Silly Season Transfer Rumours 17/18

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New season, new thread.

If the rumoured ring-fencing plans go ahead as described I can see it being the end of the road for London Irish so Bath will have to look elsewhere for their new talent ...

Sam Jones forced to retire - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/43583772
Another back rower that had a bright future - has the feel of Tom Rees...

Williams as good as confirmed to us...just waiting for Irish to be officially relegated.

On the other news....flippin Dorian West is leaving Saints at the end of the season...and the bad part is that it looks like he is indeed heading straight for us!!

If everything coming out of saints and their fans are true...he might unsettled the whole team ethos and bond we have up here!!

Dorian West would be a car crash for you guys, from what I've heard, not just this season but years ago too, he is an utter t*sser and stuck in his ways.

I met West once a few years back, he was watching a game I was playing in. He was surprisingly funny and quick to joke.

Saints used to be effective as a forwards pack and the recruitment has been shocking for a couple of years now. Cockers revitalised himself and Edinburgh (also Toulon) with a move I wouldn't put it past West to do similar.

Totally agree Yappy

Sam , I've said on a few posts I hope west needs a complete fresh new challenge and change if scenery.

He could be a breath of fresh air..and develop the fearsome pack he had at saints...alongside our attacking play

We shall see I guess...

propdavid_london wrote:Sam Jones forced to retire - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/43583772
Another back rower that had a bright future - has the feel of Tom Rees...

Tom Rees
James Forrester
Dan Ward-Smith
Will Fraser

None of them got going on the international scene.

Incidentally, Brad Shields is having a good game for the Hurricanes in their game against the Rebels in Melbourne. I think he's captain too, which won't escape the notice of Jones, when he's looking for more leadership.

I think Shields will walk into the England side tbh, he's a fine player.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:I think Shields will walk into the England side tbh, he's a fine player.

Now the back row composition is up for grabs, then he's going to come into contention. He's tall enough to be a line-out option too.

Venetian media are rumouring that Treviso are in the hunt for Quade Cooper with Marty Banks being released at end of season. Ulster also being reported to be in the hunt.

Is that Banks or Cooper pot?

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/will-addison-to-swap-sale-sharks-for-ulster/

Another Sale youngster heading for Ireland with international ambitions. Can't see it somehow. Good squad signing for Ulster I guess but he's never really pulled up trees in the AP.

Ahh Shields ..meh.

Do we have to bring another foreigner in.....

Maine man wrote:Is that Banks or Cooper pot?

Cooper, MM

Banks rumoured to be snubbing a provincial contract in NZ to join Dragons on a 2 year deal.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Ahh Shields ..meh.

Do we have to bring another foreigner in.....

If you can't beat them, join them.

SBW has agreed to join Quins after the RWC.

TightHEAD wrote:SBW has agreed to join Quins after the RWC.

What a day to be a Quins fan eh.

Any interesting/made up stories in the Rugby Paper today?

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Any interesting/made up stories in the Rugby Paper today?

It's leaking that Phil Vickery has retired but I simply can't bring myself to believe it.

George Carlin wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Any interesting/made up stories in the Rugby Paper today?

It's leaking that Phil Vickery has retired but I simply can't bring myself to believe it.

Probably more truth in that than half the stories Fissler writes to be fair.

I heard Matt Dawson is coming out of retirement, didn't know he had retired!

I thought any April Fools joke done after midday, made the teller the fool of the month? Seems pretty apt.

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/italy-prop-on-his-way-to-edinburgh/

Edinburgh have a new young TH prop (relative for the position). Anyone know much about how he has got on at Oyonnax?

George North set to snub Pro14 CHAMPIONS Scarlets and join Dragons on a two year dual contract.

Scarlets set to announce signings in the coming weeks, one of them being Clayton Blommetjies from Cheetahs - a good and experienced player available all year (injuries permitting). Pivac doing the sensible thing by continuing to build a squad which can compete when the internationals are gone. Next season that takes their NWQ quota up to, off the top of my head:

Clayton Blommetjies (SA)
*Werner Kurger (SA)
Uzair Cassiem (SA)
*David Bulbring (SA - but may now be WQ, signed as a 'project player' so to speak)
*Steve Cummins (Aus)
*Paul Asquith (Aus)
*Tom Varndell (Eng - currently on loan, not sure if/when he is off)
*Johnny McNicholl (NZ)
Blade Thomson (NZ)
Kieren Fonotia (Sam)

(* denotes already capped by Scarlets). I think they're a bit over the limit there even with European Player of the Year Beirne off across the Irish sea.

Has Varndell played for Scarlets? Tbh I thought he'd retired. Brilliant try scorer in his day and mistreated by Tigers unfortunately.

yappysnap wrote:Has Varndell played for Scarlets? Tbh I thought he'd retired. Brilliant try scorer in his day and mistreated by Tigers unfortunately.

Fell out with Cockers. Amazing finisher but wasn't keen on working on his defence or his kicking skills. Cockers generally preferred two fullbacks and a unit on the wings.

Don't think Varndell has a contract for next season so he might retire. If I were him I'd look at a Japan move.

I don't think Varndell has featured much for Scarlets, maybe twice, and I'm a long way away from Wales so don't get to watch much of the league. If on loan then I'm guessing he was on the fringes of Bristol as they allowed him to go, plus only signed as injury cover, and rated behind an Aussie utility up until his injury sustained last Friday. I doubt that he's considered good enough to be signed on FT given what Scarlets will have available in the back 3 next season, and they're likely to promote an academy product in that position too. Like you say he's a good finisher but not much else these days. He did look very good when he first burst onto the scene with Tigers so I'm not sure what happened to him. It would be a little unfair to say he was never up to it though, he was a hell of a premiership winger.

Hazel Sapling wrote:http://www.planetrugby.com/news/italy-prop-on-his-way-to-edinburgh/

Edinburgh have a new young TH prop (relative for the position). Anyone know much about how he has got on at Oyonnax?

I don't know how he has got on with Oyonnax but when he first joined Zebre he looked promising but then quickly stalled.. Would be clearly 4th choice at Edinburgh, that is if Shields (who i think has done a decent job) is leaving.

Tom Stephenson to Worcester or Irish.

Be surprised if it's Worcester. They've agreed to sign a SA centre already and have this year's crop under contract as well. He'd be better off getting game time at LI.

I was hoping he would come up the road to us.

Agree, Worcester would be a strange choice with the options they have. I guess he either wants first team rugby or to sit on the bench in the AP.

LondonTiger wrote:I was hoping he would come up the road to us.

You and me both.

He's just as bad injury problem wise as Owen and Manu though.
Also if Irish would be a bad move due to players in front of him wouldn't he have the same problem at Tigers?

Te'o is rumoured out, his agent has said he's staying till end of contract but lets be serious how many times have players said they are staying only to leave.

who would be ahead of him at Irish? no-one if you ask me!

Groom joins the Saints exodus with immediate effect.

That is a blow, he was in my opinion our best 9 and would have worked well with Biggar.

Who else have left saints? Other than north?

Bathite wrote:Who else have left saints? Other than north?

Brookes, Nutley, Groom, Stephenson, Myler and North all confirmed out. Couple of squad hookers and a development lock as well.

Jordan Onojaife, Charlie Clare, Matt Beesley (as above) plus Juan Pablo Estelles.

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