Silly Season Transfer Rumours 19/20

by formerly known as Sam Mon 22 Jul 2019, 12:56 pm

First topic message reminder :

Not a great position for Saints, captain and international level hooker looks likely so they've resorted to signing what is at best squad filler. Presumably Haywood and Fish will carry the bulk of the playing time.

by **BigGee** Sat 23 Nov 2019, 8:17 am

I can't see why Edinbugh would be interested in taking Laidlaw back, unless he would be taking up a coaching role

by TheMildlyFranticLlama Sat 23 Nov 2019, 9:08 am

BigGee wrote:I can't see why Edinbugh would be interested in taking Laidlaw back, unless he would be taking up a coaching role

Pyrgos does not need any more lessons in how to be glacial from the master, thank you very much! furious

by mikey_dragon Sat 23 Nov 2019, 12:08 pm

That's quite a team that Bristol are amassing. Now all they need is a Saffa at 2nd row.

by formerly known as Sam Sat 23 Nov 2019, 12:41 pm

LondonTiger wrote:ruck.co.uk pushing:

Reinach to Montpelier
Moriarty to Exeter
Laidlaw to Edinburgh.
Sinckler to Bristol
Liam Williams to Toulon

Other sources suggest Genge back to Bristol still possible. I would definitely pay money to see a Genge, Thacker, Sinckler front row.

Bristol do lack a top class loosehead and with Afoa not getting any younger a too class tighthead would make sense. How many players are they going to have to cut to get all these players under the cap though.

by mikey_dragon Sat 23 Nov 2019, 12:46 pm

formerly known as Sam wrote:
LondonTiger wrote:ruck.co.uk pushing:

Reinach to Montpelier
Moriarty to Exeter
Laidlaw to Edinburgh.
Sinckler to Bristol
Liam Williams to Toulon

Other sources suggest Genge back to Bristol still possible. I would definitely pay money to see a Genge, Thacker, Sinckler front row.

Bristol do lack a top class loosehead and with Afoa not getting any younger a too class tighthead would make sense. How many players are they going to have to cut to get all these players under the cap though.

Yeah with JT supposedly being offered 500K per year, which is what Hughes is on right? I imagine the majority of the squad are cheap though, they don't see that great, just good club players. How much would they be on, 40-50K?

by Welly Sat 23 Nov 2019, 12:46 pm

All Rush do is copy other places they have no sources of their own.

by king_carlos Sat 23 Nov 2019, 2:10 pm

Madigan is on big money and coming up for renewal so I'd guess that's the bulk of what Tipuric is being offered.

Then presumably Sinckler or Genge are being offered Afoa's wage when he comes out of contract.

Charles Piutau, Luatua, Hughes, Afoa and Attwood are all on big money. Thacker signed for a lot more than Tigers could offer as well.

An issue for Bristol will be that they paid over the odds to build this squad whilst a relegation risk. Hence they are paying more for several players than they are really worth, Madigan the most striking example there.

From what I understand only Sale and Newcastle weren't spending up to the cap last season. Sale now are having invested heavily.

by formerly known as Sam Sat 23 Nov 2019, 2:12 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:
formerly known as Sam wrote:
LondonTiger wrote:ruck.co.uk pushing:

Reinach to Montpelier
Moriarty to Exeter
Laidlaw to Edinburgh.
Sinckler to Bristol
Liam Williams to Toulon

Other sources suggest Genge back to Bristol still possible. I would definitely pay money to see a Genge, Thacker, Sinckler front row.

Bristol do lack a top class loosehead and with Afoa not getting any younger a too class tighthead would make sense. How many players are they going to have to cut to get all these players under the cap though.

Yeah with JT supposedly being offered 500K per year, which is what Hughes is on right? I imagine the majority of the squad are cheap though, they don't see that great, just good club players. How much would they be on, 40-50K?

