Silly season transfer rumours III...

First topic message reminder :

Previous seasonal silliness:
https://www.606v2.com/t57129-silly-season-transfer-rumours
https://www.606v2.com/t58562-silly-season-transfer-rumours-continued


The place to confirm rumours, deny them, or viciously start new ones of your own.

king_carlos wrote:GF and Sarge are going to be ecstatic that Tigers are complimenting Falcons by expressing interest in one of their top performers...

Dreamworld for me would be if we could get Tommy Taylor. Then we could rotate him and OTY as two really strong English options. He may have had a couple of wobbles this season but he's a guy that always looks useful in club games. All action player that hurls himself into everything.

I think he's rumoured to be heading to Gloucs though?

Our current performances and results hides the fact we actually have some good older and younger players.

Mark Anscombe to coach Treviso from next season, great signing for them. They have been terribly coached since Franco Smith has left.

Toulon saying halfpenny is off to wasps

Seems the Tigers are interested in McGuigan right enough.

They like small hookers. I hope this one doesn't come off. I rate McGuigan...if he can fix his throwing will be a cracking hooker.

Small? According to the wiki page he is 6,1

He's no T.Youngs or Lee Mears.

Got to keep up the proud - Newcastle-Leicester partnership....

It's a shame for Newcastle but many players would be drawn by the prospect of playing for Tigers.

Difficult when you have a good academy but aren't getting the results to retain players.

nathan wrote:Toulon saying halfpenny is off to wasps

I thought they actually said that if he doesn't extend his contract in the next week they believe he will go to Wasps ?

Yeah, so basically its Blues, Scarlets, Wasps and Toulon all hoping to ascertain his services. He won't be on more than £400K in Wales as far as we know, unless the Pie Man can top it up?

Exeter have agreed to sign Aussie prop Greg Holmes for next season.

Tigers are trialling a SA hooker who recently left SA after financial problems with his province. Has previous European experience with Stade Francais.

After missing out Manu, Warriors have signed Ben Te'o from Leinster instead.

If Holmes is going to Exeter could that mean that Francis is off...to Wales?

I've been quite impressed by Greg Holmes, he should be a good signing for Exeter

Ben Teo is leaving Leinster at the end of the season

Probably been our best player this season.

Off to challenge for some titles at Worcester

He is EQ so maybe has his eyes on an England cap

mikey_dragon wrote:If Holmes is going to Exeter could that mean that Francis is off...to Wales?

Baxter said he wanted an experienced man in to help mentor their young front row players and that Holmes would feature on and off the pitch for Exeter. Doesn't sound like he expects Francis to go anywhere.

It was originally rumoured, now seems to be doing the rounds online. Rhys Gill is set to join Blues. Blues need a quality LH and Wales need an international LH to be playing in Wales. He's probably gone as far as he can with Saracens and seems to be slowly falling out of favour there. Gill only has 6 Wales caps but has played very well on each occasion - if he moves back then he should be around the Wales squad more regularly and will get better IMO.

If Scarlets and Blues continue to make all these signings then each will have a tasty team next year, and more importantly they each have a good coach!

Golden wrote:Ben Teo is leaving Leinster at the end of the season

Probably been our best player this season.

No, that award goes to the cast he wears on his forearm which he uses to smack people round the head with.

mikey_dragon wrote:It was originally rumoured, now seems to be doing the rounds online. Rhys Gill is set to join Blues. Blues need a quality LH and Wales need an international LH to be playing in Wales. He's probably gone as far as he can with Saracens and seems to be slowly falling out of favour there. Gill only has 6 Wales caps but has played very well on each occasion - if he moves back then he should be around the Wales squad more regularly and will get better IMO.

If Scarlets and Blues continue to make all these signings then each will have a tasty team next year, and more importantly they each have a good coach!

Cardiff Blues are welcome to Rhys Gill. Wish him all the best.

Gill was good a couple of years back but hasn't been consistent enough for a while. There's a reason he's been overtaken by Barrington a young prop from the Championship.

Hence why I said he's been slowly falling out of favour at Sarries... I guess he needs a new lease of life like most players do at some point in their career. The move should do him good. With Jenkins and James now too old there's a greater opportunity for him.

I think the move is an obvious one for him to make. There might be some other options in the AP but you'd think a move to Wales with the carrot of international rugby that would be a good draw. Rotation between him and Jenkins would keep them both fit and fresh as well.

Yeah pretty much Sam, let's just hope both of them are used wisely. I hope Gill returns home and flourishes - seems to be at 'peak age' for a prop too!

