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

[Tigersman]

Yep, good on him. Can't be easy getting a contract out of school and having it ripped up instantly, before having to find another.

Also Tom Hitchcock to Ealing and Calum Scott to Rams now confirmed

Ben Atkins - Rams (ND1)
Matt Cornish - Ealing
Agustín Creevy - Sale
Ignacio Ruiz
Lovejoy Chawatama - Harlequins
Luke Green
Ciaran Parker
Danilo Fischetti - Zebre
Will Goodrick-Clarke
Ollie Hoskins - Saracens
Josh Caulfield - Bristol
Adam Coleman - Bordeaux
Chunya Munga - Northampton
Api Ratuniyarawa
Ed Scragg - Scarlets
Josh Basham
Ben Donnell - Gloucester
Jack Cooke
So'otala Fa'aso'o - Perpignan
Juan Martín González
Izaia Moore-Aiono
Tom Pearson - Northampton
Matt Rogerson (c)- Leicester
Josh Smart
Caolan Englefield - Gloucester
Joe Powell - Leicester
Ben White - Toulon
Jacob Atkins - Rovigo
Paddy Jackson - Lyon
Rory Jennings - Newcastle
Tom Hitchcock - Ealing
Benhard Janse van Rensburg - Bristol
Will Joseph - Harlequins
Luca Morisi
Eddie Poolman
Matt Williams
Ben Loader
Lucio Cinti - Saracens
Henry Arundell - Racing 92
Kyle Rowe - Glasgow
Tom Collins
Michael Dykes - Gloucester

Calum Scott - Rams (ND1)
Joe Vajner
Afolabi Fasogbon - Gloucester
Tarek Haffar - Northampton
Mikey Summerfield - Bath
Chandler Cunningham-South - Harlequins
Jarlath Gleeson
Lucas Brooke
Ollie Allan - Leicester
Monty Bradbury
Conor Cross
George Makepeace-Cubitt - Rams (ND1)
Jake Shortland
Jack Walsh
Alexander Harmes
Ralph McEachran - Sale
Rory Taylor - Gloucester
Finn Worley Brady
Toby Maddock
Charlie Moss

Jarlath Gleeson off to Lyon

[Which Tyler]

JJ off has finally been officially confirmed

[FKAS]

Exeter sign Eoin O’Connor a 22 year old lock from Munster. 6ft7 and 17 stone, has got Exeter 7 written all over him.

[Margin_Walker]

Jarlath Gleeson off to Lyon

That's an interesting one. Is it confirmed anywhere? Imagine there will be clubs willing to take a punt give him an academy deal based purely on the size of him.

[Margin_Walker]

Les Kiss confirmed as taking over at the Reds.

Mentioned in an initial interview foreign player slots open there. Wouldn't surprise me to see someone like Ruiz, Gonzales or Basham show up there.

In other news Ratuniyarawa signed by Bayonne as WC cover. Which suggests he's either not making the Fiji squad or will withdraw.

[Banquo]

Les Kiss confirmed as taking over at the Reds.

I was thinking Jersey was a nice place to go, but....

[Puja]

Fascinating: https://12ft.io/proxy?ref=&q=https://ww ... -contract/

Watson is marked as "Unattached" in the EPS announcement - apparently Leicester were unable to afford to re-sign him with salary cap limits and their budget at the end of the season. England are paying for him on a training contract until the end of the RWC and it's "understood" that Leicester are heavy favourites to re-sign him at the end of the RWC, using the money freed up by Harry Potter's exit spread over a shorter period and the RFU encouraging this because they want him to stay available for England.

Lots of speculation in the article about this being a possible template for hybrid contracts with players going forwards and this leading to increased access and control for England.

Suspect there'll be a couple of clubs a little irked that Leicester are being given a hand by the RFU when no-one else is though.

Puja

[Margin_Walker]

Yeah, I could imagine that being controversial behind the scenes. Especially with the Leicester connection in the England setup.

[FKAS]

Fascinating: https://12ft.io/proxy?ref=&q=https://ww ... -contract/

Watson is marked as "Unattached" in the EPS announcement - apparently Leicester were unable to afford to re-sign him with salary cap limits and their budget at the end of the season. England are paying for him on a training contract until the end of the RWC and it's "understood" that Leicester are heavy favourites to re-sign him at the end of the RWC, using the money freed up by Harry Potter's exit spread over a shorter period and the RFU encouraging this because they want him to stay available for England.

Lots of speculation in the article about this being a possible template for hybrid contracts with players going forwards and this leading to increased access and control for England.

Suspect there'll be a couple of clubs a little irked that Leicester are being given a hand by the RFU when no-one else is though.

Puja

It would explain why Tigers haven't listed him as a leaver but at the same time have mentioned nothing about a new contract despite it being common knowledge he only he signed a one year deal.

Odd circumstance but then again he's been openly touting himself to London clubs for the last 6 months and they could be in the same situation had they shown any interest.