I doubt you get many first team players sat on £40-50k a year. The senior academy/development lads maybe. First team squad players be anywhere from £100k to £250k depending on experience and position.

by mikey_dragon Sat 23 Nov 2019, 2:28 pm

So Afoa is on his way out? I thought they would have kept him on. Madigan I can't see being asked to stay on. Bristol seem very well at fly-half, there's a certain Welsh one there who could be in high demand in the near future - not Sheedy or Prothero...

Sam, what does salary cap cover? Player wages, and... ?

by **LondonTiger** Sat 23 Nov 2019, 3:00 pm

Afoa is 36 so not long left.

Ioan (sp?) Lloyd is promising for Bristol.

by mikey_dragon Sat 23 Nov 2019, 3:03 pm

You spelt it correctly, I believe it's pronounced like 'Owen'. To be shining at this level when you're only 18 is quite impressive. I seen a little of Sheedy against Brive, he looked good too.

by Welly Sun 24 Nov 2019, 11:13 am

Afoa signed a years extension in august so he still has another season.

by **LondonTiger** Mon 25 Nov 2019, 8:41 am

Steve Diamond has confirmed that they are in talks with Nakawara's agent.

by No 7&1/2 Mon 25 Nov 2019, 9:02 am

With a dig at saracens too LT! Looking at sales side it's getting saracens like itself. Things tend to e cheaper in the grim north though.

by **LondonTiger** Mon 25 Nov 2019, 9:16 am

No 7&1/2 wrote:With a dig at saracens too LT! Looking at sales side it's getting saracens like itself. Things tend to e cheaper in the grim north though.

They also have a senior squad about 2/3 the size of Sarries. Jason Orange was having a dig last week, but also suggesting there are other clubs over the cap.

by formerly known as Sam Mon 25 Nov 2019, 9:21 am

No 7&1/2 wrote:With a dig at saracens too LT! Looking at sales side it's getting saracens like itself. Things tend to e cheaper in the grim north though.

Given they have two of their locks out injured, one of them a big money summer recruit I imagine there's plenty of injury dispensation cash available to bring him in on.

Cost of living is going to be cheaper up north but the draw of playing there less so. Sarries can almost guarantee silverware most years. Big games, big stage and best chance to put your name in the international frame. Means that they can sometimes get away with paying a little less. Tigers used to be able to offer similar, didn't have to break the bank to pilfer talent because players want to win and get capped.

by Guest Mon 25 Nov 2019, 10:38 am

You say it's grim up north, but Manchester and London - is there really that much difference? Admittedly a lot of the Sarries players like in the leafy climbs of Hertfordshire etc. but it's not like Mancheter and Lancashire/Cheshire doesn't have its wealthy and inviting areas either. And Manchester as a city seems at least as good as London.

by No 7&1/2 Mon 25 Nov 2019, 10:40 am

It's just a joke miaow. I live in the north.

by lostinwales Mon 25 Nov 2019, 11:29 am

I have lived many years in London, Swansea and Manchester (other places too but never mind). Weather wise Manchester is grim. Nowhere near as wet as Swansea but much colder. Quality of life Manchester is much the best of the three, but that is a subjective view.

by mikey_dragon Mon 25 Nov 2019, 11:33 am

I'd hate to live in either London or Swansea, so Manchester for me too.

by mikey_dragon Tue 26 Nov 2019, 3:21 pm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/50558267

Filo Paulo back to Cardiff to help them cope with injuries. He is a decent player but didn't really cut the mustard during his previous stint... having said that, Blues have certainly been lacking muscle in the 2nd row since he departed.

by king_carlos Tue 26 Nov 2019, 3:52 pm

Reports that Bristol have signed Semi Radrada on an enormous 2-year deal.

There are suggestions that Lautua was paid a large proportion of his salary in the Championship, helping them stay under the cap now they are in the Prem.

There are rules preventing front loading of contracts when in the Premiership but none regulating Championship clubs doing so before coming up.

