Vaea Fifita: Scarlets sign New Zealand lock from Wasps

Vaea Fifita made his New Zealand debut against Argentina in 2017

Scarlets have signed Wasps forward Vaea Fifita for the 2022-23 season.

The Tonga-born All Blacks lock, who only joined Wasps this season, can also play in the back row.

Fifita, 29, who has won a Super Rugby title with Hurricanes and has also played for the Wellington Lions, won the most recent of his 11 New Zealand caps against South Africa in July 2019.

"I will be working hard to achieve the ambitious goals that the club has set for the future," said Fifita.

"I have confidence that this group can bring pride and success to the people of the region."

"We have signed a world-class player in Vaea," said Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel. "This is a real statement of our intent and ambition as a club.

"Vaea is a superb athlete, an X-factor player with the all-round skill-set that fits with how we are looking to play at the Scarlets.

"He brings a lot of experience at international and Super Rugby level and, as well as adding Test-match quality to our pool of second rows, that experience will be invaluable to the young forwards that are coming through at the club.

"Vaea is the kind of player that gets fans out of their seats. It's hugely exciting that he will be pulling on the Scarlets jersey next season."

'We just couldn't compete' - Blackett

Wasps head coach Lee Blackett expressed his frustration with the Premiership salary cap being behind the loss of Fifita to Scarlets.

"Unfortunately, as we've seen with several clubs, you're going to lose players with the way the cap is," Blackett told BBC CWR.

"I'm disappointed. I'm not going to hide from it. But Vaea has been upfront from the outset. When you understand the big picture and see everything on paper and what he's been offered I can't blame him.

"We fully understand as a club why he's made this decision. He has to think about his family. That's the way of the Premiership at the moment. We just couldn't compete with the offer.

"At this stage of the season you're always looking at where you're going with your squad. You might have a few guys you lose that potentially you didn't want to lose. But, if we know someone's going out the door we make sure we get someone in to replace him."

Wasps head coach Lee Blackett was talking to BBC CWR's Mikey Burrows.