Uini Atonio - monster soon to be eligible for France

[Big Ewis]

you guys seen this guy Uini Atonio ? Plays at la Rochelle in Pro D2 right now. Originally from NZ, a young tighthead with apparently impressive qualities in the loose.
As he was trained as a pro in France, he'll be eligible to play for France this July.
He's practically 2m tall and 155kg lol.
It would still be poaching in my eyes because we're bringing in a guy from abroad and using his physiological qualities that we wouldn't have with a native Frenchman (white, or originally African or from Maghreb or even Pac Islander but native).
He's practically guaranteed to be in the Top 14 next season.

His enormous size would suggest he'd have difficulties in the scrum, esp. under the new laws, abut some have confirmed he's good in there too.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Seen him play several times as a good friend of mine plays for La Rochelle so i always watch them when they are on the box, he is also team captain, Toulouse are after him at the moment and if they are after him he will probably be going there, not many refuse the chance!!!!!!
He is an excellent prop but probably needs to shed a bit of that all important MASS!!!!!! that you mention now and again, but no doubt if Noves gets his hands on him he will so get rid of the excess and turn it into MUSCULAR MASS (good no!!!!! better than just MASS!!!!!)

 

[Big Ewis]

Yup, Toulouse would be after him they say...
yeah, I'm sure he doesn't hold for 80min....but he's got to be almost impossible to stop when he's running full momentum.
And yes gaston, I agree with you. Muscular mass is much better than fat mass.

 

[nickdnz]

I love listening to him speak - clearly 100% kiwi, not a word of French.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x13r9wt_itv-julien-fumat-uini-atonio-reprise-prod2-2013-2014_sport

 

[gaston le gaff]

I love listening to him speak - clearly 100% kiwi, not a word of French.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x13r9wt_itv-julien-fumat-uini-atonio-reprise-prod2-2013-2014_sport

Excellent but when you weigh 155kg you can choose your language and normally the interviewers always commence with SIR!!!!!!!!!!! but he one of the good guys in a PRO D2 which is one tough championship and harder to get out into the top level, but La Rochelle have been there before and its a great away game for us, excellent crowd, shellfish from the Atlantic very important, and just an excellent all round place for a long weekend.

 

[Big Ewis]

I love listening to him speak - clearly 100% kiwi, not a word of French.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x13r9wt_itv-julien-fumat-uini-atonio-reprise-prod2-2013-2014_sport

I agree it's ridiculous that a supposed "Frenchman" doesn't speak the language at all, or even if he spoke a little it wouldn't really be enough...I appreciate guys like Bernard Le Roux who've put in the effort.
But in sports it's where you've developed, and though I see he's had one year in a NZ establishment, it's in France he's developing professionally and living, so the pro and cultural environment will change him.

Then, if he really becomes an important part of France Rugby, like our bench tighthead or even worse our main tighthead, it would really be terrible. We'd be using a physical specimen and the qualities that entails alien to our nation AND a guy who was born and raised elsewhere.