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

[Puja]

THE LEVEL OF THE SALARY CAP

The level of the Salary Cap is proportionate and aligned to the growth of the business and is linked directly to the central distributions to the clubs from Premiership Rugby.

For the 2020-21 Salary Cap Year, the level of the Salary Cap is £6,400,000 with the following credits and exclusions:

Home Grown Player Credits totalling £600,000 (up to £50,000 per player) – designed to incentivise clubs to retain home grown talent;
EPS/International Player Credits no overall limit but up to £80,000 per player – to cover player absence during international periods;
Injured Player Credits totalling £400,000 – to allow replacement players to cover for long term injuries;
Two Excluded Players – their entire salary is excluded from the salary cap;
Unlimited education fund for players.
For the 2021-22 Salary Cap Year, the level is being reduced to £5,000,000 with the same credits, save for the total EPS/International Player Credits is capped at £400,000.

Slightly outdated but I presume the cap on injury dispensation remains as is.

If we assume they're getting the full £400k (seems safe), then yes I absolutely believe they could pick up Lawrence, Hill, Barbeary, et al for that, given what we've heard elsewhere of market conditions.

Puja

[FKAS]

THE LEVEL OF THE SALARY CAP

The level of the Salary Cap is proportionate and aligned to the growth of the business and is linked directly to the central distributions to the clubs from Premiership Rugby.

For the 2020-21 Salary Cap Year, the level of the Salary Cap is £6,400,000 with the following credits and exclusions:

Home Grown Player Credits totalling £600,000 (up to £50,000 per player) – designed to incentivise clubs to retain home grown talent;
EPS/International Player Credits no overall limit but up to £80,000 per player – to cover player absence during international periods;
Injured Player Credits totalling £400,000 – to allow replacement players to cover for long term injuries;
Two Excluded Players – their entire salary is excluded from the salary cap;
Unlimited education fund for players.
For the 2021-22 Salary Cap Year, the level is being reduced to £5,000,000 with the same credits, save for the total EPS/International Player Credits is capped at £400,000.

Slightly outdated but I presume the cap on injury dispensation remains as is.

If we assume they're getting the full £400k (seems safe), then yes I absolutely believe they could pick up Lawrence, Hill, Barbeary, et al for that, given what we've heard elsewhere of market conditions.

Puja

Yes I think they probably could. Rumours were Launchbury was only getting offered £60k to see out the remainder of the season so the others were getting equally tough deals and probably don't have his savings to fall back on.

Just for the debate around salary cap I thought clarifying would help. The other caveat for the injury dispensation is that players have to play in a similar position but once again unlikely to be a problem for Bath given everyone is injured.

[Peej]

True, when you outline all of that it is a large amount of money to be re-invested

[Peej]

Robson to Pau until the end of the season

[FKAS]

Rumours of Olly Hartley joining Sarries. Could be a good move for both parties with him taking on the Tompkins understudy role.

[Peej]

That wouldn't be the best move for him. Great environment, culture etc. But he just won't play that much in the games that matter. He has a better chance of breaking through at other clubs, and I think he probably would have offers.

[Puja]

That wouldn't be the best move for him. Great environment, culture etc. But he just won't play that much in the games that matter. He has a better chance of breaking through at other clubs, and I think he probably would have offers.

I don't know - Sarries have excellent form for bringing through and developing young players and they're probably the best in the Prem at giving youngsters enough gametime and encouraging them to break through. Added to that is that Tompkins is more than capable of playing 13 and so there'll be plenty of opportunities for them to play side-by-side.

From a selfish perspective, I want him at Leicester. From an overall England'sFuture perspective I can't think of many places better than Saracens.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

What’s the deal with Tompkins continuing to get Wales caps while at Sarries? Does Pivac not care about that?

His contract must end at some point, and Sarries seem pretty good about rotating their squad. I guess that’s easier when you’ve got 30+ internationals, but even now they seem to mix it up quite a bit.

[FKAS]

I don't think Tompkins is particularly good at 13 and Sarries have lots of options at 13 but only Tompkins or shuffling Lozowski across one as 12 options. I think they've tried Dom Morris there without success and I presumed one of the reasons they've kept with Duncan Taylor despite his many injuries. Great place for Hartley to be because as Mikey says Tompkins will have to go back to Wales at some point but in the meantime Hartley can be drip fed game time during the international periods and through squad rotation. He wasn't a regular at Wasps so there's no requirement for him to be playing every week just yet.

