St Helens land Catalans centre Solomona Faataape on two-year deal from 2027

St Helens have signed Catalans Dragons centre Solomona Faataape on a two-year deal starting from the 2027 season, beating Hull FC to the 25-year-old's signature.

Faataape will cross from one Super League club to another once his commitments in the south of France conclude. He has been one of the Dragons' more reliable attacking threats this year, scoring nine tries in 23 appearances — a healthy strike rate for a centre in a competition where tries often come from the wing.

Before his move to Super League, Faataape cut his teeth in the NRL (Australia's top rugby league competition) with Wests Tigers. He made 19 appearances there, scoring seven tries, before heading across the globe to the Perpignan-based Catalans.

The signing comes after days of speculation. As recently as 7 August, multiple outlets reported that St Helens had entered the race for Faataape — with Hull FC also circling — and that no deal had been agreed. At that stage, the centre was still under contract at Catalans for 2027, making any move contingent on the Dragons releasing him or a fee being struck. Love Rugby League, Hull Daily Mail

By 10 August, the picture had changed. The BBC confirmed that St Helens had won the chase and Faataape would head to the Totally Wicked Stadium on a two-year contract. BBC Sport

The arrival of a proven finisher will be welcomed by Saints supporters enduring a difficult stretch. St Helens have lost eight of their past 11 league games and are at genuine risk of missing the end-of-season play-offs (the knockout stage that decides the Super League champions) for the first time in the competition's history. The club are also operating without a head coach following Paul Rowley's departure, leaving a squad that has long set the benchmark in British rugby league searching for direction both on and off the pitch.

For fans, this means the first concrete piece of good news in a sobering run — a building block for 2027 rather than a fix for the here and now. Faataape will not pull on the red vee this season. His job, once he arrives, is to help restore a club that has spent two decades at or near the summit of the English game.

Whether a new head coach is in place by then remains one of the biggest questions hanging over the club. What is certain is that whoever takes the reins will find a new centre waiting for them — one with a point to prove in the red vee.