Jeff set to exit after four years at Wasps
FORMER All Black Jeffery Toomagaallen appears to be heading out of Wasps at the end of the season.
The tighthead prop joined ahead of the 2018/19 season from Hurricanes where he amassed a century of Super Rugby appearances.
He ended his first campaign with a Premiership runners-up medal when he started in the final against Exeter Chiefs.
Toomaga-allen has slipped down the pecking order at Wasps this season, with Biyi Alo establishing himself as the firstchoice option with Elliot Millar-mills, a signing from Ealing Trailfinders last summer, the preferred alternative. The 31-year-old has started just eight Premiership games this season and hasn’t featured in a front-line game for two months.
Wasps have also beefed up their tighthead options ahead of the 2022/23 campaign with the signing of Vincent Koch from Saracens and Munster’s John Ryan.
At Wasps’ end-of-season awards on Wednesday night, Toomaga-allen was welcomed on to stage as one of the departing players, and shared a photograph of a magnum of Champagne with his name on the label, along with the time span of his stay and ‘once a Wasp, always a Wasp.’ On his on social media, the 31-year-old shared a picture of the bottle and the caption ‘been a blast.’
Images that have been widely shared on social media also showed that fellow tighthead prop Pieter Scholtz was among the departing list. The South African, who joined from Scarlets last year, has found gametime hard to come by since joining from Scarlets, with his two Premiership starts lasting little over 30 minutes with tactical substitutions before half-time.
Fullback Cameron Anderson, who was promoted from the academy last summer, has not featured this season and was also referenced on the awards night as a departing player.
The only players who have officially been confirmed as leaving Wasps are Vaea Fifita (Scarlets), Thomas Young (Cardiff) and Malakai Fekitoa (Munster) while Jimmy Gopperth is joining Leicester Tigers.
Two players on that outgoing list, Gopperth and Young, were awarded the Ivor Montlake Cup for outstanding services along with James Gaskell, who has been linked with a move to Japan recently, and Rob Miller. The long-serving pair have more than 280 Wasps appearances between them.
So far, Wasps’ confirmed signings for next term along with their two new international props are fly-half Will Haydon-wood (Newcastle Falcons), centre Burger Odendaal (Lions), lock Kiran Mcdonald (Glasgow Warriors) while centre Olly Hartley has been promoted from the academy.
Elliott Stooke was Wasps men’s big winner on the night, claiming he players’ player and coaches’ player of the season awards.
Other winners were Tom Willis (young player), Brad Shields (supporters player), Zac Nearchou (academy), and Paolo Odogwu (try of the season). The community player of the season prize went to Malakai Fekitoa for his fundraising efforts following the Tongan tsunami.