incidentally, are Australian. His 195cm, 138kg frame won’t go astray, either, if the Waratahs want to take their promising 2022 form to the next level.
“The ability to catch balls one-handed, to pick balls up to carry,” Borthwick said of Nadolo this season.
“The other thing you don’t see that he’s brilliant at is jackaling [for] the ball on the floor as well. Now, how? When you’re 6ft 5in, I don’t know. But he can.
‘So, [I’m] privileged to work with him. And very grateful to him and he continues to keep doing all the work he does, over and above what normally people don’t see to get himself right.”
The Waratahs are not expected to confirm Nadolo’s signing for some time as the 34-year-old is still on contract with UK Premiership side Leicester and will leave them mid-way through the next European season.
He will arrive in Australia towards the end of this year and likely be on duty for the backhalf of the 2023 pre-season.
The signing is set to have a knock-on effect at the Waratahs, with coach Darren Coleman keen to re-sign five-eighth Tane Edmed but under salary cap pressure with Beale’s return, the re-signing of Izaia Perese and Lalakai Foketi, and a glut of outside backs.