Newcastle agree Fineanganofo delay as he eyes All Blacks World Cup spot
Free-scoring All Blacks wing Fehi Fineanganofo convinces Newcastle Red Bulls to delay his arrival on Tyneside so he can chase his dream of playing at the Rugby World Cup.
Newcastle Red Bulls have delayed the arrival of All Blacks wing Fehi Fineanganofo to allow him to pursue a World Cup spot. Initially, the 24-year-old signed a two-year deal with Newcastle at the start of the current campaign in January. However, Fineanganofo's impressive performance with the Hurricanes in Super Rugby led him into consideration for Test matches.
Making his debut against France in July, he was ineligible for the Rugby World Cup this year if he had moved to Newcastle, as per selection rules. Newcastle has, therefore, allowed Fineanganofo to extend his stay with the Hurricanes for another season, thus covering the 2027-28 and 2028-29 campaigns in his contract. Fineanganofo expressed gratitude for Newcastle's understanding, stating that staying in New Zealand to push for World Cup selection means a lot to him.
He is committed to joining the club post-tournament and contributing his best to the team. Newcastle's sporting general manager, Neil McIlroy, praised Fineanganofo's desire to represent his country and highlighted the club's support for his ambitions. This compromise ends the uncertainty surrounding Fineanganofo's future, and the club remains open to adding to their outside back options if a suitable player becomes available.
Newcastle started their league campaign with a 59-26 defeat to defending champions Northampton and will face Leicester at home on Saturday.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
