Lukhan Salakaia-Loto signs with QLD Reds after NSW Waratahs delayed coaching decision

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has opened up on Melbourne’s axing, says ‘it was just us against everyone else’ as he locks in a return to Queensland, with NSW’s coaching delay costing them their chance.

Lukhan Salakai-Loto has signed with Queensland Reds for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.

THE Waratahs’ delay in finalising a head coach after their disastrous Super Rugby season has ultimately cost them Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who has signed a one year deal to return to the Queensland Reds.

Salakaia-Loto was among the many stars from the axed Melbourne Rebels who were being targeted by NSW, but the former Reds player revealed he’d already held meetings with Queensland coach Les Kiss before Dan McKellar had been announced as the Waratahs coach for 2025.

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has signed with Queensland Reds for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season. Picture: Supplied

While the Tahs have since rallied to sign Rebels players Taniela Tupou, Rob Leota and Darby Lancaster, Sydney-raised Salakaia-Loto will add major grunt to a Reds pack including Wallabies teammates Fraser McReight, Liam Wright, Harry Wilson, Matt Faessler, Angus Blyth, Josh Nasser, Zane Nonggorr and uncapped Seru Uru.

“After what happened down in Melbourne all options were open, whether that be overseas or potentially looking at another Aussie club, and I think it just came down to the fact that the Reds were probably the first to reach out,” Salakaia-Loto told this masthead.

“They were the first ones to reach out and start talking to me, and at the time the Tahs didn’t have a coach on board and things were still very much up in the air.

“I had met with Les and the guys at the Reds, I just happened to find myself up in Brissie chatting with them, and I guess it just naturally ended up that way.

“And obviously, having played 70-odd games for them has something to do with that.”

Salakaia-Loto was already in discussion with Reds’ Coach Les Kiss. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

NSW’s delay in signing new coach Dan McKellar cost them progressing with Salakaia-Loto. Picture: David Rogers/Getty Images

The Tahs were conducting a search for a head coach to replace Darren Coleman and had nearly signed Scott Wisemantel before McKellar was sacked by Leicester late in the piece, and they then went after the former Wallabies assistant.

Salakaia-Loto, who left Queensland in 2022 to spend two seasons at Northampton – thus missing last year’s World Cup – has returned to Australian rugby in fine form and established himself as Australia’s premier second rower.

“It’s quite sad what happened down in Melbourne, it’s quite bittersweet because I enjoyed my time down there,” he said.

“But at the same time, under the tough circumstances this year I’m happy to be back in Queensland, [I have] unfinished business, if you want to call it that way, it’s where I started my career and spent the majority of my career and I’ve had a lot of fun times here.

“So the opportunity to go back is pretty special.”

But there is no denying 2024 took a personal toll on Salakaia-Loto and all of his Rebels teammates, who learned at the start of the year that the club’s future was in peril, and fought through to make their first finals appearance only for the club’s licence to be pulled by Rugby Australia with more than $23 million of debt.

“I think just the uncertainty was probably the toughest part,” Salakaia-Loto said.

The crumbling of the Melbourne Rebels took its toll on the playing group. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

“You know within that squad, there were a lot of boys with families and little ones. So there’s also that outside pressure away from the rugby field, you’ve got families to provide for.

“That uncertainty was quite hard, and you look to the coaches who have families as well. We’ve got the luxury of having RUPA (Rugby Union Players’ Association) that look after the players so we’re so grateful for them.

“But also, I think how I sort of navigated through the year was, I had the mentality of it was just us against everyone else and our backs were against the wall and there was only one way to go, which was forward. And I know our results in that back half of the year probably didn’t reflect that.

“It was very much an ‘us versus everyone’ mentality. It was tough and you don’t know what guys battle through away from the dressing rooms and away from the group.

“So I don’t know how much that would have had a hold on boys mentally and how they dealt with it. But I felt like when we would come together as a group, I think we were much stronger than when guys were dealing with it on their own.

“How I felt was just trying to take it front on, and hopefully that showed in some of my performances.”

Salakaia-Loto will have a gigantic battle against Springboks enforcers Eben Etzebeth and RG Snyman in Australia’s first Rugby Championship match at Suncorp Stadium next Saturday afternoon, but is confident of where the Wallabies are heading under new coach Joe Schmidt.

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is enjoying the new direction of the Wallabies. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

“It’s refreshing, I think what Joe’s brought to Australian rugby and in particular to our Wallabies squad has been good for the squad,” he said.

“The way we’re going about things and the plan that he’s implementing alongside Lord (Laurie Fisher) and Crono (Mike Cron) as well as Geoff [Parling], it’s definitely a style of rugby that the boys have taken an appetite to and keen to get on board.

“What you’ve seen is just the start and hopefully we can keep building on that because for guys with a good rugby IQ and people that know the game well, you can see where our game under Joe can head towards.

“That’s the exciting part. Things are things are going well in the sense we’ve won three from three so far, and things can always be better, but things could also be worse.

“I think we’re in a good spot. If you look ahead to next week, it’s a good test against South Africa because it’ll tell us, exactly where we’re at.

“Results are one thing, but seeing the work that we’ve put in so far in such a limited amount of time, that’s also another metric that you can sense or get a gauge on how we’re going.”

Originally published as Lukhan Salakaia-Loto signs with QLD Reds after NSW Waratahs delayed coaching decision