Transfer gossip - sometimes even accurate (accidentally) - Season 2022/23

[Puja]

Joe Marchant to Stade F. Balls!

....when?

End of the season: https://12ft.io/proxy?&q=https%3A%2F%2F ... remiership

Can't blame him one whit.

Puja

[Banquo]

Joe Marchant to Stade F. Balls!

....when?

End of the season: https://12ft.io/proxy?&q=https%3A%2F%2F ... remiership

Can't blame him one whit.

Puja

Obviously his card marked by EJ. Probably a bit too smart or summat.

[Mellsblue]

Jones did say he wanted to leave a legacy…

[Timbo]

This must be something that has startied to go through some players heads over the last couple of years.

Given the erratic nature of Jones' selection policy outside his core undroppables, what damage can going and getting some cash and experience for a couple of years in France do?

Post RWC and presumably Eddie, its hard to see how Mercer won't be in a better place for doing it.

There may be some grumbles from people who think you should stay and fight for a place, but, is it really worth the pain if you're most likely to be treated like Dunne or Willis or Lawrence or Thorley etc.

Speaking of which

Looks great with the ball, but always has tbh. Its without that was the issue.

Penaud is a rank average defender, hasn’t stopped the French picking him. Massive indictment of English rugby (and Eddie Jones) that we couldn’t get anything out of Wade at the highest level.

[Banquo]

Speaking of which

Looks great with the ball, but always has tbh. Its without that was the issue.

Penaud is a rank average defender, hasn’t stopped the French picking him. Massive indictment of English rugby (and Eddie Jones) that we couldn’t get anything out of Wade at the highest level.

Penaud excellent under the high ball and rank average kind to Wade tbf. Understand the frustration but player, club and maybe Jones should have worked on it.

[Scrumhead]

And not really Eddie … if Wade was poorly treated by England it was mostly under Lancaster.

On the long list of Eddie’s wrongdoings, Wade doesn’t even feature IMO.

[Scrumhead]

Joe Marchant to Stade F. Balls!

....when?

End of the season: https://12ft.io/proxy?&q=https%3A%2F%2F ... remiership

Can't blame him one whit.

Puja

This is probably the straw that broke the camel’s back for me as far as Eddie is concerned.

Fu%k Eddie and his know it all BS.

I also really resent the media narrative that Marchant was poor in Australia. He really wasn’t. No-one thought he should have been dropped after the first test. He’s always done well for England despite always being under the pressure of not having Eddie’s full backing.

The sooner Eddie fu%ks off, the better.

[FKAS]

....when?

End of the season: https://12ft.io/proxy?&q=https%3A%2F%2F ... remiership

Can't blame him one whit.

Puja

This is probably the straw that broke the camel’s back for me as far as Eddie is concerned.

Fu%k Eddie and his know it all BS.

I also really resent the media narrative that Marchant was poor in Australia. He really wasn’t. No-one thought he should have been dropped after the first test. He’s always done well for England despite always being under the pressure of not having Eddie’s full backing.

The sooner Eddie fu%ks off, the better.

The only thought after the first test was that they should have given him the ball more often.

[FKAS]

What are the terms of Willis’s contract?

I couldn't say, I'm not his agent.

I suspect it's on better financial terms than any Prem club were offering though or why go? I'd also presume it's a short term deal until the summer when he'll return in order to protect his England involvement which after all does come with its own remuneration.

You just said it as if it’s fact so I assumed you knew the details.

I know the details that the poor lad was sat near Coventry without a job and hoping for England appearance cash to fund Christmas. Now he gets to spend six months playing rugby in the South of France. If I was on the dole and someone offered me the chance to work in the South of France for six months when I was in my early twenties I'd have been off as well.

[francoisfou]

Dan Robson is said to be signing for Pau until the end of the season.
if it turns out well then maybe an extension could be on the cards, as it's a beautiful part of SW France, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and not so far from the Atlantic coast.

[FKAS]

He could form an English half back pairing with Zach Henry over there. The head coach is Paul Tito so if his French is a bit rudimentary at least he can get instructions in English.

[twitchy]

Rumour is that exe are interested in Ollie Sleightholme.

[FKAS]

Glaws pick up Wasps England under 20 prop McArthur. Glaws picked up a few promising Wuss youngsters as well, some careful padding of the development conveyor belt down at Kingsholm.

[Gloskarlos]

Glaws pick up Wasps England under 20 prop McArthur. Glaws picked up a few promising Wuss youngsters as well, some careful padding of the development conveyor belt down at Kingsholm.

Need to pick up a young 12 prospect really.

[FKAS]

Glaws pick up Wasps England under 20 prop McArthur. Glaws picked up a few promising Wuss youngsters as well, some careful padding of the development conveyor belt down at Kingsholm.

Need to pick up a young 12 prospect really.

You've signed Seb Atkinson from Worcester already. He's a young (20) 12 with plenty of promise. Alex Hearle the 13/wing joined at the same time though he's a bit older at 24. Should both give you some options and bring the average age down.

