Leicester Tigers sign Tonga hooker Sam Moli ahead of 2026-27 season
Leicester Tigers have signed Tonga international hooker Sam Moli ahead of the 2026-27 season, the club confirmed on 22 August 2026 (Leicester Tigers).
The 27-year-old, full name Samiuela Moli, arrives in the East Midlands after a four-year stint with Super Rugby side Moana Pasifika, where he made 47 appearances. His move follows the disbandment of the Moana Pasifika franchise earlier this year after financial problems forced the club out of the competition (BBC Sport).
Moli had committed his future to Moana Pasifika as recently as August 2024, extending his contract through the 2026 season (All Blacks). At the time he had just played in 13 of the team's 14 matches that year, underlining his value as a near-ever-present figure. The financial collapse of the franchise, though, left him needing a new home — and Leicester have stepped in.
A New Zealand-born forward who qualifies for Tonga through his heritage, Moli has won 27 caps for his country since debuting in 2021 (BBC Sport). That international pedigree, combined with nearly half a century of Super Rugby appearances, makes him a proven operator at the top level of the southern hemisphere game.
For the uninitiated, a hooker is the position in the middle of the front row of the scrum — the player who "hooks" the ball back with their foot at the set-piece and also throws the ball in at lineouts (rugby's restart from the touchline). It is one of the most physically demanding roles on the pitch, demanding strength at the scrum and accuracy at the lineout in equal measure.
Tigers head coach Geoff Parling said Moli adds quality and depth to the club's hooking options (BBC Sport). It is a practical assessment rather than a fanfare: Leicester are strengthening a position where squad depth across a long English domestic season — which runs from September through to June and includes the Premiership, cup competitions and European fixtures — is essential.
Moli's arrival also comes as a direct consequence of one of Super Rugby's saddest recent chapters. Moana Pasifika, a team founded to represent the Pacific Islands communities of New Zealand and the wider region, had been part of the competition since 2022. Their withdrawal has displaced a squad of players, and Moli is the latest to find a new home abroad.
For Leicester, a club with ten Premiership titles and a long tradition of signing players from across both rugby codes and both hemispheres, adding a Test-calibre hooker with Pacific Island roots fits a familiar pattern. Moli is expected to link up with his new team-mates ahead of the new campaign's kick-off.
