Leone Nakarawa may not line up for Glasgow Warriors until December

Coronavirus, family bereavement and new baby delay forward’s return from Fiji

Leone Nakarawa is expected in Glasgow within two weeks, but will then be called up by Fiji. Picture: SNS/SRU

Leone Nakarawa has yet to come back to Scotland and may not be available to play for Glasgow until December.

Warriors head coach Danny Wilson suggested last month that the Fijian forward’s return was imminent, but since then a family bereavement has extended Nakarawa’s stay in his homeland, where he has been since lockdown.

The 32-year-old is now expected to report back within the next two weeks, but before he has time to get up to speed in training and play for Glasgow he is expected to be called up by Fiji for the 
Nations Cup.

That competition finishes on the first weekend of December, a week before the Warriors’ first Champions Cup pool game.

Nakarawa parted company with French club Racing 92 because of disciplinary reasons including an unauthorised absence after last year’s World Cup. But Glasgow assistant coach Kenny Murray insisted yesterday that the club were not worried by this extended period away, which also included a spell of paternity leave.

“He’s definitely coming back,” Murray said. “He’s obviously on his way back. We expect him to be here in the next ten to 14 days. The issue was initially with Covid, and he’s also had a bereavement in his family – it was a close relative – so it has been a tough time 
for him.

“It is obviously difficult, isn’t it? He’s had a few tough things to deal with back home – the Covid initially, then this bereavement, and a new baby as well – so there has been a whole host of things that have been difficult for him.

“But, listen, he’s coming back and he’ll be on the pitch, hopefully soon, to play.

“I suppose it’s never ideal, but that’s where we are at the moment. I don’t anticipate he will be available for the first game, but he will be available pretty soon after that.”

That first game is on Saturday week, when Glasgow visit Ospreys in the opening round of Pro14 fixtures. There are pnly a couple of weeks after that before players start to be called up for national training camps. “There’s a good chance he’ll be selected in that Fiji squad,” Murray accepted. “That’s a probability rather than a possibility: we just need to deal with that.”

Nakarawa rejoined Glasgow at the start of this year on a short-term deal. He then signed on for another season in June.

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