Joseph Manu

Joseph Manu was voted the best international player in rugby league in 2022, winning the Golden Boot, and was named the NRL’s centre of the year in the same season. Two years later he left the code altogether.

Centre at Racing 92, 1.92m and 102kg, and 30 years old.

Born in Hamilton, he came through the Sydney Roosters system and made his NRL debut in 2016. What followed was nearly a decade at one club: two consecutive premierships in 2018 and 2019 alongside James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk, two World Club Challenge titles, and a reputation as one of the most complete outside backs in the competition.

New Zealand made him a regular from 2019 and he reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, the tournament that produced the Golden Boot.

The switch came in March 2024, at 28, with several French clubs interested. He chose Japan first, signing a one-year contract with Toyota Verblitz reported at a million Australian dollars, in a squad coached by Steve Hansen and Ian Foster and containing Beauden Barrett and Aaron Smith. He scored eleven tries in eighteen matches.

France came next, on a contract to 2027. Code-switching centres have a mixed record in the Top 14, where the defensive reads and the breakdown are the parts that catch them out rather than the collisions.

A powerful, versatile three-quarter who can play centre, wing or full-back, and one of the most decorated players in either code to have made this move.