Vaea Fifita Declines New Zealand Super Rugby Return…

The Scarlets have secured a significant achievement by fending off Super Rugby team Moana Pasifika to keep former All Black flanker Vaea Fifita.

Moana Pasifika’s head coach, Fa’alogo Tana Umaga, had hoped to entice Fifita, 32, away from South Wales after successfully signing All Blacks vice-captain Ardie Savea this summer.

Scarlets’ head coach Dwayne Peel worked tirelessly to retain Fifita, a Super Rugby champion with the Hurricanes, who joined from Wasps just before they dissolved two years ago.

Linked with a move to Montpellier earlier this year, Fifita has played 34 matches for the Scarlets in his two years with the team and is expected to stay for at least the next two seasons, according to Wales Online.

Fifita, who earned 11 caps for the All Blacks before switching his international allegiance to Tonga, played two games in last year’s World Cup but was banned following a red card against Scotland.

Moana Pasifika is disappointed by this outcome as they hoped to benefit from the Scarlets’ reduced playing budget, which dropped by £700,000 to a salary cap of £4.5 million for the next season.

Peel has managed to retain key players like Fifita, Tongan lock Sam Lousi, Scotland second-row Alex Craig, and Wales centre Johnny Williams despite these financial constraints.

Peel acknowledged earlier this year that it would be challenging to keep his top players, who consume 10 to 15 percent of the total playing budget.

“The budget is what it is, and like any other business, you have to adapt accordingly. It’s tough because we’re competing with markets that far exceed our resources.

“You have to manage the budget effectively to maintain squad depth and quality. Competing with big-money contracts is hard because we lack the funds,” he said.