Worcester boss Steve Diamond has dismissed speculation that they are in the market to sign Fijian lock Leone Nakarawa from Toulon, revealing instead that he hopes to get the signature overnight of a Kiwi second row to complete the Warriors’ recruitment ah
The incoming director of rugby has been busy overhauling his squad while in his current role lead rugby consultant prior to the imminent departure of Alan Solomons.
Diamond claimed on Tuesday that he has managed to sign every single one of the players he wanted to recruit, adding that there was one piece of the puzzle left to confirm and that it wouldn’t be Nakarawa who was linked with the club who have so far snapped up Italian duo Hame Faiva and Renato Giammarioli, Russian Valeriy Morozov, Sale pair Curtis Langdon and Cam Neild, and Australian Fergus Lee-Warner.
“The people who are joining us, most of them have been around the building this week to find apartments and houses in the locality all understand the job in the hand, which is to get Worcester to be highly competitive,” explained Diamond at his media briefing ahead of Saturday’s final outing in the 2021/22 Premiership.
“I have everyone (I wanted). I say everyone, but I have got to get the signature from a lock. When the signature from the lock comes up tonight then it will be announced this week sometime and then we are done. We’re done and we have got a highly competitive squad. I have grafted, I have found him and he looks to be a good player, so fingers crossed. It is not often I have done that, though, to be honest [recruited every player targeted].”
Asked if the signing would be Nakarawa, the veteran Fijian, Diamond said it wasn’t. “Well, firstly he is a wonderful player, Secondly, I am not signing him. I put out a remit to myself when I came here that to get them [Worcester] where I want them over the next twelve months, not the next three years – I don’t need to say it needs three years to turn this ship around, all that normal rubbish you hear from people who have got a job for three years.
