NEWCASTLE FALCONS have secured a notable coup with the capture of Fijian international Vereniki Goneva for the start of next season.

The versatile back, who can play on the wing or in the centre, will move to Kingston Park from Leicester Tigers, where his mixture of pace and power has made him one of the Aviva Premiership’s most feared attackers during his four seasons at Welford Road.

Capped 39 times by his country, he has crossed for 26 tries in 58 league appearances, adding a further six tries in his 20 European Champions Cup outings.

A Premiership title winner during his first season with Leicester, Goneva scored in both the semi-final and final as the Tigers clinched the 2012-13 crown.

The following year saw the 31-year-old top the division’s try-scoring chart with 12 touchdowns in 18 games, and saw the Fijian shortlisted for Aviva Premiership Player of the Year as well as being named in the official Dream Team for the season.

Adding a further nine tries over the past two campaigns, Goneva was part of Fiji’s Rugby World Cup squad last year, making four starts in the tournament and scoring against Wales.

Newcastle Falcons director of rugby, Dean Richards, said: “We are getting not only a world-class player with Vereniki, but also somebody who has consistently proven they can thrive in the Aviva Premiership.

“He will bring another dimension to our back-line firepower from next season onwards, and it says much for the current standing of the Falcons that we can attract a player of his calibre.

“I am sure our supporters will enjoy the style and cutting edge that he brings to our play, and this is the sort of acquisition which really makes a statement about the ambition of everybody at Kingston Park.”