Transfers 2012/13

[psychic duck]

Good luck with that one.......He is 32 and his best years are far behind him and Ospreys will be lucky to get that many games a season out of him.......how did he get on with Tasman when he "left" us?

Didn't Johnstone struggle quite a bit against Toulouse in the 2010 H Cup final and then get relegated behind Marconnet and Gomez Kodela and spend the last part of his Biarritz career just sitting on the sidelines?

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Argentina flanker Tomás Leonardi and scrum-half Nicolás Vergallo will play Super Rugby with the Southern Kings.

Good enough signings for the Kings if you look at who they already have there though I don't understand them; flank and scrumhalf is (along with lock arguably) perhaps the two positions where we have a wealth of good players and regularly produce world XV candidates. Why not go local in those positions, Kings?

Particularly if you take into account that the premise for bringing th Kings in ahead of a far superior Lions outfit who is a young team in development was to develop local talent???

Add to that the fact that flank, prop and scrumhalf and particularly wing are the positions that you might find qualtiy ethnic black players and it makes even less sense. That said it's hardly surprising taking into account the way the whole thing has played out already.

 

[psychic duck]

Good enough signings for the Kings if you look at who they already have there though I don't understand them; flank and scrumhalf is (along with lock arguably) perhaps the two positions where we have a wealth of good players and regularly produce world XV candidates. Why not go local in those positions, Kings?

Particularly if you take into account that the premise for bringing th Kings in ahead of a far superior Lions outfit who is a young team in development was to develop local talent???

Add to that the fact that flank, prop and scrumhalf and particularly wing are the positions that you might find qualtiy ethnic black players and it makes even less sense. That said it's hardly surprising taking into account the way the whole thing has played out already.

If they have any ambitions to not be languishing at the bottom of the log and be a laughing stock like the Lions were, then they have to look to sign the best players possible even if it means they aren't South African.

And when the big 3 teams basically hog all the best South African players, it means that the best South African options aren't necessarily available.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I'm not so sure. Overseas you have Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar and I'm not going to go into the amount of quality SA backrowers overseas with F Louw probably the most desireable from a Bok perspective (nevermind a Kings perspective) to have him on home soil. Mujati is out of contract as I understand it as well and there are hosts of other players in other positions.

Get 6 to 8 of those experienced overseas based players and they would be the perfect backbone for young talent from the franchize area to be built around. The fact that the 'big 3' hog quality players doesn't mean the end of the world; just look at the cheetahs who seem to find and develop class players every year only for other to take them, mostly overseas teams i might add.

 

[psychic duck]

I'm not so sure. Overseas you have Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar and I'm not going to go into the amount of quality SA backrowers overseas with F Louw probably the most desireable from a Bok perspective (nevermind a Kings perspective) to have him on home soil. Mujati is out of contract as I understand it as well and there are hosts of other players in other positions.

Get 6 to 8 of those experienced overseas based players and they would be the perfect backbone for young talent from the franchize area to be built around. The fact that the 'big 3' hog quality players doesn't mean the end of the world; just look at the cheetahs who seem to find and develop class players every year only for other to take them, mostly overseas teams i might add.

There is plenty of South African quality available, but I would expect if Pienaar or du Preez come back to SA it would most likely be with their former teams, getting those overseas players back won't be easy as I would expect that offers in France, Japan or England are more than the Kings offers. Whilst with these Argentine players they aren't competing with any big team to sign them so they will be a lot easier to bring in.

There is certainly the talent in SA for 5 good Super Rugby teams, but it is focused on the big 3 teams, just look at the amount of quality the Stormers have in their backline which next season will probably see Peter Grant, Gerhard van den Heever and Joe Pietersen just making bench appearances whilst worse players like Burton Francis is the Kings first choice #10.

The Kings just need to sign the best players possible whatever nationality as their South African ones aren't likely good enough to win too many games.

 

[j'nuh]

Didn't Johnstone struggle quite a bit against Toulouse in the 2010 H Cup final and then get relegated behind Marconnet and Gomez Kodela and spend the last part of his Biarritz career just sitting on the sidelines?

About the quality you'd expect for someone who is 3rd choice and only a half-year contract though.

 

[Deleted member 26327]

Connor Braid has been signed by Doncaster Knights.

Pacific Tyee >>>>>>>>Doncaster Knights.

I'm pretty excited about this. It's always good to see local talent being signed by bigger clubs.

He seemed pretty competent this November and hopefully will get some more game time. It will obviously only give him more confidence in his play, even if he is playing fullback at Doncaster.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Dan Caprice ---> London Welsh

Signed for rest of the season.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Rob Lewis (Cardiff Blues) ---> London Welsh (Season Long Loan)

Matthew Keyte (London Welsh) has also retired from pro rugby to pursue a career outside of the game.