[Puja]

Ma'asi-White has allegedly signed for Sale. Not sure on that one - he'll certainly fit in with their gameplan and will get plenty of gametime while Manu's away/injured/both, but he's a very raw and rough talent, which I'm not sure Sale will do much to polish. He's got by a lot on being massive in the age grades and I'm concerned about Sale signing him, pointing him at how they use Manu and saying, "Just do like that and you'll be good."

Puja

[fivepointer]

Good that these promising youngsters are getting opportunities elsewhere.

[Peej]

Yeah, that is the main thing. Painful as it is from a Wasps fan!

[Timbo]

What’s the deal with Tompkins continuing to get Wales caps while at Sarries? Does Pivac not care about that?

His contract must end at some point, and Sarries seem pretty good about rotating their squad. I guess that’s easier when you’ve got 30+ internationals, but even now they seem to mix it up quite a bit.

Tompkins reportedly signed a 5 year deal just before his first Welsh cap back in 2020. So at least 2 years left on his contract after this season. Given his experience at the Dragons I can’t see him choosing to leave Sarries any time soon.

[FKAS]

The 21 ex-Warriors to find new clubs
Bath: Ollie Lawrence, Fergus Lee-Warner, Ted Hill, Valery Morozov, Billy Searle, Jamie Shillcock
Edinburgh: Duhan van der Merwe
Bristol: Joe Batley, Jay Tyack
Ulster: Rory Sutherland
Northampton: Fin Smith
Saracens: Tom Howe, Andrew Kitchener
Coventry: Will Chudley
Sharks (South Africa): Francois Venter
Gloucester: Alex Hearle, Seb Atkinson, Finn Theobald-Thomas
Merthyr: Ashley Beck
Hartpury College: Will Butler
Zebre (Italy): Matt Kvesic

[Mellsblue]

The Finishing School: Lewis Holsey

[FKAS]

I think Harri Doel is playing in the Welsh Prem as well.

[Which Tyler]

The 21 ex-Warriors to find new clubs
Bath: Ollie Lawrence, Fergus Lee-Warner, Ted Hill, Valery Morozov, Billy Searle, Jamie Shillcock
Edinburgh: Duhan van der Merwe
Bristol: Joe Batley, Jay Tyack
Ulster: Rory Sutherland
Northampton: Fin Smith
Saracens: Tom Howe, Andrew Kitchener
Coventry: Will Chudley
Sharks (South Africa): Francois Venter
Gloucester: Alex Hearle, Seb Atkinson, Finn Theobald-Thomas
Merthyr: Ashley Beck
Hartpury College: Will Butler
Zebre (Italy): Matt Kvesic

Noah Heward to Bristol
Gareth Simpson to Saracens
Beck Cutting to Ampthill
Tom Dodd to Coventry
Kai Owen to Doncaster
Cameron Neild to Glasgow
Renato Giammarioli to Bordeaux
Curtis Langdon to Montpellier



For Wasps, I've got:
Will Porter to Bristol
Dan Frost to Exeter
Alfie Bell to Exeter
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to Exeter
Greg Fisilau to Exeter
Archie MacArthur to Gloucester
Josh Bassett to Harlequins
Charlie Atkinson to Leicester
Ryan Mills to Sale
Robin Hislop to Saracens
Tom Bacon to Ampthill
Rob Hardwick to Ampthill
James Tunney to Ampthill
Theo Vukašinović to Doncaster
Ben Morris to Birmingham Moseley
John Ryan to Munster
Kiran McDonald to Munster
Jacob Umaga to Benetton
Matteo Minozzi to Benetton
Cam Dodson to Aurillac
Tom Willis to Bordeaux
Dan Robson to Pau
Brad Shields to Perpignan
Ali Crossdale to Perpignan
Biyi Alo to Racing 92
Vincent Koch to Stade Francais
Paolo Odogwu to Stade Francais
Jack Willis to Toulouse
Nizaam Carr to Bulls

[fivepointer]

Here's a country-by-country guide as to where you will find those ex-Wasps moving forward...
France
Flanker Brad Shields and fullback Ali Crossdale signed for Perpignan, while Paolo Odogwu and Vincent Koch joined Stade Francais. Prop Biyi Alo is already up and running at Racing 92 and scrum-half Dan Robson was recently revealed as a Pau player until the end of the season.
Second row Cameron Dodson was the last player to be signed by Wasps before their financial collapse, he secured a deal at Pro D2 side Stade Aurillacois. The second tier of French rugby is also potentially the next landing spot for fly-half Will Haydon-Wood.
Flanker Jack Willis is currently unattached but is now expected to join Toulouse once England's Autumn internationals are finished. His young brother, number eight Tom Willis could arrive in France ahead of him at Bordeaux Begles.