Salary Cap Regs wrote:By way of illustration only:

If an Excluded Player’s Salary in Salary Cap Year 2017-18 (his first Salary Cap Year
at the Club) was £500,000 and in Salary Cap Years 2018-19 and 2019-20 when
he was not an Excluded Player his Salaries were £50,000, then in 2018-19 the
average of £550,000 worth of Salary (i.e. £275,000) would be included in the
Senior Ceiling as the Player’s Salary and in 2019-20 the average of £600,000
worth of Salary (i.e. £200,000) would be included in the Senior Ceiling as the
Player’s Salary; and

If in Salary Cap Years 2017-18 and 2018-19 the Player’s Salaries were £50,000
and in Salary Cap Year 2019-20, as an Excluded Player, his Salary was £500,000,
the Club would only be entitled to exclude from the Senior Ceiling in Salary Cap
Year 2019-20 the average of those Salaries i.e. £200,000 and £300,000 worth of
Salary would be included in the Senior Ceiling.

A 'salary cap year' is one where the clubs squad comes under the cap. So not one in the Championship.

If Saracens were to go down that opens up some interesting opportunities for Nigel Wray to get creative once again...

by mikey_dragon Tue 26 Nov 2019, 4:03 pm

Seen Radrada play against Wales recently, he is quite some player.

Sarries going down I imagine would come back up, but would they loan some or most of their England players to teams still in the prem? Like Wilson...

by king_carlos Tue 26 Nov 2019, 4:20 pm

king_carlos wrote:Reports that Bristol have signed Semi Radrada on an enormous 2-year deal.

There are suggestions that Lautua was paid a large proportion of his salary in the Championship, helping them stay under the cap now they are in the Prem.

There are rules preventing front loading of contracts when in the Premiership but none regulating Championship clubs doing so before coming up.

Salary Cap Regs wrote:By way of illustration only:

If an Excluded Player’s Salary in Salary Cap Year 2017-18 (his first Salary Cap Year
at the Club) was £500,000 and in Salary Cap Years 2018-19 and 2019-20 when
he was not an Excluded Player his Salaries were £50,000, then in 2018-19 the
average of £550,000 worth of Salary (i.e. £275,000) would be included in the
Senior Ceiling as the Player’s Salary and in 2019-20 the average of £600,000
worth of Salary (i.e. £200,000) would be included in the Senior Ceiling as the
Player’s Salary; and

If in Salary Cap Years 2017-18 and 2018-19 the Player’s Salaries were £50,000
and in Salary Cap Year 2019-20, as an Excluded Player, his Salary was £500,000,
the Club would only be entitled to exclude from the Senior Ceiling in Salary Cap
Year 2019-20 the average of those Salaries i.e. £200,000 and £300,000 worth of
Salary would be included in the Senior Ceiling.

A 'salary cap year' is one where the clubs squad comes under the cap. So not one in the Championship.

If Saracens were to go down that opens up some interesting opportunities for Nigel Wray to get creative once again...

Trawling further through the regs I could be incorrect on that but I am wholly unsure to be honest.

If anyone with a better understanding can clarify whether front loading in the Championship could be policed I'd much appreciate it!

by Rinsure Wed 27 Nov 2019, 9:10 am

Semi Radrada in the Prem, for (at the time of writing), the side sitting atop the league.

Top signing for Bristol - I'm sure that it's all legit on the £££ front, given the scrutiny of such things at the moment. Wish we'd signed him, but it'll be exciting to see him doing his thing around the grounds regardless.

Word on twitter is that there might be another RWC star being announced by Bristol too...

by **LondonTiger** Wed 27 Nov 2019, 9:59 am

Bristol after Rory Best on a deal till end of the season.

by formerly known as Sam Wed 27 Nov 2019, 11:46 am

Radrada is one hell of a signing. Talk about xfactor and in a team that plays like Bristol. Wow. They'll have to cut a few to make room for him. I'd happily take Will Hurrell back to Tigers, we could do with another hard running centre in the squad.

