Irish NIQ contracts 19-20

First topic message reminder :

Cant find previous thread so I'll ask here

What contracts are signed within the 4 provinces for NIE
and Project players for 19-20

I'll start with Ulster
NIE - none
Project - none

geoff999rugby wrote:
Boss was not pushed out, he wasn't prepared to compete with Pienaer, that was why he left

Was it not a case of Boss out and needing a replacement?

It is my recollection that Boss leaving was made public first but that Pienaer signing was well known within the club beforehand.
Boss got wind and wasn't happy
Admittedly it was a few years ago now

Updated

Ulster: Coetzee NIE, Carter NIE and Faddes NIE (been told a done deal)

Munster: Botha NIE, Cloete NIQ, Marshall NIQ (Nov) and Matthewson NIE (Nov)

Leinster: Tomane NIE, Fardy NIE and Lowe NIQ

Connacht: Godwin NIE and Butler NIQ

So Ulster have been told only 3 non Irish players but Munster already up to 4.
Also have to say signing Mathewson as cover for the World Cup is a joke - can we all sign players as World Cup cover

Sure it'll only be RWC cover then he'll get a deal until the end of the season, it's the Munster way

geoff999rugby wrote:
Updated

Ulster: Coetzee NIE, Carter NIE and Faddes NIE (been told a done deal)

Munster: Botha NIE, Cloete NIQ, Marshall NIQ (Nov) and Matthewson NIE (Nov)

Leinster: Tomane NIE, Fardy NIE and Lowe NIQ

Connacht: Godwin NIE and Butler NIQ

So Ulster have been told only 3 non Irish players but Munster already up to 4.
Also have to say signing Mathewson as cover for the World Cup is a joke - can we all sign players as World Cup cover  

The difference is by November there'll be 2 and none of the 4 mentioned are first choice.

profitius wrote:

geoff999rugby wrote:
Updated

Ulster: Coetzee NIE, Carter NIE and Faddes NIE (been told a done deal)

Munster: Botha NIE, Cloete NIQ, Marshall NIQ (Nov) and Matthewson NIE (Nov)

Leinster: Tomane NIE, Fardy NIE and Lowe NIQ

Connacht: Godwin NIE and Butler NIQ

So Ulster have been told only 3 non Irish players but Munster already up to 4.
Also have to say signing Mathewson as cover for the World Cup is a joke - can we all sign players as World Cup cover  

The difference is by November there'll be 2 and none of the 4 mentioned are first choice.

Ah here. We just started a European Quarter Final with two 24 year olds, two 23 year olds, a 22 year old, a 21 year old and a 20 year old (and a 19 year old on the bench). A number of those guys aren't yet on senior contracts - a couple are academy players, not even on development contracts. Not one of them, had we every single player available, would have been replaced by an NIE or NIQ player. It'll be a while before I feel that Ulster aren't giving young IQ players a good crack of the whip.

Not only did NIQ players Deysel retire and Schalk VdMerwe get hoofed out, but we have shed any number of IQ journeymen who could do a job but might be blocking younger Irish talent - Black, Diack, Ah You, Herbst (gone immediately to Bulls).

So the idea that we might have one more NIE player than Munster next season doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Plenty of leinstermen though and in a couple of weeks they will be foreigners as well

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:Plenty of leinstermen though and in a couple of weeks they will be foreigners as well

Meh.

Don Alfonso wrote:

profitius wrote:

geoff999rugby wrote:
Updated

Ulster: Coetzee NIE, Carter NIE and Faddes NIE (been told a done deal)

Munster: Botha NIE, Cloete NIQ, Marshall NIQ (Nov) and Matthewson NIE (Nov)

Leinster: Tomane NIE, Fardy NIE and Lowe NIQ

Connacht: Godwin NIE and Butler NIQ

So Ulster have been told only 3 non Irish players but Munster already up to 4.
Also have to say signing Mathewson as cover for the World Cup is a joke - can we all sign players as World Cup cover  

The difference is by November there'll be 2 and none of the 4 mentioned are first choice.

Ah here. We just started a European Quarter Final with two 24 year olds, two 23 year olds, a 22 year old, a 21 year old and a 20 year old (and a 19 year old on the bench). A number of those guys aren't yet on senior contracts - a couple are academy players, not even on development contracts. Not one of them, had we every single player available, would have been replaced by an NIE or NIQ player. It'll be a while before I feel that Ulster aren't giving young IQ players a good crack of the whip.

Not only did NIQ players Deysel retire and Schalk VdMerwe get hoofed out, but we have shed any number of IQ journeymen who could do a job but might be blocking younger Irish talent - Black, Diack, Ah You, Herbst (gone immediately to Bulls).

So the idea that we might have one more NIE player than Munster next season doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I wasn't attacking Ulster I was defending Munster. I'm not too bothered by who has more tbh. If Leinster had 5 I'd say good luck to them they deserve it though whether they need it would be a different story.


