6 of the 2016 season. He made one further first team appearance for the side, coming off the bench against Melbourne Storm in a 0–46 defeat. Lézignan Sangliers In November 2016, Papali'i joined Lézignan Sangliers in the premier French rugby league competition, the Elite One Championship, linking up with former NRL and Super League player Ben Pomeroy. He made his debut on 4 December 2016 against Carcassonne. Lézignan finished top of the league in the regular season, but lost the final of the 2016–17 Championship to the Limoux Grizzlies. During his season with the side, Papali'i featured 13 times and scored 40 points. Switch to union After playing for Lézignan for a season, Papali'i returned to New Zealand. He began playing amateur rugby league with his old junior side Pt Chevalier Pirates, playing in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition in 2017 and 2018. The Pirates reached the Grand Finals in both seasons, winning in 2018. In 2019, he decided to switch codes and joined Auckland-based rugby union side Waitakere. Papali'i's form at club level brought him to attention of the Bay of Plenty Steamers, who signed him for the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup. His move to the Steamers also saw him join Baywide Championship side, Greerton Marist, for the remainder of their season. Papali'i made his debut for the Steamers on 11 August 2019 against Otago, scoring a try on his debut. He played five times for the side in the regular season as they topped the Championship Division, but did not feature in the play-offs as the Steamers won the title to earn promotion. Connacht In July 2020, it was announced that Papali'i had signed with Irish provincial side Connacht. His signing came as Connacht's league, the Pro14, was in the midst of an indefinite hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. Papali'i made his first appearance for the side in the second game after the restart, an interprovincial derby against Munster. His debut was marred by a red card after 25 minutes, for a high tackle on Lions scrum-half Conor Murray. Despite a problematic introduction to Pro 14 Rugby, whereby a second Red Card in only his third game back from suspension against Zebre lead to a five week ban. Papali'i's strong carrying game and big hits were making a big impression on fans and management alike. Such that an additional years contract with Connacht was announced on