St Helens boss Paul Wellens has addressed reports linking the club with a move for Tonga international Siliva Havili.
The Saints have been linked with a move for Havili by Zero Tackle, who claim the Super League club are leading the chase to sign the South Sydney Rabbitohs man. The Saints are preparing to part with a number of forward options at the end of the season with Morgan Knowles, Joe Batchelor and James Bell among those set to move on.
As such, the club are expected to recruit heavily between now and the start of next season and Havili certainly seems to fit the bill. Havili is seen as a utility forward with hooker and loose-forward his two most common positions and as he approaches the end of his contract with Souths, he has already spoken about the options he has to play in Super League next season.
The 32-year-old didn’t confirm he would be making the move over to England but at this stage, he certainly looks set to leave Souths, the club he has been at since joining from Canberra Raiders ahead of the 2022 NRL season.
Havili has also represented New Zealand Warriors and St George Illawarra Dragons over the course of his NRL career, which has seen him make 170 appearances, and 20 of those have come this season under Wayne Bennett.
The forward is also a Tonga international making 17 appearances for his country and in 2023 he worked with St Helens boss Paul Wellens during their tour of England.
St Helens boss on Siliva Havili
Serious About Rugby League put the links to St Helens boss Wellens this afternoon and here’s what he had to say: “I know who he is because I coached Tonga a couple of years ago and Siliva was in the squad.
“A wonderful guy. I haven’t seen those reports if I’m honest with you so that is news to me.
“I met him in that Tonga camp and he’s a really lovely guy and also a good player having been around the NRL a long time.”
