Transfers 2014/15

[Big Ewis]

Juan Martin Hernandez to Toulon, starting Jan. He'll play for 6 months for the double champs and will then focus solely on the Pumas, says some French article.

Has been discussed before but...where the fk does HP fit in all that ?..

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Juan Martin Hernandez to Toulon, starting Jan. He'll play for 6 months for the double champs and will then focus solely on the Pumas, says some French article.

Has been discussed before but...where the fk does HP fit in all that ?..

Replacing JOC who is off in December I presume.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Scarlets?

I was thinking Wales, too.

Could he go too Saints ? Especially during the international break.

Possible, but with Nutley and Dowson in the squad they've got decent enough depth - depends how cheap he comes.

It's hard to think of a side that's in need of an openside. Maybe he'll go to a championship side? Again, no idea of the backrow depth of any of the sides, but could see him making a move to someone like Bedford or Rotherham.

 

[Big Ewis]

Replacing JOC who is off in December I presume.

...Jingo.

AH FKK !!è!!! Missed it won't be nearly as cool now FAAKKKKKK !!!!!

Uhm, yes, bingo Cymro..that is correct. What you said.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Anthony Watson: Bath - contract extension until 2017

Beno Obano: Bath 1 year academy contract - finally announced.

 

[TheSaffycen]

Saracens have signed Romanian player Catalin Fercu
http://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-union/news/article/504/9474948/saracens-move-for-fercuhttp://

 

[Croket66]

Saracens have signed Romanian player Catalin Fercu
http://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-union/news/article/504/9474948/saracens-move-for-fercu

Yes, he scored 4 tries for Sarries against Gloucester in May for the HAC
http://www.saracens.com/saracens-beat-gloucester-at-the-hac/

IMO, the best european back outside 6 Nations

 

[ratsapprentice]

Isn't he scared of flying though - to the point where he refuses to?!

 

[Big Ewis]

Yes, he scored 4 tries for Sarries against Gloucester in May for the HAC
http://www.saracens.com/saracens-beat-gloucester-at-the-hac/

IMO, the best european back outside 6 Nations

oh shiit according to the vid ***le I thought some Tongan would kick some Romanian who in turn would beat the living fk out of him too bad, almost as good. Very nice break there. SUCH a fkng shame Georgia and Romania aren't more funded/looked after. If I'm a millionaire one day (God forbid...) that's the sort of thing I'd love to do with my money and insultingly huge amounts of free time. Pick one of those Tier 2 nations with strong potential and...well, this is the Transfers thread...

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

So gits is staying in Toulon for 2 more years then.


http://www.planetrugby.co.uk/story/0,25883,16024_9476000,00.html

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Henry Slade has signed on for three more years at Exeter, which is great news all round.
​http://www.premiershiprugby.com/news/33169.php#.VB1zrvldWSo

 

[Big Ewis]

Habana. Toulonnais til 2016.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

So gits is staying in Toulon for 2 more years then.


http://www.planetrugby.co.uk/story/0,25883,16024_9476000,00.html

Habana. Toulonnais til 2016.

So Boudjelol is keeping all those big names, eh? I appreciate Giteau being a class center adds a lot to the team but surely there is a lot of more-value-for-money wingers around than Habana though I am glad Habana is pocketing big money, don't get me wrong.

 

[Big Ewis]

So Boudjelol is keeping all those big names, eh? I appreciate Giteau being a class center adds a lot to the team but surely there is a lot of more-value-for-money wingers around than Habana though I am glad Habana is pocketing big money, don't get me wrong.

he must have a plan of sorts...he never just jumps into something. I'm guessing he wants to perpetuate that "family" environment for his players, prob. something along the lines of Habana now feels he's there to stay, will feel want to be more involvded, will commit more, will root firmly into Toulon as a whole...he just turned 31yo in June, will be 33 by 2016. I like that, he doesn't just throw away his toys. He buys them expensive and fancy, but he keeps them. Sure doesn't have to do this, could've kept Habana for that last contract year and then picked up some youthful Fijian supersonic missile anytime.

