NH Rugby Transfers

[Boy]

Care is being linked with Quins, Bell with Sale, Palmer to Wasps (also looking at Doherty).

Simon Amor joins Wasps from Gloucester. Not that he'll be there of course, being England 7s captain.

 

[harrison2468]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_unio...ish/4755327.stm

Bristol have signed O'Riordan, who will be cover for Perry, if of course he gets a shot with England. Can any of the Leinster fans give me some info. on him please?

Bristol have also signed Craig Morgan, from Cardiff Blues.

 

[el_tk]

Originally posted by harrison2468@May 9 2006, 05:28 PM
Bristol have signed O'Riordan, who will be cover for Perry, if of course he gets a shot with England.  Can any of the Leinster fans give me some info. on him please?

He's decent enough but he never really got a proper shot at Leinster. For a long time he was touted as a future international but he never quite made the cut. Whitaker's signing was the death knell of his Leinster career. He also has a slightly dodgy shoulder. And he went to my school so he's a fine upstanding citizen (in my eyes).

 

[cavan]

Back in the day he formed one part of the deadly Leinster scrum half combo "No Break/No Pass" with Brian O'Meara. O'Riordan was called "No Pass" due to his fondness for sniping around the fringes and O'Meara got the "No Break" moniker due to his Stringer-esque crapness at retaining the ball in contact!

Oh and O'Riordan went to UCD as well, you can't underestimate the class in that!

 

[el_tk]

And he's very, very good at cricket.

 

[gjohn85]

Originally posted by harrison2468@May 9 2006, 04:28 PM
Bristol have also signed Craig Morgan, from Cardiff Blues.

I hope he can get regular place at Bristol as I think he is a great winger.

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

Originally posted by gjohn85+May 9 2006, 07:17 PM-->

<!--QuoteBegin-harrison2468

@May 9 2006, 04:28 PM
Bristol have also signed Craig Morgan, from Cardiff Blues.

I hope he can get regular place at Bristol as I think he is a great winger. [/b]

Be tough for him if Lemi and Robinson continue the impressive form they've been in this season.

 

[Black-Monday]

Why did he leave the Blues, surely with Lomu going he was going to get a good time at the 11 berth. However can he be guaranteed that at Bristol?

BM

 

[loratadine]

the blues might be signing ben blair.

 

[Boy]

Originally posted by Black-Monday@May 10 2006, 08:09 AM
Why did he leave the Blues, surely with Lomu going he was going to get a good time at the 11 berth. However can he be guaranteed that at Bristol?

BM

Because Robinson is still a long, long way from being the finished article. People started to show him up technically and tactically towards the end of the season (20m out of position for Andy Beattie's try in the Bath V Bristol game, for example). That coupled with second season syndrome (he's not an unknown quantity anymore) may mean that he'll have a lot less impact next term.

Signing Morgan his good because it puts pressure on Robinson to improve.

 

[cavan]

Adrian Flavin (London Irish to Connacht)
Aiden McCullen (Toulouse to London Irish)

 

[harrison2468]

Originally posted by SaintsFan_Webby+May 9 2006, 06:19 PM-->

Originally posted by gjohn85@May 9 2006, 07:17 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-harrison2468

@May 9 2006, 04:28 PM
Bristol have also signed Craig Morgan, from Cardiff Blues.

I hope he can get regular place at Bristol as I think he is a great winger.

Be tough for him if Lemi and Robinson continue the impressive form they've been in this season. [/b]

What Boy said was spot on really. Morgan is apparently quite a big guy, so will put pressure on Robinson's spot, while we have Marko to challenge Lemi as the smaller put more agile winger.

Robinson has scored some good tries, but his defence, along with his defensive positioning has been weak at times, while he has a tendancy to kick loosely. However, with this being his first season as a pro, I'm sure he will get better.

Hopefully O'Riddan's pass will improve while at Bristol under Richard Hill, who has taught (Paul) Hodgson and Perry a lot about this technique, and they are two of the best passers in England at the moment. Maybe he could come into international contention if he improved like Reddan has.

 

[falconsfan]

Falcons Land Saints Wing Rudd

Newcastle Falcons have announced the signing of Northampton Saints wing John Rudd in a two-year deal.
The 24-year-old stands at 1.88m (6ft 1) and 108kg (17 stone), making 35 starts in his two years at the Saints, for whom he scored nine tries.
A former England representative at Under-16s, 18s and 21s, Rudd has also played Sevens for his country, earning the nickname ‘Rhino’ due to his stature and abrasive style of play.

Having started his professional career with London Wasps, he helped them to the 2003 Zurich Premiership and Parker Pen Challenge Cup ***les, before opting to switch to Franklin’s Gardens.

Falcons director of rugby, Rob Andrew, said: “John is a big powerful lad and a strong runner who will give a different dimension to our game.

“He has been unlucky at Northampton to only receive limited chances due to the likes of Ben Cohen and Sean Lamont being in the team, and feels he needs regular rugby under his belt to really get the best out of his game.

“We already have huge pace in the wide areas with the likes of Anthony Elliott, Tom May, Ollie Phillips and James Hoyle, so John’s style of play gives us more flexibility to adapt our game plan.

“He has played on the wing and can also slot in to the centres, which could be very important over the next couple of seasons if we lose our whole midfield during the international windows and next season’s Rugby World Cup.â€

Speaking on his decision to move north to Newcastle, Rudd said: “I’ve played at Kingston Park a few times and always enjoyed the atmosphere, then when I came up to meet Rob Andrew there was a really positive feel about the place.

“Everyone seemed to be buying in to the same philosophy, and while I was up in Newcastle I talked to a few of my old team mates about the place, like Robbie Morris who is already at the club. They had nothing but good things to say, and so my mind was made up.

“At Northampton I possibly suffered a bit because the other wingers they had were a similar style to myself, and while you can never guarantee first team rugby anywhere, the Newcastle set-up with their young English backs seems like the ieal place for me to be.â€

 

[Boy]

Congratulations, you've signed the Premiership's fattest, slowest, crapest winger.

He didn't 'help' Wasps to the ***le. He was just there when they won it.

 

[Bullitt]

That's unfair. Rudd is a fast player, has a good eye for an attacking move and once up to speed won't be stopped easily.

I've had enough trying to defend the poor git on Saints site, so don't make me start here.

 

[Boy]

Originally posted by Teh Mite@May 11 2006, 10:25 AM
That's unfair. Rudd is a fast player, has a good eye for an attacking move and once up to speed won't be stopped easily.

The key is 'once up to speed.' Duncan Bell is difficult to stop when he's up to speed. Rudd doesn't have the acceleration of a top flight winger, which is the most important aspect of that position.

Another typical Falcons signing.

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

Originally posted by Teh Mite@May 10 2006, 11:25 PM
That's unfair. Rudd is a fast player, has a good eye for an attacking move and once up to speed won't be stopped easily.

Unfortunately he can't pass, and actually looked better last season when he was playing in a team doing ****.

 

[falconsfan]

So Saints Fan is Rudd really that crap ??
Has Rob signed another donkey like melon ? :rahh: :rahh: :wah: :wah:

 

[falconsfan]

Wilson Flies Into Falcons' Nest

Newcastle Falcons have signed Kiwi back rower Brent Wilson in a one-year deal.
The 24-year-old joins from New Zealand’s North Harbour province, after spending the second half of this season in England with Leicester Tigers.
A former New Zealand Sevens international, Wilson weighs in at 108kg (17st) and stands at 1.95m (6ft 4).

He has 25 provincial caps for North Harbour, having also played for the Blues Super 12 Development squad and Otago Colts.

Falcons director of rugby, Rob Andrew, said: “Brent comes highly recommended to us from our ex-Falcons mafia in New Zealand, with Pat Lam at Auckland and our former academy manager Paul Mackinnon at North Harbour both giving us excellent reports.

“We have watched him first hand for Leicester and he trained with us at Kingston Park last week, he is an athletic ball carrier and we look forward to him linking up with us in July for pre-season training.â€

Wilson does not count as an overseas player due to his wife Janelle’s British passport, with Andrew saying: “He is from the same North Harbour stable as our former back rower Craig Newby, and is not a dissimilar sort of player. He specialises at blindside flanker, but can also slot in to any of the back row positions without any problem.

“He complements the back row talent we already have at the club in the likes of Mike McCarthy, Phil Dowson, Ben Woods, Cory Harris and Andy Buist, with youngsters like Greg Irvin, Ed Williamson and Eni Gesinde pushing through in the academy squad, so he gives us a range of options and more flexibility in the back row.â€

Ex-Falcons academy manager Paul Mackinnon, now player development manager at North Harbour, has worked with Wilson in New Zealand, and said of Newcastle’s new acquisition: “Brent is a very honest guy with a lot of integrity and dedication to work hard and succeed.

“He is a strong ball carrier in the middle and wide channels, an excellent line out forward with good pace and skills who links well. He is a consistently strong tackler in defence and a good athlete overall.â€

Having finalised his move to Kingston Park, Wilson said: “I came up and trained with the team for a few days last week, and I was really impressed with the set-up at Kingston Park, the facilities and the attitude of the boys.

“There is a good young team in the making at Newcastle, and it’s a tremendous prospect to be part of it, so I look forward to working with Peter Walton, Rob Andrew and the rest of the squad.â€

Doesn't bode well for colin charvis if we are signed another back rower :angry: :angry:

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

Originally posted by falconsfan@May 11 2006, 05:17 PM
So Saints Fan is Rudd really that crap ??
Has Rob signed another donkey like melon ? :rahh: :rahh: :wah: :wah:

I really liked him when he first came to us. He looked, strong, quick, and a good finisher. I thought - "Great, just what we need"

Unfortunately he cannot link with other players at all, and hasn't used his strength as well as a guy his size should. Defense is also an issue.