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Fissler Confidential: Exeter eye Welsh star as Scottish one exits
Tonga lock Vaea Fifita is being marketed to clubs in France and Japan, with the Scarlets seemingly willing to offload his estimated £400,000 a year salary from their wage bill.
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The Scarlets pulled off what was seen at the time as a stunning transfer coup when they signed the former All Blacks forward from Wasps in January 2022.
But the Scarlets, who have lost nearly £5million in the last two years, are hoping someone takes Fifita – the 31-year-old who played for the Hurricanes and can also operate in the back row at blindside flanker and No8 – off their hands.
Bath are believed to be interested in a move for loosehead Francois van Wyk, who was confirmed on Friday to be leaving Welford Road when his contract runs out later this summer.
Van Wyk, who will be 33 in July, played for Western Province and Western Force before spending four years with Northampton Saints and then signing for the Tigers.
A member of the Tigers side that recently lost the Premiership Rugby Cup final to Gloucester, he is keen to stay in the United Kingdom and Bath are looking to strengthen their front row options next season.
Exeter Chiefs are among the clubs waiting for out-of-contract Wales outside centre Mason Grady to decide where he will play next season.
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The 22-year-old half-brother of former Wales centre Corey Allen has only 12 international caps, making him ineligible for Test selection if he calls time on his Cardiff career after playing less than 50 times for the club.
Cardiff are desperate for him to stay in the Welsh capital next season, especially as they have already lost scrum-half Tomos Williams to Gloucester, while Bath have also been sniffing around him.
Edinburgh tighthead Luan de Bruin is being touted for a move away from the Scottish capital when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The 31-year-old ex-South Africa U20s international started his career at the Cheetahs before spending a season at Leicester and moving to Edinburgh in 2021.
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De Bruin has suffered from injuries since moving to Scotland. He has only played four games this season but appeared at tighthead in last week’s Challenge Cup win over Bayonne.
Winger Tyler Offiah, the 17-year-old 6ft 2in son of Rugby League legend Martin, will join Bath on a three-year deal when he finishes his A levels this summer.
The England U18s cap, who was in the London Irish academy until they went bust, has been playing for the London & South Central academy and Wellington College this season.
Several clubs were interested in signing him, but his father’s former club, Wigan Warriors, apparently wasn’t among them. In September, he will study politics and international relations at the University of Bath.
Exeter have sent highly rated former Wales youth international hooker Iestyn Harris out on loan to Championship high flyers Cornish Pirates.
The 25-year-old has struggled with a neck injury this season but is helping out the injury-hit Pirates, who are without knee injury victim Morgan Nelson and Rhys Williams (head injury) to get game time.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are set to confirm the departure of Scotland lock Jonny Gray. He has been out of action all season with an injury he picked up at the end of last season.
Scotland centre Matt Scott, who was announced on Friday as leaving Leicester when his contract expires at the end of the season, is eying a move abroad. Scott has been attracting interest from clubs in France and also Japan for next season.
Newcastle Falcons look set to keep fly-half Brett Connon when his contract runs out at the end of the season after on-and-off discussions.
The 27-year-old has scored 88 points in the 15 games that he has played for the club this season. He could stay following Louie Johnson’s departure to Saracens.
Ace wheeler dealer Steve Diamond has been working hard behind the scenes to improve his squad for next season, with a centre and lock high on his wanted list.
Northampton Saints-bound Melbourne Rebels back-rower Josh Kemeny believes his move to Franklin’s Gardens could benefit his prospects of winning more Wallabies caps in the long run.
Kemeny shocked Rugby Australia when he signed a two-year deal with Saints and could benefit from any proposed changes to their overseas selection policy.
But he has told the Australian media the move “is something that is going to help me develop as a player, and hopefully an international player”.
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments