Prem squads 2017/18 season

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Whats the state of play re Prem clubs rumours?

A lot of signings still need to be made by the looks of it which is odd considering it is end of season in a month.

RE Tigers
Confirmed OUT:
Ayerza (Retirement), Balmain (Gloucester), Burns (Bath), Williams (Gloucester), Roberts (Cardiff), Mermoz (Newcastle).

Confirmed IN:
G.Ford (Bath)

Rumoured IN:
Parling (Exeter), Kalamafoni (Gloucester), J.Ford (Leeds), Holmes (Leeds), Morris (Quins)

Rumoured OUT:
Brugnara

What are other clubs looking like ATM?

 

[munstermuffin]

Whats the state of play re Prem clubs rumours?

A lot of signings still need to be made by the looks of it which is odd considering it is end of season in a month.

RE Tigers
Confirmed OUT:
Ayerza (Retirement), Balmain (Gloucester), Burns (Bath), Williams (Gloucester), Roberts (Cardiff), Mermoz (Newcastle).

Confirmed IN:
G.Ford (Bath)

Rumoured IN:
Parling (Exeter), Kalamafoni (Gloucester), J.Ford (Leeds), Holmes (Leeds), Morris (Quins)

Rumoured OUT:
Brugnara

What are other clubs looking like ATM?

Ben Betts gone to Sydney too isn't he Tigs?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Ben Betts gone to Sydney too isn't he Tigs?

Only on a spring/summer loan he is back at Tigers next season.

 

[munstermuffin]

Only on a spring/summer loan he is back at Tigers next season.

Was wondering as I know we tried bring him home.

 

[BPM]

Quins as follows:

Confirmed in:

Demitri Catrakilis - Montpellier
Renaldo Bothma - Bulls
Dave Lewis - Exeter
Phil Swainston - Wasps
Lewis Boyce - Yorkshire Carnegie
Josh McNulty - Gloucester

Confirmed out:

Matt Hopper - Oyonnax
Nick Evans - retiring
Karl Dickson- retiring

Released: Matt Shields, Owen Evans, George Naoupu, Dan Murphy, Luc Jones, Tyler Gendall, Robbie Nairn, Niall Saunders

No major rumours (in or out) at the moment AFAIK now Brown has re-signed and we seem to have cooled on Woodward.

The only one that seems to keep coming up is Polota-Nau.

Our signings so far are pretty uninspiring. With the exception of Catrakilis, all of the others have been signed to bolster the squad rather than the team.

We have reasonable depth in most positions, but we're really lacking in the centre. Lowe and Sloan should be back from long term injuries, but Winston Stanley is not good enough and that pretty much leaves us with Roberts and Marchant and not much decent/fit cover.

I also think we need more quality in a few other positions. We need another 10 and I'd love another top class lock and an openside.

Dream signing: Leone Nakarawa

 

[TheSaffycen]

Saracens
In-
Tolofua- Toulouse, Liam Williams-Scarlets, Clark- Saints, Skelton- Waratahs, Day- Rebels

Out-
Ashton-Toulon, Perkins- Bristol, Saunders- Jersey, De kock- Retired, Brown- Retired, Hamilton- Released, Du Plessis- Released

Again we are bolstering the pack like mad, next year we can have a starting front row of Vunipola-George-Figallo and then bring on Barrington-Tolofua-Koch. Still I don't know if anyone else is rumoured to come or go, the only position I would want improving is centre. A big ball carrying centre like Frans Steyn, or Kurindrani. I think the team needs presence in the back line.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Doubt you will have anyone of that a big name coming in now surely?

 

[TheSaffycen]

Doubt you will have anyone of that a big name coming in now surely?

Nah i'm sure we won't, that's just what I would like to see. But we have good kids coming through, hopefully Tompkins is used a lot more as I am not a fan of Bosch.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Surely Taylor fills that big centre role? Why hasn't he been getting game time?

 

[BPM]

Taylor was injured for most of the season I thought? When he has played, I seem to recall he's been used as a 15?

 

[TheSaffycen]

Taylor last year was brilliant in either 12/13 or 14. He's been injured a lot this year, but he's a physical guy but not like the guys I mentioned. I like him a lot and he could be the starting 13 with a run of games. He might have been used as a 15 but I don't remember it....

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

He has run out at 15 at least once. I remember being surprised by it

 

[Which Tyler]

Does this link help? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2017–18_Premiership_Rugby_transfers

- - - Updated - - -

Does this link help? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2017%E2%80%9318_Premiership_Rugby_transfers

 

[Geordie]

Falcons:

In:
LH - Sami Mavinga (from France)
Lock - Tevita Cavubati (Worcester)
Back Row - Ryan Burrows (Leeds) , Gary Graham (Jersey)
SH - Sam Stuart
Centre - Maxine Mermoz (France) , Josh Matavesi (Ospreys) , Joel Matavesi
Wing - DTH Van der Merve (Scarlets)

Rumour - Toby Flood is on his way back...looking increasingly like a done deal!

