Mark Nawaqanitawase arrives in Japan – could debut v the Reds
Dual-code star Mark Nawaqanitawase has arrived in Japan to join his new club Saitama Wild Knights as he completes his eagerly-awaited return to the 15-man game.
Nawaqanitawase, 26, scored two tries in his NRL send-off as he helped the Sydney Roosters edge Newcastle Knights 19-18 in a dramatic Grand Final last month.
Since then, the former Waratahs wing wizard has announced that he will make a decision regarding his Test rugby future next year with the possibility to switch nations to represent Italy or Fiji - who he qualifies through via his family heritage - in time for the World Cup in Australia.
Nawaqanitawase popped up with his 2023 World Cup teammate and new Urayasu D-Rocks recruit Jordan Petaia in a picture posted on Instagram by Wallabies and Urayasu centre Samu Kerevi outside a 7-11 convenience store on Sunday.
The Sydney-born flyer’s last game in union was a Super Rugby outing for the Waratahs against the Reds in May 2024.
Nawaqanitawase could now make his return and Saitama debut against this Reds this month.
Atsushi Kanazawa’s side, who beat Suntory Sungoliath in a third-place play-off last season, have already played six pre-season games ahead of their season-opening game against Graham Rowntree’s Urayasu on 12 December.
Saitama, who signed Nawaqanitawase on a two-year deal as a replacement for his former Wallabies teammate Marika Koroibete, will host the Queensland Reds for pre-season games on 7 and 14 November.
The 2022 League One winners, whose talent-laden squad includes Springboks duo Damian de Allende and Lood de Jager, will first host the Brisbane-based Reds this Saturday at Ota City Athletic Park Stadium before welcoming Vern Cotter’s team to the 24,000-capacity Kumagaya Rugby Stadium seven days later.
Saitama and their Australian counterparts launched a partnership in 2020 and, as part of their agreement, the former hosts the Reds annually for pre-season games.
Nawaqanitawase, whose lucrative contract runs until June 2028, could feature against the Reds with South African speedster Maurice Marks and newcomer Toshi Kurita Butlin, a former Australia youth international who has arrived from Top 14 side Pau, among their options on the wing alongside utility-back Koki Takeyama who scored 12 tries last season.
Following their double header against the Reds, the heavy-hitting Japanese side will head to Miyazaki for a six-day training camp from 16-21 November.
Saitama will face Honda Heat in their final pre-season outing on 5 December at Kumagaya.
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