Japan
It seems increasingly likely that lock Joe Launchbury will spend the first half of 2023 away in Japan at Toyota Verblitz before returning to England with a move to the club that released him as a youngster, Harlequins.
He is likely to be joined in Japan by South African centre Burger Odendaal, who could team up with Northampton Saints ahead of the 2023/24 Premiership season.

Ireland
Prop John Ryan swiftly returned to the club he left in the summer, Munster, where he was joined by lock Kiran McDonald as the Irish province moved to solve a second-row shortage during the Autumn internationals.

Italy
Italian fullback Matteo Minozzi and fly-half/fullback Jacob Umaga have teamed up with United Rugby Championship side Benetton.

South Africa
Back row Nizaam Carr joined the Bulls for a third time after his third spell at Wasps came to an end. Hooker Michael van Vuuren has joined the Emirates Lions

USA
Scrum-half Sam Wolstenholme is understood to be lining up a move to a Major League Rugby side.

Scotland
Experienced hooker Tom Cruse could be set for a short-term spell at Edinburgh. He will be met by a familiar face in the form of former Wasps team manager, Dave Bassett, who is now the club's Head of Rugby Operations.

Wales
Former Wasps head coach Lee Blackettsecured a role coaching the backs at Scarlets.

England
Naturally, England is the most likely landing spot for the former Wasps players. So let us start with the players who have confirmed their new clubs - ranging from National League One level all the way to the top of the Premiership: Charlie Atkinson (Leicester Tigers), Will Porter (Bristol Bears), Josh Bassett (Harlequins), Dan Frost (Exeter Chiefs), Robin Hislop (Saracens), Ryan Mills (Sale Sharks), Ben Morris (Birmingham Moseley), Will Simonds (Chinnor), Theo Vukasinovic (Doncaster Knights) and Luke Mehson (London Scottish).

Beyond that, it seems increasingly likely that number eight Alfie Barbeary will be at Bath next season. The number eight had been linked with a move to Bordeaux Begles but reports have emerged that Bath have lured the 22-year-old to The Rec - it's starting to feel like the worst-kept secret in rugby. The England hopeful is out until the new year after undergoing surgery on his problematic hamstring in September.

Prop Elliot Millar-Mills is understood to be on trial at Harlequins, also believed to be in London seeking a new club is young centre Olly Hartley, with Saracens understood to be casting their eye over the former England U20 ace.

The academy trio of Alfie Bell , Greg Fisilau and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso have all been snapped up by Exeter Chiefs and Archie McArthur has joined Gloucester. Rekeiti Ma'asi-White is reportedly heading to Sale Sharks, Eparama Rokodrava has signed for Ealing Trailfinders.

Attack coach Matt Everard secured an academy position at Leicester Tigers.

[Banquo]

Surgery on hamstring doesn't sound great, though Which will likely be better informed!

[Puja]

Here's a country-by-country guide as to where you will find those ex-Wasps moving forward...

That's a belting roundup - thanks for that.

Anyone got any news on Oghre? Seems wild that no-one's picked him up - I'd've put him fifth in my England hookers hierarchy (behind George, LCD, McGuigan, Blamire (on the basis he's proven he can step up, rather than current form), ahead of the likes of Singleton.

Puja

[Peej]

Tom Willis confirmed to Bordeaux.

[fivepointer]

Saracens confirm the signing of London Irish fullback, Tom Parton, for next season.

Didnt know that was in the pipeline. Might be a very good move.

[Banquo]

Saracens confirm the signing of London Irish fullback, Tom Parton, for next season.

Didnt know that was in the pipeline. Might be a very good move.

Is Daly off somewhere?

[Margin_Walker]

Saracens confirm the signing of London Irish fullback, Tom Parton, for next season.

Didnt know that was in the pipeline. Might be a very good move.

Is Daly off somewhere?

Parton's a Malins replacement effectively. He'll look decent in that Sarries squad (with the front foot ball it provides) if he can stay fit.

The move's been fairly heavily rumoured.

[Banquo]

Saracens confirm the signing of London Irish fullback, Tom Parton, for next season.

Didnt know that was in the pipeline. Might be a very good move.

Is Daly off somewhere?

Parton's a Malins replacement effectively. He'll look decent in that Sarries squad (with the front foot ball it provides) if he can stay fit.

The move's been fairly heavily rumoured.

ah, forgot Malins to Bears. Goode also can't keep going forever.