Cipriani & Borthwick on Melbourne's Super15 list

[munross]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Danny Cipriani and Steve Borthwick are said to be high on the Melbourne Rebels squad hit list as they try to build a squad for the Super 15 which kicks off in 2011.

Rebels recruiter John Connolly will land in London this week armed with a list of transfer targets including Borthwick, Cipriani, Matt Stevens, Michael Lipman, Nick Abendanon, Luke Narraway and Magnus Lund.

Connolly, the former Bath and Australia boss, is in charge of putting a Rebels squad together in time for next year's February kick off.

Borthwick is the incumbent England captain but their have been rumblings that he will be replaced while Cipriani is a fair way off the England Elite squad.

Cipriani comes off contract with London Wasps at the end of the season and has French sides chasing him. Leaving for Australia would however end any chance of a recall to the England set-up as the Super 15 season clashed with the SixNations.

The Rebels will be privately funded which means that Cipriani and Borthwick are likely to be offered deals between &pound;400,000 and &pound;450,000 a season for the move to Australia.

Borthwick has an Australian girlfriend and still has a year left at Saracens but it is believed that he has a get-out clause from the final season. His deal will hinge largely on whether or not he retains the England captaincy.

Connolly is also ready to try to get controversial former England stars Matt Stevens and Michael Lipman to join the Melbourne Rebels .

Stevens is currently serving a two-year ban for testing positive for cocaine last year while Lipman, who grew up in Australia, is banned until the end of next month for refusing to take drug tests.

Connolly is also said to be keen on Bath's Nick Abendanon, Gloucester No.8 Luke Narraway and Magnus Lund who is currently at Biarritz.[/b]

Source

 

[feicarsinn]

LoL

 

[iWin]

Please. PLEASE remove these people from English rugby.
With the exception of Narraway and Lund, these people are all either druggies or people taking international spots from the more deserving, and I doubt the other two will be missed that much.

 

[monkeypigeon]

If they're looking for a centre, there's this guy called Fergus McFadden who'd do a bit of damage under a warm Aussie sun. And he can kick, which'll make for Cips missing everything.

 

[Olyy]

They're welcome to them

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Thanks for posting the article.

This is just a hunch but I'm guessing Steve Borthwick, Danny Cipriani, Matt Stevens, Michael Lipman, Nick Abendanon, Luke Narraway and Magnus Lund share the same agent.........

How may of the above mentioned players will put bums on seats in Melbourne? Perhaps Cipriani but I doubt anybody else will. Add to that the fact that the above players will likely be very expensive and I can't see any, bar maybe Cipriani, moving to Victoria.

 

[monkeypigeon]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (snoopy snoopy dog dog @ Jan 24 2010, 08:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Thanks for posting the article.

This is just a hunch but I'm guessing Steve Borthwick, Danny Cipriani, Matt Stevens, Michael Lipman, Nick Abendanon, Luke Narraway and Magnus Lund share the same agent.........

How may of the above mentioned players will put bums on seats in Melbourne? Perhaps Cipriani but I doubt anybody else will. Add to that the fact that the above players will likely be very expensive and I can't see any, bar maybe Cipriani, moving to Victoria.[/b]

Nick Abendanon has an Aussie style of play. He could fit in.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Monkeypigeon @ Jan 24 2010, 08:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Nick Abendanon has an Aussie style of play. He could fit in.[/b]

I won't disagree with that but his style of play isn't the only factor. He has been capped by England and may hold out hope of making the World Cup squad. Moving to Australia in a World Cup year would likely put an end to his chances. Also, he's probably on a decent wage in England. We've heard John O'Neill bleat for a long time that the ARU can't match the wages European clubs are paying players. Would the new franchise fork out relatively big money for a player who's unheard of in Oz and won't get spectators into the new stadium?

All the above is guesswork on my part but I'd say they are factors mitigating against Abendanon moving to the new franchise. I think Melbourne will try spend their money on Australia qualified players in Europe (Chris Latham, Mark Gasnier, Paul Warwick, Brock James, Julian Salvi, David Lyons etc), a couple of non-Australian "marquee" names (Danny Cipriani, <strike>Troy Nathan</strike>, Juan Martin Hernandez, Doug Howlett, any number of Springboks and All Blacks) and rugby league poaches ahead of players like Abendanon who are talented but aren't big name players.

 

[bristol-iain]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Monkeypigeon @ Jan 24 2010, 08:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (snoopy snoopy dog dog @ Jan 24 2010, 08:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for posting the article.