Rory Best would have to be an injury dispensation signing surely.

by mikey_dragon Wed 27 Nov 2019, 11:53 am

Yeah Genge must be tempted to go back to Bristol too...

by Guest Wed 27 Nov 2019, 11:54 am

Ridiculous signing if true. Being fair, Best has never been a good thrower, the Premiership is defined by the set piece, and he's on his last legs/mentally enjoying the wind down. The only thing that would entice him would be a huge contract in the region of £500k a year or the equivalent for however many months he has to go. Totally crazy from Britsol.

by formerly known as Sam Wed 27 Nov 2019, 12:30 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:Yeah Genge must be tempted to go back to Bristol too...

On one hand very. He still considers Bristol home. Bristol are still his club. However, Bristol didn't really look after him that well off the field. He got dragged into trouble around Bristol with people he knew who weren't in the best place. Being at Leicester puts him into a more positive environment and he has developed well on the field. He's only a couple of hours away from Bristol so it's an easy trip home.

If Bristol get into the Champions Cup for next season that could be a very tempting move though, particularly if Tigers are still languishing at the bottom of the table.

by Geordie Wed 27 Nov 2019, 12:41 pm

Come to Newcastle...cost of living isnt so cheap up here...i think they're trying to make it the "London" of the North...

Cost are on a level with London for a lot of stuff....

by mikey_dragon Wed 27 Nov 2019, 2:31 pm

Joe Heyes also rumoured to be leaving Tigers in order to play for Swansea City FC.

by TightHEAD Wed 27 Nov 2019, 2:33 pm

Bristol the new Sarries?

by formerly known as Sam Wed 27 Nov 2019, 2:47 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:Joe Heyes also rumoured to be leaving Tigers in order to play for Swansea City FC.

Before deciding to stick to rugby he was a goalkeeper in the Forest academy.

by Geordie Wed 27 Nov 2019, 2:52 pm

is he the Tight head prop?

by formerly known as Sam Wed 27 Nov 2019, 4:13 pm

GeordieFalcon wrote:is he the Tight head prop?

Yep. With his melon he should have been a centre back.

by bluestonevedder Wed 27 Nov 2019, 4:37 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:Joe Heyes also rumoured to be leaving Tigers in order to play for Swansea City FC.

Not...sure...if....joking....

by **LondonTiger** Thu 28 Nov 2019, 8:53 am

Johann Ackermann admits Glaws are also interested in Kyle Sinckler. Seems that Quins are incapable of meeting his expectations within the constraints of the salary cap. Not 100% sure who their marquee players are though.

by yappysnap Thu 28 Nov 2019, 9:54 pm

formerly known as Sam wrote:Radrada is one hell of a signing. Talk about xfactor and in a team that plays like Bristol. Wow. They'll have to cut a few to make room for him. I'd happily take Will Hurrell back to Tigers, we could do with another hard running centre in the squad.

Rory Best would have to be an injury dispensation signing surely.

Apparently they're still a fair way under the cap and Radrada is a marquee so out of it anyway. Sounds like Bristol either spent a lot in the Championship or managed to negotiate some players down to lower wages.

Either way could see them signing more players.

by mikey_dragon Thu 28 Nov 2019, 10:41 pm

LondonTiger wrote:Johann Ackermann admits Glaws are also interested in Kyle Sinckler. Seems that Quins are incapable of meeting his expectations within the constraints of the salary cap. Not 100% sure who their marquee players are though.

Do you think their squad might look like the weakest in the prem? And that's not a slight on Quins... it's more to do with how every other team is strengthening theirs. Has to be Quins or Wuss battling for bottom spot come the end of the season, along with Sarries.

