Transfer news, rumours, suggestions, frenzied speculation, and outright lies - Season 2023-24

[Puja]

Also joining are:
Steele Barker, 23yrs, Lock from Cornish Pirates

Any relation to the England head coach?

Puja

[Banquo]

Also joining are:
Steele Barker, 23yrs, Lock from Cornish Pirates

Any relation to the England head coach?

Puja

[Banquo]

Tigers academy leavers:

Leicester Tigers Senior Academy 2023/2024 Farewells

Jacob Cusick, Tiger #2361

Oliver Crane, Tiger #2417

Sam Edwards, Tiger #2363

Morgan Meredith, Tiger #2370

Simon Koroiyadi, Tiger #2371

Sam Edwards has been confirmed as joining Bristol.

Also joining are:
Steele Barker, 23yrs, Lock from Cornish Pirates (assume he's replacing Ed Holmes who has a high lights reel on youtube now)
Tom Doughty, 27yrs, hooker from Doncaster & formerly Bath

Bit worried that Doughty coming means Thacker or Capon might be off.....

bastards, we wanted him!

Those other two are a bit surprising tbh.

[Mellsblue]

Also joining are:
Steele Barker, 23yrs, Lock from Cornish Pirates

Any relation to the England head coach?

Puja

Seconded

[Epaminondas Pules]

Tigers academy leavers:

Leicester Tigers Senior Academy 2023/2024 Farewells

Jacob Cusick, Tiger #2361

Oliver Crane, Tiger #2417

Sam Edwards, Tiger #2363

Morgan Meredith, Tiger #2370

Simon Koroiyadi, Tiger #2371

I'm worried about the Tigers academy - upsetting seeing our England age-group contributions dwindling and players who were seen as promising drift away, like Cusick and Koroiyadi.

Starting to feel like it did about 12-13 years ago, when we brought through the last cadre of Youngs/Manu/Ford et al and then just shut up shop for the longest while. There were players talked up as being good, but they never came to anything and left the same way some of these are going - we produced the occasional Henry Purdys and Alex Lewingtons for other clubs, but nothing for ourselves and no further superstars.

You're fairly plugged in to these things - is it just a bad run or have we cut back on academy work and talent finding like we did 12 years ago?

Puja

I think there is a mixture of factors. I don't think the quality post the U18 double winning years has been as good. Some snippets, like Woodward, but none of them really getting / forcing opportunities. Carnduff looks a level above some of those before him. When you look across the senior academy there's not a huge amount in there to get excited about. Now there's a bit of a mix in that too. The academy structure is very focussed on certain invidivuals, with others being sen as squad fill. In Woody's age group there were a number of very talented lads, but they were not earmarked as being 'special' and didn't get the same attention. A couple of them told me that within a few weeks you knew largely that you were fodder or in the small special group.

From what I hear I think we are going through another little down cycle. Whether that comes back up quicker than last time is up for grabs. To do so we have to invest in the DPP and junior academy, but we also have to play players. In the last shit spell we largely bought into journeymen or squad fill in favour of trying youth, and it failed spectacularly (on both fronts). I'm kind of getting a feel that we're just nudging down the buy before build route. Maybe gut feel, but from noise from the DPP camps and academy performance all does not appear to be rosey / joined up / strategic.

These things do have a habit of going in cycles mind. You're going to get bumper years and fallow periods. It is the same across the board usually. Very rarely you get a golden age group, like the 2011 U20 finalists. But, and it is a big but, I am seeing the conveyor belt across the academies really start to flourish. I've talked about us being on the verge of another golden period, and Tigers don't seem to be fully at that party. And we're by no means alone in our current place. In fact some clubs have largely failed to produce much at all, let alone three current internationals with over 50 caps between them at the age of 22/23.

That's a long winded way of saying 'dunno'

[FKAS]

I doubt it helps that the academy head coach has been moonlighting as the attack coach all season. Losing Taylor as head of the academy to Loughborough University whatever it was, was a massive blow.

We do need to move away from the reliance on average journeymen a tad as it's not working. I'm hoping Josh Manz and Chessum Jnr both recover from injury and help things move along up front with Carnduff and the young hookers for next season. Ilione as well. It will mean we can release some of the squad fodder backrows and focus on retaining and signing quality.

Hewat has had roles with Australia Schools and Under 18s as well as the player pathways at Suntory and alongside his role at the Brumbies. I'm hoping that's a promising sign.

[Which Tyler]

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/sport/ot ... ed-9240640

GJVV retiring this summer

[Mellsblue]

Anyone know what Billy V got up to at the weekend etc etc?

[FKAS]

Rumours Adam Radwan is already looking at potential suitors even though he's got another year with Falcons before coming out of contract. Glaws being name dropped.