This is just a hunch but I'm guessing Steve Borthwick, Danny Cipriani, Matt Stevens, Michael Lipman, Nick Abendanon, Luke Narraway and Magnus Lund share the same agent.........

How may of the above mentioned players will put bums on seats in Melbourne? Perhaps Cipriani but I doubt anybody else will. Add to that the fact that the above players will likely be very expensive and I can't see any, bar maybe Cipriani, moving to Victoria.[/b]

Nick Abendanon has an Aussie style of play. He could fit in.
[/b][/quote]

What? Rubbish?

 

[monkeypigeon]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bristol-iain @ Jan 24 2010, 10:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Monkeypigeon @ Jan 24 2010, 08:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (snoopy snoopy dog dog @ Jan 24 2010, 08:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for posting the article.

This is just a hunch but I'm guessing Steve Borthwick, Danny Cipriani, Matt Stevens, Michael Lipman, Nick Abendanon, Luke Narraway and Magnus Lund share the same agent.........

How may of the above mentioned players will put bums on seats in Melbourne? Perhaps Cipriani but I doubt anybody else will. Add to that the fact that the above players will likely be very expensive and I can't see any, bar maybe Cipriani, moving to Victoria.[/b]

Nick Abendanon has an Aussie style of play. He could fit in.
[/b][/quote]

What? Rubbish?
[/b][/quote]

No. He likes to run with the ball. He's not rubbish. He's just defensively impaired and likely to have an occasional (matchly) brainfart.

 

[Charles]

Good luck trying to get Brock James...He's never gonna move away from Clermont.

 

[Nickdnz]

Brock James in my opinion would be Australia's best move.

 

[Charles]

It probably would, but I'd be surprised if he moves away from Clermont.

 

[Tomsey]

I can't imagine that the rebels are looking that closely at any of these players. Macqueen has said on numerous occasions that they are going to be looking to fill their squad with Australian players if they can and that their marquee signings will be European based Aussies, like Mark Gasiner and Luke Rooney That is why Damien Hill and John Connolly are over there... Brock James would be a massive signing, he’s killing it for Clermont. Might be hard to afford him though, especially seeing as though they will find it hard to fit him into a Wallabies squad that already has like 5 fly half’s in it.

 

[Charles]

Funny how Brock James is now a good player when last year he wasn't even good enough to tie the boots of Quade Cooper or Kurtley Beale... :lol:

 

[gingergenius]

Borthwick and Cipriani won't move to Melbourne in the near future. They're too keen on England places.

I don't think Stevens would either, because he wants to redeem himself in front of the English fans, and he may feel he owes it to Bath.

Lipman - you could see it happening, seeing as he's been disgraced in the English game, and he grew up in Aus.

As for Abendanon, Narraway and Lund... yeah possibly. They've been forgotten (rightly or wrongly) by England and may benefit from playing rugby elsewhere. It would especially suit Abendanon playing in a competition where fullbacks aren't allowed to tackle.

 

[munross]

Narraway to stay with Gloucester

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Gloucester Rugby have announce that England international number eight Luke Narraway has signed a two-year extension to his current contract that keeps him at Kingsholm until June 2012.[/b]

So he's out of the equation...

 

[Nickdnz]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gingergenius @ Jan 26 2010, 01:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Borthwick and Cipriani won't move to Melbourne in the near future. They're too keen on England places.

I don't think Stevens would either, because he wants to redeem himself in front of the English fans, and he may feel he owes it to Bath.

Lipman - you could see it happening, seeing as he's been disgraced in the English game, and he grew up in Aus.

As for Abendanon, Narraway and Lund... yeah possibly. They've been forgotten (rightly or wrongly) by England and may benefit from playing rugby elsewhere. It would especially suit Abendanon playing in a competition where fullbacks aren't allowed to tackle.[/b]

Ouch.

 

[Bullitt]

I wonder why they've not been comping at the bit to gain Paul Warwicks services.

 

[paella]

I hope Cipriani goes, he's only going to get better if he goes and plays some top rugby - and the top rugby is in the super 15 imo. Anyway, he's 22 now, if he has a few years down South he'll be back when he's 25/26, and possibly playing for England at 27/28. I doubt he'll be too bothered about being on the England team atm, it's not as if they'll do anything but get whipped by France, Ireland and Wales in the next few months. If plays at the right level then we'll have a world class fly half come 2015 of about Carter and Giteau's standard - they'll be 32/33 and Cipriani's going to be 27, so we'll have the upper hand.