Leicester Tigers are looking to recruit South African 2019 Rugby World Cup hero Makazole Mapimpi ahead of the 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership season.
According to RUCK sources, the 29-year-old winger, who became the first South African to score a try in a World Cup final on November 2 last year, is a target for Tigers.
Mapimpi, who also has offers on the table from Japan, is in no rush to make a decision and would like to at least talk to the Premiership club about a proposed move.
The sudden interest from overseas clubs in South African players stems from a 21-day window that was agreed upon by the SA Rugby Industry, MyPlayers and the South African Rugby Employers’ Organisation (SAREO) in which all professional players were given three weeks – until 14 May – to get out of their current contracts with their respective unions and sign on the dotted line with those big-spending UK, France and Japanese clubs in particular.
The speedster made his test debut for the Springboks on 2 June 2018 against Wales in Washington, D.C. at the age of 27 years and has since accumulated 14 caps, scoring 14 tries.
He was in the team that won the 2019 Rugby World Cup under the leadership of Siya Kolisi, where he scored 6 tries including two in the 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter final match against Japan in a 26–3 victory, and one in the final against England.
4 Big-Money Signings Who Flopped at Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers have welcomed more false dawns than most clubs in recent – as highlighted by their misfortune in the transfer market when it comes to exciting signings that ultimately proved disappointing.
We’ve gone from the inception of the Premiership in 1997/98 because, as you all know, that’s when club rugby ‘started’.
1. JP Pietersen
World Cup winner with South Africa in 2007, Pietersen signed a three-year deal to join Premiership giants prior to the 2016–2017 season. However, the winger was granted early release to join top French club Toulon in the Top 14 from the 2017-18 season. He scored three tries in 15 appearances during his underwhelming one-year stint at Welford Road. Worth the huge salary? Absolutely not.