 

[TheSaffycen]

The thing is Toulon have created a very good team and are trying to keep it together. Having this core of players like Hayman, Botha, Lobbe, Giteau and Basta that has helped them win a league ***le and back to back HCups. The only worry I would have is that they would all get old together and they would have to rebuild a squad all over again, but i'm sure Laporte and Boudjellal have a lot of guys lined up to replace them.

 

[Big Ewis]

they're definitely old, but will remedy this whenever it becomes a problem, you can be sure. They'll re-inject youth little by little, signing key players at important positions when need be. But they don't need that - *right now*. Habana still is a spear, Masoe still is a hammer, Hayman can still scrummage, STB still a great 9 in fact just got selected by France, Giteau isn't losing his level at all, both Armitages are the same...

 

[TheSaffycen]

Well Masoe has just come off an injury, but I would guess that Bruni will then over take him as the full time first choice. STB is only 29 so he is quite young really, though Kockott might go there at some point. Hayman should be replaced by Castro or Chiocci, it's really good to see alot of French guys to come through and start for them now. Saracens had the same label of mercenaries but now if you look at the team most are made by us and a lot of the England team are supplied by us. You will still get people say that they buy success and all that but labels stick around but the proof is on the team sheet.

 

[Big Ewis]

Toulon alone have helped me understand that in sports you don't "buy success". Money helps, but you do not "buy success". How many teams have lost, been upset by much smaller teams. How many super teams, in all sports, have been assembled only to be defeated by themselves, i.e. their lack of chemistry ? It took me a while watching sports to really, really be convinced by that (money doesn't buy success), but scrutinizing Toulon and hating them just a couple of years ago has helped me understand that truth.
And the Saracens are a fantastic club that plays with excellent unison and chemistry, togetherness, a real team spirit. I don't give a shiit if there's a Burger or a bucket of boneless strips (fkkk it I'm hungry now because of your SHENANIGANS SAFFYCEN !!!!!...) on the team, international reinforcement is in part the name of the game today.
Saracens have NOTHING to apologize for.

Hayman is captain this year though Saffycen, and Castro has been out of form and Chiocci is a LH as you know.

 

[nickdnz]

I'm not sure how Toulon aren't the perfect example of buying success..

While in n Pro D2 they recruited Umaga, Sonny Bill Williams, Andrew Mehrtens, Anton Oliver, George Gregan, Victor Matfield and Matt Henjak.

Since then they were promoted and recruited Gavin Henson, Jerry Collins, George Smith, Luke Rooney, Paul Sackey, Simon Shaw, Johnny Wilkinson, Felipe Contepomi, Rory Lamont, Ramiro Pez, Carl Hayman, Bryan Habana, Matt Giteau, Martin Castrogeovani, Bakkies Botha, Craig Burden, Ali Williams, Steffon Armitage, Delon Armitage, Chris Masoe, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Juan Smith, Joe van Niekerk, James O'Connor, Matheiu Basteraud, David Smith, Maxime Mermoz, Rudi Wulf, Drew Mitchell, Leigh Halfpenny, Freddy Michelak, Mamuka Gorgodze, Juan Martin Hernandez, Gethin Jenkins and Andrew Sheridan.

I'm not sure of a finer example of sport where a team has simply just bought their way to success. You could say "but Nick, what about the years where Toulon were promoted and didn't win?". Well, the current loser of a French coach was Toulon's coach then. He's not been since their success. Money pretty much buys success. It's the reason why Manchester City started winning the Premier League. It's the reason why La Liga is generally won between Real Madrid and Barcelona. It's the reason why PSG wins Ligue 1 and why the team which most abuses the salary cap generally wins the NBA. Of course there are other factors, but generally speaking I think this "Toulon creates some kind of family environment" is total and utter BS. The owner is a nutter who happens to threaten his players, but has money coming out of his ass.

 

[ratsapprentice]

The owner is a nutter who happens to threaten his players, but has money coming out of his ass.

TBF there are owners with much more money than he has (many, many multiple timesmore from some figures I have seen) he was just the first to go balls to the wall with the whole "sign every guy" procurement plan.