Out:
LH - Ben Harris to Wasps
SH - Sam Egerton (Moving to London to focus on his business career)
Wing - Marcus Watson to Wasps
Centre - Adam Powell to Saracens Academy (Coach)

 

[ALJ]

Shamelessly stolen from the Wiki link:

Players In

• Carl Fearns from Lyon
• Fraser Balmain from Leicester Tigers
• Val Rapava-Ruskin from Worcester Warriors
• Owen Williams from Leicester Tigers
• Ben Vellacott promoted from Academy
• Jake Polledri from Hartpury RFC
• Gareth Denman from Northampton Saints
• Jason Woodward from Bristol Rugby

Players Out

• Greig Laidlaw to Clermont Auvergne
• James Hook to Ospreys
• Matt Kvesic to Exeter Chiefs
• Joe Batley to Bristol Rugby
• Joe Latta to Bristol Rugby
• Salesi Ma'afu to RC Narbonne
• Josh McNulty to Harlequins
• Matt Protheroe to Bristol Rugby
• Dan Thomas to Bristol Rugby
• Sione Kalamafoni to Leicester(? - doesn't appear to be confirmed)

Question marks:

• Paul Doran Jones - been on loan, down the pecking order (by my count we have 11 props even with Ma'afu gone) - so something has to give - shame, good player imho.
• Darren Dawidiuck - Third choice at best and under pressure from the younger guys coming through.
• Ross Moriarty - Still got a year left on his contract, not much noise but gotta think the WRU will be after him to move west.
• Jonny May - constant speculation, not sure if there's anything in it. Lots of folk reckon his body language on the pitch suggests he's checked out but who knows - still putting in a shift so far as I can see.

Very surprised to see Dan Thomas and Mat Protheroe let go tbh but it would appear to be part of the Woodward deal.

Could do with another openside I think (hence the surprise seeing Thomas leave), but other than that we seem pretty well covered in terms of resources (whether that translates to having enough quality is another question).

No doubt I've missed loads but...

 

[BPM]

Gloucester are building a very good squad for next season.

I think you're fairly well covered at openside. Rowan has had a good season, Ludlow is promising enough too and Fearns can cover 7 albeit in a very different way ...

I don't get why Gloucester don't invest in some decent locks though? Thrush, Galarza and Savage are all decent enough but it's obviously the weakest part of the squad IMO. Not much depth at hooker either.

Newcastle have made some decent signings too and are showing much more ambition under Richards but I can't see them improving on 8th TBH.

 

[ALJ]

Gloucester are building a very good squad for next season.

I think you're fairly well covered at openside. Rowan has had a good season, Ludlow is promising enough too and Fearns can cover 7 albeit in a very different way ...

I don't get why Gloucester don't invest in some decent locks though? Thrush, Galarza and Savage are all decent enough but it's obviously the weakest part of the squad IMO. Not much depth at hooker either.

Rowan has been excellent this year, Ludlow had a decent enough game on Saturday but he's not an openside, can't comment on Fearns as I haven't really seen him play.
As it stands we have Ludlow, Clarke, Moriarty, Fearns & Evans (if he can stay fit for longer than two weeks) who can all play at 6 but only Rowan as a 7 - seems imbalanced to me, even if they fancy Ludlow/Fearns as back up (see the Sale game at Kingsholm for evidence of what a good 7 can do to a side that doesn't have one).

Interesting you say that about the locks - Thrush has been superb for us since he joined and I'm happy with him in the side any day of the week. Galarza and Savage are workmanlike and we also have Denton & Lindsay as back up. The back up is a bit weak and in an ideal world, I'd want a couple of locks to push Galarza/Savage a bit harder for a 1st XV place alongside Thrush but you can't have everything. Besides, we're too busy buying up the world prop reserves to waste money on 2nd row players o

It's worth noting how much some of the players have improved since Fisher left - players who looked all at sea (most notably Heinz) look like different players - puts a different light on what is needed for next year.

My main tip to watch out for is Vellacott - Gloucester don't seem to put much faith in their youngsters these days but if anyone can force his way in...

 

[SelimNiai]

Bristol squ.....aw dammit

 

[Geordie]

Toby Flood released from his Toulouse contract. Falcons to announce a big signing later this evening.

Good signing.

 

[BPM]

Whats the state of play re Prem clubs rumours?

A lot of signings still need to be made by the looks of it which is odd considering it is end of season in a month.

RE Tigers
Confirmed OUT:
Ayerza (Retirement), Balmain (Gloucester), Burns (Bath), Williams (Gloucester), Roberts (Cardiff), Mermoz (Newcastle).

Confirmed IN:
G.Ford (Bath)

Rumoured IN:
Parling (Exeter), Kalamafoni (Gloucester), J.Ford (Leeds), Holmes (Leeds), Morris (Quins)

Rumoured OUT:
Brugnara

What are other clubs looking like ATM?

Tigs Man - I hadn't really thought about it too much before, but looking at Tigers' line-up today, their need for reinforcements is even more than Quins!

In a way, Toomua and Tuilagi returning to fitness (fingers crossed) will be like two new signings, but without Williams and Roberts, the midfield is looking threadbare. That back row still needs some urgent attention too ...