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SRU Plan to persuade Kevin Locke to switch codes to play for Scotland

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So, the Scottish Rugby plan to negotiate with Kevin Locke to switch from Rugby league to Rugby union to play for Scotland. In-case you don't know Kevin Locke. He is a Fullback in Rugby League who represents New Zealand and currently play's for Salford Red Devils. He qualifies to play for Scotland through his Scottish farther. To be honest, he would be a brilliant capture for Scotland but I dont think he would want to and if he was to play fullback in Rugby Union, i don't know if i would pick him over Stuart Hogg who is on fire in the six nations. But if he was to be a winger then we might be onto something.

Full article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/31599131.

If you want to see some off his highlights if you don't know who he is:
 
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I wouldn't say he's rubbish, he's a good league player.

Why would you say he's a brilliant capture, Scotty?
It's not as if Scotland are short on talent in the back 3 atm - Hogg, Maitland, Visser, Seymour, all quality players. A guy who's not really played Union much (certainly not at any significant level) but will be rushed in due to being a poach isn't going to help settle the Scottish backs.
He won't come cheap, either - only part way into a 3 year contract, which also involved buying him out of his Warriors contract. Koukash will want his money back, with interest.
 
I wouldn't say he's rubbish, he's a good league player.

Why would you say he's a brilliant capture, Scotty?
It's not as if Scotland are short on talent in the back 3 atm - Hogg, Maitland, Visser, Seymour, all quality players. A guy who's not really played Union much (certainly not at any significant level) but will be rushed in due to being a poach isn't going to help settle the Scottish backs.
He won't come cheap, either - only part way into a 3 year contract, which also involved buying him out of his Warriors contract. Koukash will want his money back, with interest.

Koukash want's rid of him doesn't he?

he's a good player, but not sure who you'd leave out to accommodate him - having said that he'd be a great bench player.
 
Koukash want's rid of him doesn't he?

More than likely, but Edinburgh and Glasgow both tried to sign him when he left the Warriors, and Koukash is a smart business man. He'll get as much as he can out of the SRU/whichever club it is he'll go to.
 
I wouldn't say he's rubbish, he's a good league player.

Why would you say he's a brilliant capture, Scotty?
It's not as if Scotland are short on talent in the back 3 atm - Hogg, Maitland, Visser, Seymour, all quality players. A guy who's not really played Union much (certainly not at any significant level) but will be rushed in due to being a poach isn't going to help settle the Scottish backs.
He won't come cheap, either - only part way into a 3 year contract, which also involved buying him out of his Warriors contract. Koukash will want his money back, with interest.
Because i think he has really good hands which not alot off scots have and i think we could use very well especially since Vern Cotter is trying to get Scotland to play the offloading game. But yeah you are correct it would be hard to fit him into the team with Hogg, Visser, Maitland and Seymour all playing well.
 
Kevin Locke is a very good league player. Pretty pathetic that Scotland would try to get him though..
 
Locke was better than this joker Tomkins that the Warriors got duped into paying huge money for. No wonder he got p*ssed and left. Although he would be pretty small in rugby, he is fast though and decent under the high ball.
 
Locke was better than this joker Tomkins that the Warriors got duped into paying huge money for. No wonder he got p*ssed and left. Although he would be pretty small in rugby, he is fast though and decent under the high ball.
Yep Biggest waste of money, and if the warriors know how to do one thing it's wasting money, but they really outdone themselves when they signed Tomkins, as good as Billy Slater they were saying up there. In all I think it's a good steal from Scotland, why not? he has the athletism and potential and under a good national coach (I wouldn't have a clue about club coaches over there)
 
I'm not a fan of poaching, and this would definitely be a poach... but would you be upset if he switched to union and represented Samoa (or is his mum Maori...? don't know).
It's not really any different from any Auckland born player switching to the country of his heritage, is it?*

*This is of course assuming his dad is actually Scottish ("actually" in this context means born and raised there - not just genetically).
 
