Transfers rumours

[JJFlash]

Fair play to him, is what I say.
He's going to play for an ambitious club, promoted last year from ProD2, and will finish 11th in the Top14, and no doubt he's earning good money!

 

[Tony Manx]

I agree JJ!

In any other business an employee would not hesitate to move to a better paying job and everyone would say well done! But if you put your family and security in a short term occupation first you are ridiculed and hated when that falls foul of some arbitrary rules on being prevented from being selected to play for your country

 

[Groundhog]

Kind of odd one. A Kiwi Irish Qualified guy named Josh Rowland who plays ITM is listed in our 7's squad and is listed as Connacht but no announcement has been made or anything.

 

[Every Time Ref]

I agree JJ!

In any other business an employee would not hesitate to move to a better paying job and everyone would say well done! But if you put your family and security in a short term occupation first you are ridiculed and hated when that falls foul of some arbitrary rules on being prevented from being selected to play for your country

That's fine if you're happy for sport to be just another industry, no different to construction or food & beverage or financial services, but I'm not and I think a lot of sports lovers would agree.

Sport is more than a business, it affects people on an emotional level which ordinary industries / sectors don't. And it's entire commercial value is based on that - it's the people who invest their emotions in the success of 15 people chucking a pig's bladder around, paying for tickets and TV subscriptions and replica shirts which pay for the vast salaries the people within the industry earn. If you take away those millions of people, then Steffon Armitage's ability to support his weight with his feet and grab a ball on the ground while other people try to knock him over is worth absolutely ***** all in the real world.

So yes - the opportunities for remuneration and social status, far beyond what seems rational for his actual skillset, are offered to him by those people, and he and all other players damn well owe them (us) something in terms of respect for the game and a sense of loyalty.

 

[j'nuh]

I agree JJ!

In any other business an employee would not hesitate to move to a better paying job and everyone would say well done! But if you put your family and security in a short term occupation first you are ridiculed and hated when that falls foul of some arbitrary rules on being prevented from being selected to play for your country

It's not an arbitrary rule at all. It's a rule used to dissuade English players from moving to France. For every Armitage that moves to France, there are plenty of Hartleys and whoever else that stay in England. The fact that the only England contenders in France are Armitage and Abendanon, speaks volumes of the success of the rule, when you contrast to the number of players from e.g. Wales that moved. More evidence of its success - when Wales introduced its own rule about playing in Wales, players started moving back to Wales.

If Armitage stays in France for the money, I have not a problem in the world with it. Well done to him. It's the part where he tries to undermine a very successful English rule that gets me. If you want the international glory, come back and earn it. Don't try to have things both ways.

 

[Peat]

I agree JJ!

In any other business an employee would not hesitate to move to a better paying job and everyone would say well done! But if you put your family and security in a short term occupation first you are ridiculed and hated when that falls foul of some arbitrary rules on being prevented from being selected to play for your country

That's one way of putting it.

Another way of putting it is that despite making repeated noises about wishing to play for England, he never actually took the necessary steps to do so despite having several chances, which severely strains the credibility of these statements.

Do as you wish in this world, but don't expect people to like it if they think you're lying.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

It's not like he would be on a small wage in England either, no doubt a marquee spot.

He talked the talked but didn't walk the walk.

That's sport.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Away from the Toulon galacticos we might actually get a proper idea of how good he is or isn't. My fiver's not expecting him to be too close to European player of the year again in a hurry.

He knew exactly what he had to do to be eligible for England selection and chose not to. His choice, but unless he was an utter financial mercenary, he ultimately wasn't backing himself to be good enough. Either way my other fiver says that when he looks back on his career he'll regret not having given it a lash.

 

[Gavin]

Pocock to Wild Knights in Japan for 3 years

 

[Groundhog]

Maks van Dyk to Munster. Would rather have kept Sagario.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Cipriani ----> America
If he's not in the Six Nations EPS

 

[Duck a l'Orange]

Cipriani ----> America
If he's not in the Six Nations EPS

America!?!?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

America!?!?

They've got money and they want names to kick start some more interest.
Also Waldouck is playing for Ohio, and they're best mates.


Edit: Or is Waldouck signed for next season? I'm sure he signed for them but he's not listed as one of their players on their site.

Double edit: Apparently he's joining up with them in the next week or so

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Danny would love it in america TBH would imagine a Cali team would prob be the best bet ATM.

Could see Pro rugby trying to make him the pin up/poster boy of it.

TBH could see a few players starting to follow the veterans across to america, kind of like the top league potentially with the advantage of being a English speaking country.

 

[Jaguares]

Sonny Bill Williams ----> Blues (Auckland)

Tana Umaga is his friend

 

[nickdnz]

Sonny Bill Williams ----> Blues (Auckland)

Tana Umaga is his friend

Looks like a 3 year contract which is very unlike SBW.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Looks like a 3 year contract which is very unlike SBW.

3 years on paper, but in reality he will leave after the lions tour when he will switch back to League to try and get into the RLWC squad, after which he will join an america pro league team for a year upon which he will return to NZ and play for either the canes of Highlanders and try to get into the 2019 RWC squad.

 

[Duck a l'Orange]

Danny would love it in america TBH would imagine a Cali team would prob be the best bet ATM.

Could see Pro rugby trying to make him the pin up/poster boy of it.

TBH could see a few players starting to follow the veterans across to america, kind of like the top league potentially with the advantage of being a English speaking country.

I can see America becoming an alternative to France for end of career nest lining, but it'll be a while before it's more than that. Would be a great new audience to tap into though- if they can be prised away from American Football (or persuaded to follow both).

Anyone else remember Jonny Wilkinson being rumoured to be moving to an NFL team as a kicker?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I can see America becoming an alternative to France for end of career nest lining, but it'll be a while before it's more than that. Would be a great new audience to tap into though- if they can be prised away from American Football (or persuaded to follow both).

Anyone else remember Jonny Wilkinson being rumoured to be moving to an NFL team as a kicker?

Yeah and ROG was rumoured to become a linebacker.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Danny would love it in america TBH would imagine a Cali team would prob be the best bet ATM.

Phil MacKenzie is captain of San Diego and him and Cips were pally.
If you read his article about Pro Rugby in America he said he was getting a lot of questions from his team mates, and from the "big name" team mates - I'd be very surprised if that wasn't Cips.