EDIT Quins have a much better squad than I expected. Could be bad if they lose Sinckler as well as Marchant though.

by king_carlos Fri 29 Nov 2019, 1:00 am

Quins will have Marchant back for 2020/21. He signed a long term contract with a release clause to play in New Zealand.

by king_carlos Fri 29 Nov 2019, 1:06 am

As for the relegation scrap there will be a few scared teams.

Tigers and Wasps have played the worst rugby so far. I think London Irish will struggle more the deeper the season goes. Worcester are usually strong enough at home to survive but that may not be enough this season.

As an outside bet I think that Bath have brilliant backs but if they don't get enough minutes out of Underhill, Louw, Mercer and Faletau I think their forwards will struggle over a full season.

by formerly known as Sam Sun 01 Dec 2019, 12:04 pm

Johnny May -> Gloucester
Nick Schonert -> Gloucester
Lima Sopoaga -> NZ somewhere that isn't Wasps
Ben Youngs -> Northampton Saints
Mike Ford -> Fiji beach coach
Gary Graham -> Glasgow
Calum Braely -> Treviso

by Geordie Sun 01 Dec 2019, 1:55 pm

Is that our Gary Graham.

Wouldnt surprise me. The gash we're playing..expect a load to leave.

When is ringfencing happening...

by **BigGee** Sun 01 Dec 2019, 2:50 pm

GeordieFalcon wrote:Is that our Gary Graham.

Wouldnt surprise me. The gash we're playing..expect a load to leave.

When is ringfencing happening...

He would do the Glasgow pack the power of good, we are crying out for some abrasive forwards. If he has got any international ambitions left, then he surely does need to move.

by propdavid_london Mon 02 Dec 2019, 10:02 am

LondonTiger wrote:Johann Ackermann admits Glaws are also interested in Kyle Sinckler. Seems that Quins are incapable of meeting his expectations within the constraints of the salary cap. Not 100% sure who their marquee players are though.

That would be a massive blow to Quins.

by Rinsure Mon 02 Dec 2019, 10:53 am

formerly known as Sam wrote:
Lima Sopoaga -> NZ somewhere that isn't Wasps

Sopoaga has responded to this rumour, saying:

"If everything rumoured about me were true, I'd e in five different places in the world at once, 7ft tall and playing for the Lakers... ok the last two aren't rumours, just my dreams.

I'm not going anywhere, if you wanna find me I'll be chasing my 2 year old on her scooter around Leamington."

So looks like we're stuck with him...

by bluestonevedder Mon 02 Dec 2019, 11:10 am

formerly known as Sam wrote:Johnny May -> Gloucester
Nick Schonert -> Gloucester
Lima Sopoaga -> NZ somewhere that isn't Wasps
Ben Youngs -> Northampton Saints
Mike Ford -> Fiji beach coach
Gary Graham -> Glasgow
Calum Braely -> Treviso

Where did you come across these Sam? Do any of them have legs?

If May goes back to Gloucester can be please negotiate to have Slater back? We could really use some grunt.

by **LondonTiger** Mon 02 Dec 2019, 11:13 am

Braley to Treviso is listed in a number of places.

Saints gave Lenny an offer last time his contract was up for renewal. Not sure it would make sense for them now, but Chris Boyds style would bring the best out of him rather than the box kicking incarnation that Eddie has created.

by bathmad Mon 02 Dec 2019, 11:18 am

Rinsure wrote:
formerly known as Sam wrote:
Lima Sopoaga -> NZ somewhere that isn't Wasps

Sopoaga has responded to this rumour, saying:

"If everything rumoured about me were true, I'd e in five different places in the world at once, 7ft tall and playing for the Lakers... ok the last two aren't rumours, just my dreams.

I'm not going anywhere, if you wanna find me I'll be chasing my 2 year old on her scooter around Leamington."

So looks like we're stuck with him...

He's been a poor investment though when you consider how Cipriani was playing 2 years ago before he was replaced!

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