[FKAS]

Apparently there is a precedent for the training contract that Watson is on. Ben Te'o got offered the same in 2019 though it was rescinded after his scrap with Brown. According to the Telegraph anyway.

[Mikey Brown]

Ben Te’o’s agent really must have been fantastic.

[Margin_Walker]

Ben Te’o’s agent really must have been fantastic.

[Puja]

Apparently there is a precedent for the training contract that Watson is on. Ben Te'o got offered the same in 2019 though it was rescinded after his scrap with Brown. According to the Telegraph anyway.

Wasn't Te'o on his way overseas when that happened though? Wasn't really the same situation of benefitting a Prem team by taking on his salary for part of the time away.

Puja

[FKAS]

Apparently there is a precedent for the training contract that Watson is on. Ben Te'o got offered the same in 2019 though it was rescinded after his scrap with Brown. According to the Telegraph anyway.

Wasn't Te'o on his way overseas when that happened though? Wasn't really the same situation of benefitting a Prem team by taking on his salary for part of the time away.

Puja

Same contract situation, either he skips the world cup and gets a deal straightaway or he plays and gets a contract that starts afterwards. He's committed to playing the world cup so is facing no cash until October.

[twitchy]

Exeter sign Eoin O’Connor a 22 year old lock from Munster. 6ft7 and 17 stone, has got Exeter 7 written all over him.

From what I can tell he is a promising player who had a bad run of injuries. Exactly in the exeter mould as you say. Played vs wasps in 2/3 years back and shone.

[Margin_Walker]

Telegraph going with Juan Gonzales following his mate Cinti to Sarries.

That's looking a fairly serious back row next year if true

[Mikey Brown]

McFarland, Christie, Gonzalez, Earl, Vunipola, Willis is an insane pool of backrows to pick from. How is it even possible that they keep doing this under the cap? They will be putting out Tuesday night sides with 15 internationals.

[FKAS]

Players In

England Tom Parton from England London Irish
England Tom Willis from France Bordeaux
England Gareth Simpson from Australia Western Force
England Tom West from England Leicester Tigers
Australia Ollie Hoskins from England London Irish
Argentina Lucio Cinti from England London Irish


Players Out

England Max Malins to England Bristol Bears
Scotland Robin Hislop to Scotland Edinburgh
United States Ruben de Haas to South Africa Cheetahs
England Jackson Wray retired
Scotland Duncan Taylor retired
England James Flynn released
Wales Ethan Lewis released
England Obinna Nkwocha to England Coventry
Argentina Eduardo Bello to England Newcastle Falcons

The Hoskins and Cinti deals are presumably below market rate.

[Puja]

Telegraph going with Juan Gonzales following his mate Cinti to Sarries.

That's looking a fairly serious back row next year if true

Now confirmed: https://saracens.com/juan-martin-gonzal ... -saracens/

The Hoskins and Cinti deals are presumably below market rate.

Possibly, but I'd be really surprised if Cinti and Gonzalez didn't get very competitive offers from France - they're current internationals and exactly what a T14 or PD2 side would be looking for.

Puja

[FKAS]

Telegraph going with Juan Gonzales following his mate Cinti to Sarries.

That's looking a fairly serious back row next year if true

Now confirmed: https://saracens.com/juan-martin-gonzal ... -saracens/

The Hoskins and Cinti deals are presumably below market rate.

Possibly, but I'd be really surprised if Cinti and Gonzalez didn't get very competitive offers from France - they're current internationals and exactly what a T14 or PD2 side would be looking for.

Puja

Might have been tough for them to get deals that covered the world cup period. Deals starting after the world cup finished were probably plentiful but would probably evaporate if a serious injury occurred though.

[chris1850]

Will Griff John to Racing. Would've liked to see him back at Sale now Coennie has gone

[Puja]

Telegraph going with Juan Gonzales following his mate Cinti to Sarries.

That's looking a fairly serious back row next year if true

Now confirmed: https://saracens.com/juan-martin-gonzal ... -saracens/

The Hoskins and Cinti deals are presumably below market rate.

Possibly, but I'd be really surprised if Cinti and Gonzalez didn't get very competitive offers from France - they're current internationals and exactly what a T14 or PD2 side would be looking for.

Puja

Might have been tough for them to get deals that covered the world cup period. Deals starting after the world cup finished were probably plentiful but would probably evaporate if a serious injury occurred though.

Good point; well made.

I can't imagine Saracens are doing anything dodgy around the cap, considering the champions now get a full audit at the end of the season and they presumably have eyes on repeating their win.

Puja

[FKAS]

Will Griff John to Racing. Would've liked to see him back at Sale now Coennie has gone

Isn't he just a world cup cover signing? Could still return to Sale after.

[FKAS]

Dom Morris leaves Sarries for a season long loan at Ospreys.

[jimKRFC]

Santiago Grondona has joined Bristol Bears, the club can confirm.

Don't know too much about him myself, but the Exe fans seem disappointed he was allowed to leave.