I'd swap all Munsters for a top class attack coach.

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:Plenty of leinstermen though and in a couple of weeks they will be foreigners as well

Just pointing out that of those Leinster men only 1 came direct from Leinsters senior ranks

The others had previously left Leinster or come up through the Ulster system

Isn't it strange how we all see the world differently in terms of what's positive and what's negative. I tend to see the Province least relying on foreign blood to be the best positioned. Yet here we seem to be saying the one with least might be assumed to be most disadvantaged, and the one with most to be the most privileged.
How quickly we all seem to forget the entire point about least verses most. The more 'privileged' the side the more home grown players are struggling to find places, the more of them are attracted away to foreign clubs, the greater the chance of missing out on good indigenous players ....the more you then need to rely/ask for/look for the required rule changes that allows even more foreign imports to play. Vicious cycle eventually knocks the heart out of all that has solidified rugby in this Nation.

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:Plenty of leinstermen though and in a couple of weeks they will be foreigners as well

Someone might want to check where Ulster actually is

marty2086 wrote:

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:Plenty of leinstermen though and in a couple of weeks they will be foreigners as well

Someone might want to check where Ulster actually is

Here, allow me to assist....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland

marty2086 wrote:

Geen sport voor watjes wrote:Plenty of leinstermen though and in a couple of weeks they will be foreigners as well

Someone might want to check where Ulster actually is

At yet another crossroads no doubt.

Nope going forward and will be significantly better next year

Front five next year could well be 3 Lions, a 16 capped Aussie and a 10 capped Irish TH.
Backrow containing a couple of blokes called Coetzee and Murphy.
In fact given Treadwell progress we could see them lining up with Henderson at 6

Happy days

Appears Connacht have 3 new signing in line and one of them will be NIQ which will give them 5 NIQ. Munster will most likely be allowed an extra NIQ making 5 NIQ at the start of the season which will drop to 3 NIQ as it goes on.

Seams a bit unfair that Ulster are in the same boat as Leinster with 3 NIQ, you would think to help the rebuild an extra NIQ spot would benefit Ulster.

Kingshu wrote:Appears Connacht have 3 new signing in line and one of them will be NIQ which will give them 5 NIQ. Munster will most likely be allowed an extra NIQ making 5 NIQ at the start of the season which will drop to 3 NIQ as it goes on.

Seams a bit unfair that Ulster are in the same boat as Leinster with 3 NIQ, you would think to help the rebuild an extra NIQ spot would benefit Ulster.

We want you improving, but not getting cocky! We gotta protect against you getting cocky at all cost, Kingshu. Don't want to be handing titles to you on no silver Nigel Owens' plates or nothing, do we?

Anyway, who you want to drop and who you want to buy in? And anyway again, why do Irish observers Still always believe that the NIQ brand means unquestionable super talent arriving to put the indigenous stock to shame? Sometimes it is thus, other times it simply ain't.

Yeah like Tomane, it doesnt always work out.
I think we have a great squad and academy for next season but I believe Burns is the weak link. Munster used to say they wouldnt win anything with Keatley and needed someone better, and then Carbery moved there. While decent I dont think Burns is a better player. However I know Ulster are sticking with Burns so a NIQ blindside flanker would be nice.
Would be nice to sign Niall Saunders from Harliquins, a promising young scrumhalf, as while Shanners has stepped up hes not the top level, jonney stewart was highly rated, but appears that wont be top level either.

I’m getting slightly confused by use of NIQ and NIE on this one.

Coetzee I see as non-Irish Eligible (NIE) as he’s already capped for SA.  Same with Sam Carter who’s capped 16 times for Wallabies.

Faddes is NIQ as he was only capped for NZ sevens which doesn’t count.  So in theory, after 5 years resident in Ulster, he could become IQ.  Milisanovich is already IQ through his grandfather. 

Fardy and Tomane are NIE.  Lowe and Gibson-Park are NIQ.  Gibson-Park becomes IQ in mid-August according to himself.  Lowe not until mid-Nov 2020.  

Botha and Mathewson are both NIE.  (Presumably, Munster will wait to see how Nick McCarthy goes at 9 before ‘really’ letting Mathewson go post-RWC).  Cloete (Oct 2020) and Marshall (26 Oct 2019) are NIQ.   

Godwin is NIE at Connacht, and the rest - Fainga’a, Butler and Horwitz are NIQ (although Horwitz was only signed for a season and only got 6 appearances but with Carty now in the test squad may get more game time). Now that Connacht’s season is over, they may make final contract announcements shortly.

Faddes will be NIE as he played sevens before the rule change. Like Paul warwick was for Munster.

Kingshu wrote:Faddes will be NIE as he played sevens before the rule change. Like Paul warwick was for Munster.

Ah - didn’t know about that.