Rumours of Cudmore to Quins

I think they're quite far fetched

On a happier note Evans had re-signed for 3 seasons, which will take him to 38. The hunt is still on for his successor though.

Three years! Blimey. That's a whole lot of faith on his continued fitness and form.

Quins like their players old eh.

We're going for some kind of record with how many over 35's we can get in one team.

3 years is a real surprise, especially as the last contract was designed to lessen his game time and bring him more into a coaching role, either he's realised he's not quite ready to start easing off yet. Or CoS really doesn't have faith in the replacements and we have no one on the horizon.

There really doesn't seem much faith in Botica does there Yappy?

I always felt he looked better at 12 than 10 so I was surprised when he settled at fly half.

3 years....Jesus.

I honestly thought he was finished last yeae but he's had a bit of a resurgence this season. He's surely not going to last 3 seasons though?

Swiel is a decent young playmaker is he going to get more game time over Botica going forward?

KC, I really don't think there's any faith in Botica. He's a handy squad player but had never looked like he could come close to steering the side of Nev was injured.

Pooly, last season was probably his worst, a lot of it down to his recurring knee injury. I get the feeling he's one bad knee entity away from retirement tbh and then we'd be up a certain creak without a certain paddle

Sam, Sweil is being groomed as our 2nd/3rd choice fullback. Whether that's with an eye to the fly half position in the long run none of us know.

Either way both those lads are a few seasons off where we need them to be. If Nev was crocked this weekend we'd be facked

Adam Jones gets another years contract with Quins.

Super Nick Williams from Ulster to Cardiff Blues. Adam Hughes former Dragons players, on loan from Exeter to Dragons, as of today has once again become a permanent Dragons player.

Could the 3 years not involve some coaching role?

Also Cudmore as in Canada / Clermont Lock? Now he would bring some beast to that Quins pack!

At 37 now, you wonder if he would be a regular and around for much longer at Quins.

Is Cudmore 37?

Oh I didn't realise he was that.

Yep that Cudmore, a Cudmore/Horwill partnership would be interesting.

Yep that Cudmore, a Cudmore/Horwill partnership would be interesting.

Matthew Morgan is set to leave Brizzle at the end of the season:-

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTOL-RUGBY-Matthew-Morgan-leave-Bristol-end/story-28412298-detail/story.html#ixzz3v8mdPPoD

Not sure if anyone has seen the quote regarding halfpenny...

Director of rugby Dai Young said: “Leigh has pretty much got two weeks to make a decision and we are one of six or seven clubs who are in the mix.”

Dan Bowden signs for Bath

http://www.bathrugby.com/news/versatile-bowden-joins-bath-rugby/?platform=hootsuite

Probably means the rumours about devoto leaving are true.
I'm both gutted and livid if that is true.

Eh? That makes little sense. Bath need some power in that midfield not another playmaker with good feet. Any rumours of where Devoto is going? Sarries will be looking for a Hodgson replacement but Devoto is better at 12. LI need a playmaker but once again more of a ten than a 12 like Devoto.

Wasps?

I've heard both wasps and Exeter, could all be putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5 but I can't see why else a playmaking 12 would be signed. Massive balls up if true.

They've got Lieua (sp?), Macken, Downey and Jacobs so they've got options but Devoto would offer them something else. Would add fuel to the rumours that Lezowski is leaving Wasps for Sarries in the summer.

With Hill, Whitten and Slade at Chiefs I can't see Devoto going there.

Perhaps if Whitten or Steenson were heading back to Ireland it could make a bit of sense. Slade wouldn't feature in the centre. With Hill there it would mean Devoto shifting to 13 though which I wouldn't expect him to be thrilled about.

We'll have him, he'll flourish in the Championship

Other rumours in today's RP:

Jackson Willison (Grenoble) ---> London Irish
Rhys Ruddock (Leinster) ---> In talks with English sides
Devoto ---> Exeter favourites, but Leicester and Wasps also interested

Leicester aren't interested. We've got Burns, Williams and Toomua signed up for next season. Smith has covered 12 excellently and JDV may also decide to stay. Add to that Bell and the academy prospects Bryant and Thacker Jnr and we're well stocked at 10 and 12.

Exeter have got Campagnaro as well as Whitten, Hill, Slade and Steenson. I suppose Steenson isn't getting any younger and they do need to rotate their squad more.

Andy Goode to Falcons

I'd imagine only as a coach. If he returned to playing he'd presumably have to hand back any insurance/pension etc pay out he received as compensation for retiring early. Can't see it. Especially since the young lad playing at 10 for Newcastle this weekend was one of their few highlights.