Yep Biggest waste of money, and if the warriors know how to do one thing it's wasting money, but they really outdone themselves when they signed Tomkins, as good as Billy Slater they were saying up there. In all I think it's a good steal from Scotland, why not? he has the athletism and potential and under a good national coach (I wouldn't have a clue about club coaches over there)

Gregor Townsend is doing great things with Glasgow and they play a nice brand of rugby. Good and open rugby that would suit a strike runner like Locke. Solomons (South African) at Edinburgh not so much.
 
I'm not a fan of poaching, and this would definitely be a poach... but would you be upset if he switched to union and represented Samoa (or is his mum Maori...? don't know).
It's not really any different from any Auckland born player switching to the country of his heritage, is it?*

*This is of course assuming his dad is actually Scottish ("actually" in this context means born and raised there - not just genetically).

Yeah, he's Maori...he's played with the Maori rugby league team.

I'd be willing to guess his fathers connection to Scotland will be tenuous.

I think what separates it is that he's clearly a New Zealander who has chosen to play for New Zealand in rugby league. I don't believe for a second he ever has had any sense of dual nationality. It's even worse than someone like Shontayne Hape and Lesley Vainikolo IMO, as he hasn't played any rugby in Scotland (I'm not sure he's even been to Scotland before...). Fair play to him if he decides its a move he'd like to make, but I'm not sure how as a Scottish person I could have any pride in the Scotland team with the way they are recruiting.
 
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Wow do people even watch rugby and rugby league. Kevin Locke is ****house! the reason the Warriors let him go no hassles at all is because he was rubbish. Great junior but never converted his talent and just another could of been now. Comparing Sam Tomkins and Kevin Locke is like comparing a Porshe with a toyota. Tomkins is a far superior player, faster foot work, brilliant passing and super positioning to set other players up.

Kevin Locke would not even make a wider training group for a New Zealand Super Rugby side. He is an ITM Cup bench player at best. Scotland must be desperate to be going after him. Could you imagine him marking Julian Savea or Corey Jane ? --------------------------- NO WAY he would be destroyed. Sad day for Scotland rugby. The bottom of the barrel.

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Gregor Townsend is doing great things with Glasgow and they play a nice brand of rugby. Good and open rugby that would suit a strike runner like Locke. Solomons (South African) at Edinburgh not so much.

The only time Kevin Locke has ever been a strike player was in the NRL u20's - against grown men he has always been ineffectively hopeless. Come on Scotland you can do better than this
 
Wow do people even watch rugby and rugby league. Kevin Locke is ****house! the reason the Warriors let him go no hassles at all is because he was rubbish. Great junior but never converted his talent and just another could of been now. Comparing Sam Tomkins and Kevin Locke is like comparing a Porshe with a toyota. Tomkins is a far superior player, faster foot work, brilliant passing and super positioning to set other players up.

Kevin Locke would not even make a wider training group for a New Zealand Super Rugby side. He is an ITM Cup bench player at best. Scotland must be desperate to be going after him. Could you imagine him marking Julian Savea or Corey Jane ? --------------------------- NO WAY he would be destroyed. Sad day for Scotland rugby. The bottom of the barrel.

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The only time Kevin Locke has ever been a strike player was in the NRL u20's - against grown men he has always been ineffectively hopeless. Come on Scotland you can do better than this
It depends where he would play though. If he was a fullback which i believe is the position where he plays in rugby league, then there is no way he will start over Stuart Hogg and I dont think he would really start over Maitland or Seymour either if he was going to be a winger.
 
Daily Mail saying move is off but interestingly, Locke and SRU were in talks but couldn't reach an agreement yet Koukash wasn't going to stand in his way of switching codes.

Wonder what stopped the move?
 
Would have been a good move for Glasgow with Maitland leaving, but as others have said poaching does leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
 
to be honest i think it will be better for Glasgow if they signed someone like Max Evans or another talented winger.
 

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