Edinburgh bring Aussie Rasolea in to replace Scott
Western Force centre ‘excited’ to join Murrayfield side in time for next season
EDINBURGH have confirmed the signing of Solomoni ‘Junior’ Rasolea, the 24-year-old centre from Australia. Born in Brisbane, Rasolea can also play on the wing, but has primarily been recruited as a replacement for Matt Scott, who is moving to Gloucester.
Having played for Australia’s national sevens team, Rasolea is not eligible to represent any other country at any level. He began his representative rugby life playing at age-grade level for Fiji, and is currently with Western Force in Perth.
“I am really excited about arriving in Edinburgh and getting stuck into northern hemisphere rugby next season,” Rasolea said. “I hope that my knowledge of Super Rugby will be a positive influence on the squad and it will be great to share playing ideas.
“I really enjoy getting my hands on the ball, and the physical side of the game. It’s also going to be great to play with and against players from different playing backgrounds.”
Rasolea, who will join up with Alan Solomons’ squad in time for the start of next season, was reported to have agreed terms with Edinburgh.
The club declined to confirm or deny the move at the time, but there was never any real doubt that the deal had been done.
He is heading for a team currently lying seventh in the Guinness PRO12, but with an ambition to move up at least one place.
That would be an improvement on the previous two seasons, in which they finished eighth, while in the two campaigns before that they were down in the bottom three.
More significantly, however, a top-six place brings European Champions Cup rugby with it for next season – something that many of the players on Edinburgh’s books have yet to experience.
They have benefited from their games in the second-tier Challenge Cup over the past two seasons, particularly last time round when they reached the final only to lose to Gloucester.
As things stand, Edinburgh still have a chance of getting into the top four and claiming a place in the play-offs, although they would need to become more consistent very quickly to succeed in that aim, starting tomorrow when they play the Newport Gwent Dragons in Wales.
A finish in the upper half of the table would in any case represent a real step forward for the club, although even to do that they will have to reverse their fortunes in away games. They have won only once away from BT Murrayfield this season, when they beat Benetton Treviso. Technically they also won away at Glasgow Warriors at the start of the year, but that match was switched from Scotstoun to the national stadium because of the weather so was a home outing in all but name for the capital team.
Given the need for a good run of results as the play-offs loom, it was no surprise that Solomons, the head coach, has chosen not to rest his crop of Scotland Test players for the game in Newport.
He explained that he prefers to throw them straight back into action, looking to their leadership to revive a team that has struggled for wins this year. “Whoever is available will play,” Solomons said. “John Hardie is not right. He’s taken a bang on the neck and his groin is a little troublesome, so he can’t play. Hamish [Watson] has been playing well and will play.
“Fordy, Dicko and WP [Ross Ford, Alasdair Dickinson and WP Nel] will all start, with Stuart McInally and Suzz [Rory Sutherland] on the bench. Matt Scott is still out with injury, Gilco [Grant Gilchrist] is out for the season. We do get back the front row, but there’s nothing we can do about the other players. It’s just the way it is. Mike Allen is now back fit and starts with Sam Beard, with Deano on the bench. We’re not short of players with ability and the leadership will be better with having Fordy, Dicko and Stuart back in.
“We can’t look beyond the Dragons. They are a different team at Rodney Parade compared to when they came to Murrayfield.”
Edinburgh beat the Dragons 32-13 back in November.
B Kinghorn; D Hoyland, M Allen, S Beard, T Brown; P Burleigh, S Hidalgo-Clyne; A Dickinson, R Ford, W Nel, A Bresler, A Toolis, J. Ritchie, H Watson, C Du Preez. Substitutes: S McInally, R Sutherland, J Andress, A Toolis, M Bradbury, S Kennedy, C Dean, D Fife.