The Fijian Drua have announced the signing of Leone Nakarawa on social media. At 38, the Fijian lock is heading home after thirteen seasons in Europe, eight of them in the Top 14.
The Fijian Drua announced the signing of Leone Nakarawa on social media with a simple message: “Soon on the pitch in Drua colours”. At 38, the Fijian lock is heading home after thirteen seasons in Europe, eight of them in the Top 14.
A decade in French rugby
Having joined Racing 92 in 2016 after three seasons at Glasgow, Nakarawa played 145 Top 14 matches and scored 26 tries, a remarkable tally for a lock. His first three seasons in Paris remain his busiest.
| Club | Seasons | Top 14 matches | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Racing 92 | 2016-2017 to 2018-2019 | 66 | 19 |
| Toulon | 2021-2022 | 12 | 1 |
| Castres | 2022-2023 to 2025-2026 | 67 | 6 |
On top of those come 52 European matches, Champions Cup and Challenge Cup combined, with 8 tries. His time at Glasgow, from 2013 to 2016 and again on a return in 2019-2020, adds up to 61 matches in the Pro12 and then the URC.
A final season on the fringes
The signs were there on the pitch. In 2025-2026, his fourth season at Castres, Nakarawa played only five Top 14 matches, with a single start, plus two European fixtures. The season before, he still had 22, and 25 in 2023-2024.
For Fiji, our records show 65 Test caps in the fifteen-a-side game with 12 tries, plus 55 tournaments on the sevens circuit, including the 2016 Rio Olympics, which ended with a gold medal. He also played at three fifteen-a-side World Cups.
Back in Fiji, he joins a young franchise competing in Super Rugby Pacific, bringing experience that no other player in the squad can match.
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