Confirmation that the eyes of elite clubs were indeed on the Americas Rugby Championship earlier this year can be made with the signing of David Tameilau by Newcastle Falcons. The big Eagles no8 is one of two Americans headed to the Aviva Premiership for the first time next season, the other 6’8″ (2.03m) lock Nick Civetta.
Tameilau, 26, made his debut for the Eagles in the ARC, playing in all five matches at the back of the scrum. His strong ball-carrying and offloading ability saw him earning plenty of praise and a selection in the Americas Rugby News tournament Dream Team. He is currently under contract with PRO Rugby, where he plays with the San Francisco franchise.
Newcastle Director of Rugby Dean Richards said: “David is a destructive runner who offers us something different in attack, and has the ability to put on some big defensive hits. He has masses of ability and I believe could go on to become a world-class player“.
Also aged 26, Civetta joins the Aviva Premiership from Italian second division side Medicei. Before playing for the Florence-based team he previously played for both Lazio and Viadana. He earned international ‘A’ honours for the USA in the 2012 version of the ARC.
Richards described the New Yorker as being “a well-rounded forward who will add to our physical threat, and we look forward to working with both of them when they arrive for pre-season.”