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![Not allowed!](images/buttons/up_dis.png)
Northampton Saints have announced that Australian international prop Salesi Ma'afu will join the club ahead of the 2013/14 season.
Ma'afu is rated as one of the top props in Australia. The 6ft, 126kg, tight-head has 14 Wallaby caps to his name, along with Australia 'A' and Barbarian representative honours.
Born in Sydney, Ma'afu - whose brother Campese is also an international prop - has built up extensive Super Rugby experience with the Brumbies and latterly Western Force. His international debut came in 2010, and after fighting back from a serious arm injury he helped Australia to third place in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, including starting the bronze medal match with Wales.
Unfortunately a broken arm sustained during the latter stages of the Force's 2012 Super Rugby campaign meant that Ma'afu missed the Rugby Championship and November tour, but he starts 2013 as part of the Wallabies' training squad.
However later in the year Ma'afu will be swapping Subiaco for the Saints, and director of rugby Jim Mallinder says that the 29-year-old has the ability to make a big impact on Aviva Premiership Rugby.
"We have been impressed by what we have seen from Salesi," said Northampton Saints boss Jim Mallinder.
"He has built up a good reputation as one of the top props in Australia and has been a big part of the Wallabies' recent improvements in the set piece.
"Salesi will add a great deal to our group of props and the squad in general going into next season, and we're looking forward to welcoming him to Franklin's Gardens later in the year."
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,2...469691,00.html
“Everyone knows whether it’s rugby, politics or whatever, front-rowers should rule the world, so to have a hooker at the helm makes sense,” Nathan Charles Western Force & Wallabies Hooker.
One word Manu
Generally speaking you aren’t learning much if your lips are moving!!!
Is it unusual to see a player move to sign a deal to play in the northern hemisphere so early in the season?
I would have thought on some level Foley might be reluctant to include him in first XV affairs as he clearly isn't committed long term to the force?
Good on him for not stringing this thing out nothing worse than a prolonged drawn out process. However wouldn't he be worried that he will not get selected for the lions tour?
Generally speaking you aren’t learning much if your lips are moving!!!
He has never been committed long term to the Force. He was tweeting 12 months ago about how he couldn't wait to leave. And he let himself go so much in the off-season that they have had to put extra effort into getting the weight off him in pre-season.
Pity they can shove him out the door now rather than having to carry him for the whole season.
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
One of the top props in the country? Rated by who??