Fijian lock shows how to finish in style

THE botched contract deal which gave James Lowe a yen for joining Suntory Goliath instead of staying in Ireland on a reduced salary provides another example of how a parting of the ways can go badly wrong.

How reassuring, therefore, to note that one farewell ended last weekend with a script nobody would have dared written. Leone Nakarawa, the supremely athletic Fijian lock who helped transform Glasgow into perennial title contenders, played his final match for Castres last weekend at the age of 38.

Brought on as a substitute for the last half hour against Toulon, Nakarawa waited until the last minute of the last match of the regular season to score his first try. And then, glory be, he promptly converted it with the last kick, ensuring there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.