The Panthers and Wallabies are fighting for this teenage star. Both may have to bid him au revoir

He is a 17-year-old rising star who has proved so dominant in both league and union that NRL clubs and Rugby Australia have been jostling for a year to secure his signature.

But Heinz Lemoto may end up being lost to both, with wealthy French rugby clubs now a strong chance to snatch the young back-rower at the 11th hour.

Lemoto is hot property after starring for the Penrith Panthers in their junior rep teams and in rugby union with the Australian under-18s side last year.

The 109kg edge forward grew up in western Sydney playing both codes and played in the NSW Primary Schools rugby side, but first made his name in the 13-man game. Attending Patrician Brothers Blacktown, Lemoto was named in the Peter Mulholland Cup team of the year in 2023, aged just 15, and was last year awarded player of the year in the Panthers’ Harold Matthews Cup (under-16) side.

Lemoto is currently playing for Penrith in the SG Ball (under-19) competition, and with a barnstorming style that has been compared to David Fifita and Viliame Kikau, the Panthers are desperate to retain him, believing he is on the fast track to the NRL.

But Rugby Australia and the Waratahs are equally desperate to recruit Lemoto after he also shone in schoolboy rugby last year, following a move to Scots College.

Lemoto was a powerhouse for the school in the GPS rugby competition, and after being selected at No.8 for the Australian Schools and under-18 side, the year 11 student was outstanding in the victory over the New Zealand Schools in Hamilton in October.

Several other players in the Aussie schools side also had NRL connections, and winger Heamasi Makasini announced a day later he’d signed with the Wests Tigers, but Lemoto has yet to make a call on where – or what – he’ll be playing next year after he finishes school.

Australian Schools stars Heinz Lemoto is the subject of cross-code lobbying.Credit: Getty Images for Rugby Australia

Lemoto’s family has a strong rugby background and sources with knowledge of the negotiations, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said Rugby Australia have made a strong push to sign the teenager, along the same lines of the successful capture of then-schoolboy Max Jorgensen in 2022. Jorgensen signed a full contract and joined the Waratahs’ main squad as an 18-year-old.

Lemoto has had multiple meetings at RA, and at Waratahs headquarters with coaches and management. He has also met Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt.

But what appeared to be a choice between the codes on home soil has shifted for Lemoto, with at least two major clubs in France’s Top 14 having also made offers for the western Sydney youngster to move to Europe.

Lemoto is seriously considering the option of playing in France, according to an informed source who requested anonymity to speak freely.

Lemoto was recently taken on by Entourage Management, who have a large number of Australian clients playing overseas, particularly in France. That group includes the Sydney-raised Manny Meafou, who now plays for the French national team after becoming eligible via residency.

Whether Lemoto, who has Tongan heritage, is considering a similar path via a long-term stay is not known but it would be a blow for Australian rugby to lose a player of Lemoto’s talent. World Rugby residency rules stipulate a player must be registered with a union for 60 months (five years) before becoming eligible to play for the national team.

Speaking after Makisini signed with the Tigers, Rugby Australia high-performance boss Peter Horne said RA were making good ground with the talented teenagers who played both codes.

“Of the Australia under-18 squad that toured and defeated NZ Schools last weekend, 23 out of 26 players have committed to rugby for 2025,” Horne said last year.

“It’s normal to have some players with a choice between codes and, while rugby may not be successful in all cases, the game is united and committed in engaging with these players and their families to present the game’s best offering and inform them of what they can expect from rugby.

“We’re actually pretty active in terms of securing and retaining those players.”

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