[Adam_P]

Rumours Adam Radwan is already looking at potential suitors even though he's got another year with Falcons before coming out of contract. Glaws being name dropped.

I'd love to add Radwan to the Saints backline, though I don't think wing is necessarily an area of priority for recruitment. He's far too good to languish in a team being beaten every week.

[Mikey Brown]

I bet he ends up at Sarries.

[Scrumhead]

I could be reading more into this than he intended, but this feels like Carre is positioning himself for international rugby with England: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union ... 92kddo.amp

[Mikey Brown]

Am I missing something that suggests that? Does it mention being England eligible once he’s sat out the rest period?

[Oakboy]

According to the DT, Exeter's Vermeulen, 29, qualifies soon.

[jimKRFC]

Piers O'Connor to depart Bristol, for Connacht, at the end of the season. He was really good for us but now struggles to make the squad so not a surprise he's off.

[FKAS]

Piers O'Connor to depart Bristol, for Connacht, at the end of the season. He was really good for us but now struggles to make the squad so not a surprise he's off.

Rumours are it's POC to Connacht to replace Tom Farrell who's going to Munster to replace former Bristol centre Frisch who's off to France if one of the French clubs can cough up the buy out clause Munster are demanding though the IRFU are quite keen to offload him as currently Munster have two Non-IQ centres.

[Puja]

Rumours Adam Radwan is already looking at potential suitors even though he's got another year with Falcons before coming out of contract. Glaws being name dropped.

I'd love to add Radwan to the Saints backline, though I don't think wing is necessarily an area of priority for recruitment. He's far too good to languish in a team being beaten every week.

Sleightholme, Hendy, Freeman, Ramm - when Seabrook is your fifth choice, I think you're fine!


https://westernforce.rugby/news/force-c ... ly-2024418

Dolly's destination confirmed as Western Force, with the press release talking him up as Australia eligible by November. Wouldn't mind them having him if it means they keep their hands off Blake.

Puja

[FKAS]

Rumours Adam Radwan is already looking at potential suitors even though he's got another year with Falcons before coming out of contract. Glaws being name dropped.

I'd love to add Radwan to the Saints backline, though I don't think wing is necessarily an area of priority for recruitment. He's far too good to languish in a team being beaten every week.

Sleightholme, Hendy, Freeman, Ramm - when Seabrook is your fifth choice, I think you're fine!


https://westernforce.rugby/news/force-c ... ly-2024418

Dolly's destination confirmed as Western Force, with the press release talking him up as Australia eligible by November. Wouldn't mind them having him if it means they keep their hands off Blake.

Puja

As Dolly hasn't been fit to play since 4th November that's a bit of a leap. Can't blame Dolly mind, WA has some very nice areas and I bet it's great fun for a young man with disposable income.

[Scrumhead]

Am I missing something that suggests that? Does it mention being England eligible once he’s sat out the rest period?

No. Apparently, Carre was always technically qualified as his heritage is from the Channel Islands: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... d-28767092

I’m not endorsing a case for England to pick him - it’s just that the articles seemed to suggest he’s chasing test rugby outside of Wales. I expect Scotland are courting him already.

[Danno]

Am I missing something that suggests that? Does it mention being England eligible once he’s sat out the rest period?

No. Apparently, Carre was always technically qualified as his heritage is from the Channel Islands: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... d-28767092

I’m not endorsing a case for England to pick him - it’s just that the articles seemed to suggest he’s chasing test rugby outside of Wales. I expect Scotland are courting him already.

Careful, you'll summon Alrums

[Scrumhead]

That’s like writing 666 on a mirror …

[FKAS]

Not a great time to be coming over to be EQ as a loosehead. We've got some serious talent emerging in that department. Now if he was a tighthead, very different story.

[p/d]

Any relation to the England head coach?

Puja

Seconded

Masterful.

[twitchy]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/04/30/e ... o-england/

The Wallabies’ midfield stocks could be about to go from bad to worse, with Hunter Paisami eyeing up a move to the English Premiership.

The Roar can reveal the 26-year-old is strongly considering a move to Exeter, with Rob Baxter’s side tabling a handsome offer to lure the 26-Test Wallaby away from Ballymore.

[FKAS]

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/04/30/e ... o-england/

The Wallabies’ midfield stocks could be about to go from bad to worse, with Hunter Paisami eyeing up a move to the English Premiership.

The Roar can reveal the 26-year-old is strongly considering a move to Exeter, with Rob Baxter’s side tabling a handsome offer to lure the 26-Test Wallaby away from Ballymore.

I did hear a rumour that Ollie Devoto might not be staying at Exeter so this could be his replacement.

If he's looking for a move north Quins must surely be in the market.