Quiet on the transfer market until now, Lyon pulled off a fine piece of business on Friday by confirming the arrival of Sanele Nohamba. The 27-year-old South African scrum-half signs for two seasons, until 2028, from the Shizuoka Blue Revs.

Quiet on the transfer market until now, Lyon pulled off a fine piece of business on Friday by confirming the arrival of Sanele Nohamba. The 27-year-old South African scrum-half signs for two seasons, until 2028, from the Shizuoka Blue Revs.

From the top of the URC to the bench in Japan

The new signing’s CV makes for mouth-watering reading. Named URC player of the year in 2024 in the Lions shirt, Nohamba finished that season with 117 points scored, 517 metres made with ball in hand, 7 try assists and 19 defenders beaten. All of it in a pocket-sized frame (1.67m and 74kg) that gets in the way of neither pace nor explosiveness.

What followed is less flattering. Having moved to Japan, the South African played only one match last season, for a mere 32 minutes. It is that stop-start career LOU want to revive, that of a player who came through the Baby Boks in 2019 and was even called up by Jacques Nienaber in 2021 to prepare for the series against the British and Irish Lions with the Springboks.

Another weapon in the push for the top six

Eleventh in last season’s Top 14, Lyon have not tasted the play-offs since 2023 and Karim Ghezal has made squad depth a priority. At scrum-half, Nohamba comes into competition with the ever-present Baptiste Couilloud, the promising Esteban Gonzalez and Charlie Cassang.

Able to play at fly-half too and known for his effectiveness off the tee, he offers valuable versatility at a moment when the new Top 14 rule limiting replacements will place a premium on players who cover two positions.