When the Waratahs struck injury problems with front-rowers early this season, the chance to sign Nephi Leatigaga from England’s Leicester Tigers looked like good business.
A 29-year-old prop with six Test caps for Samoa, Leatigaga spent the past eight years packing down in scrum-loving leagues in France and England, and was looking to move back south to be closer to family.
However, before the Waratahs could proceed, they had to resolve a “big″ problem: namely, figuring out exactly how massive Leatigaga really is.
The giant loose-head prop is listed everywhere – including by the Tigers – as weighing a whopping 149kg, which was enough heft for Leatigaga to make the cut in one online article listing the world’s “heaviest XV″.
“And I actually saw one place that said 152kg,” Waratahs forwards coach Pauli Taumoepeau said. “I said, ‘Guys, we cannot get this guy’, and DC [Waratahs coach Darren Coleman] said, ‘No, no, I assure you he is closer to 140kg’.
Nephi Leatigaga at Waratahs training this week.Credit: NSW Rugby/Julius Dimitaga
“So we asked him before we Zoomed to provide some metrics on some things, and he was 139kg. And he is about 134kg now, after a few weeks with us.”
It turned out Leatigaga had arrived at the powerhouse Leicester club and lost the French weight within a few months, but in the age-old battle of the match program, the Tigers had not shared the news with rival props and coaches.
“I lost it within a month of two of having signed for Leicester, and hitting the training paddock pretty hard,” Leatigaga told the Herald.
“Playing with a guy like [England and Tigers prop] Ellis Genge, he is unreal and just the way he moves around the pitch, I knew I definitely had to try and get quicker and lighter.”
Leatigaga arrived at the Waratahs three weeks ago, and after recovering from a ankle injury and playing club rugby last weekend, is set to make his Super Rugby debut off the bench for NSW in Auckland – where he was raised – on Saturday.
Nephi Leatigaga on the charge for the Leicester Tigers.Credit: Getty
“I always wanted to do a year or two closer to home because the family were feeling pretty homesick,” Leatigaga said. “I was looking at coming back and maybe something back in New Zealand, but I have a lot of family in Australia as well and this was a great opportunity.
“I am looking forward to playing Super Rugby finally, being at home [in Auckland] and in front of family. I have always wanted to play Super Rugby, so this is my chance.”
Taumoepeau said being without Angus Bell (foot), Harry Johnson-Holmes (achilles) and Tetera Faulkner (calf) early in the year had left the Tahs with an inexperienced crop of front-rowers and looking around for a greybeard prop to provide some late-game ballast.
Leatigaga fits the bill perfectly. After coming through the Auckland system, he played in Italy before joining Biarritz in France in 2017. In 2019, he was signed by Leicester, and went on to play 77 Premiership and Champions Cup games for the Tigers, including the club’s 2021 premiership final victory.
“For us, having Tetera, Belly, [Dave] Porecki, Harry Johnson-Holmes is awesome, but if one or more of them is injured, our reserve bench gets quite young really quickly,” Taumoepeau said.
“So it’s a big positive bringing Nephi in. Just having that experience and leadership, someone who knows the dark arts and can fix a situation on the run in the game, that’s so crucial.
“We are under no illusions. He is not just going to snap into Super Rugby mode straight away, and against the Blues this weekend he will get 30 minutes or so and we think he’ll be fine with that.”
Leatigaga said he was confident he could make an immediate impact as a Waratah.
“I have scrummed against an awful lot of world-class props in the UK and in France, and worked under some brilliant coaches as well, like Steve [Borthwick],” he said.
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