Oddly Ollie Hartley hasn't found a new club after leaving Wasps. I'd have thought someone would have snapped him up pretty quickly.

[Puja]

Report in the Times suggesting that OHC to Leicester is happening at the end of the season. A visit to the Training ground was also mentioned in he Rugby Paper yesterday

LI apparently targeting Cokanasiga to replace him.

I've now heard a rumour of Leicester targetting Loader, who is apparently out of contract end of the season. Frankly, I think I'd rather we cut out the middleman and just got JCokanasiga before Irish did - he's the closest like-for-like to Nadolo and we have already got his brother here.

JWillis was apparently approached by Bristol, Leicester, and Northampton before plumping for Toulouse. No news on whether he's got something sorted for next year although, if Eddie keeps giving him 3 minutes, he may just want to stay in France.

Puja

[Margin_Walker]

The Loader talk surfaced before talk of OHC, so would be surprised if both ended up heading that way, given neither will be super cheap. Albeit Loader could still be heading somewhere at the end of the season.

We'll see though.

[francoisfou]

Steven Kitsoff is to join Ulster on a 3-year contract.

[Which Tyler]

JWillis was apparently approached by Bristol, Leicester, and Northampton before plumping for Toulouse. No news on whether he's got something sorted for next year although, if Eddie keeps giving him 3 minutes, he may just want to stay in France.

As with the "Marchant goes to France because of Eddie" - Eddie won't be here after November 2023.
There's no point leaving because you don't think the coach rates you, at the same time the coach leaves - that's when you want to be returning from a stint overseas, aiming to impress the new boss.

[FKAS]

JWillis was apparently approached by Bristol, Leicester, and Northampton before plumping for Toulouse. No news on whether he's got something sorted for next year although, if Eddie keeps giving him 3 minutes, he may just want to stay in France.

As with the "Marchant goes to France because of Eddie" - Eddie won't be here after November 2023.
There's no point leaving because you don't think the coach rates you, at the same time the coach leaves - that's when you want to be returning from a stint overseas, aiming to impress the new boss.

Or you know that the two years post world cup is the best time to head abroad gain new experience and potentially more money before returning in plenty of time for a shot at the world cup after. With both Willis and Marchant potentially the right age for that.

[FKAS]

"Having already secured the services of hooker Dan Frost last month, Baxter has swooped to seal the signings of academy youngsters Alfie Bell, Greg Fisilau and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso."

Borrowed from elsewhere. Good work by Exeter.

[Puja]

"Having already secured the services of hooker Dan Frost last month, Baxter has swooped to seal the signings of academy youngsters Alfie Bell, Greg Fisilau and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso."

Borrowed from elsewhere. Good work by Exeter.

Fisilau's probably one of the picks of the Wasps academy, although Exeter will probably end up playing him at 7.

Puja

[FKAS]

"Having already secured the services of hooker Dan Frost last month, Baxter has swooped to seal the signings of academy youngsters Alfie Bell, Greg Fisilau and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso."

Borrowed from elsewhere. Good work by Exeter.

Fisilau's probably one of the picks of the Wasps academy, although Exeter will probably end up playing him at 7.

Puja

Nah 6ft8 Alfie Bell has Chiefs 7 written all over him.

In all seriousness they are three of the big academy names coming out of Wasps. To snare all three is top work by Chiefs. I'm sure Baxter will have them all with first team minutes before the end of the season.

Ma'asi-White, Hartley and Kripps are still available and I'd have thought they'd also be attracting interest given their under 20s previous. Maybe Dawkins as well.

I'm a little surprised Tigers haven't been more active in the young talent poaching, under Borthwick we've had a tendency to go after young talent that has fallen through the cracks a bit with Kelly, Dolly, Potter, Porter and Chessum (sort of) maybe the new lad Shelley as well as Henderson and Hurd though Henderson was more we'd signed him up before he shine for Scotland under 20s and Glasgow seemed to cotton onto what they had. Given our inability to bring through wingers Dawkins and Feyi-Waboso would be logical targets. I know we have Woodward coming through at 12 but he's not Prem ready and still a teenager so the slightly older and more versatile Hartley wouldn't be a bad option either.

[Gloskarlos]

Glaws pick up Wasps England under 20 prop McArthur. Glaws picked up a few promising Wuss youngsters as well, some careful padding of the development conveyor belt down at Kingsholm.

Need to pick up a young 12 prospect really.

You've signed Seb Atkinson from Worcester already. He's a young (20) 12 with plenty of promise. Alex Hearle the 13/wing joined at the same time though he's a bit older at 24. Should both give you some options and bring the average age down.

Oddly Ollie Hartley hasn't found a new club after leaving Wasps. I'd have thought someone would have snapped him up pretty quickly.

True, I think young Seb’s promise might be a few years away yet but we’ll see. Hearle more of a wing / full back.

[Peej]

Hartley is (was... sob) a full squad member, not in the academy. So I wonder if there is more wiggle room to add academy contracts to a squad in terms of cap?