Transfers rumours

[TRF_Olyy]

I'm hoping for maybe someone like Morozov

New Tigers shirt looks sick tbf

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

New Tigers shirt looks sick tbf

View attachment 17014

Honestly you wish you could have that shirt

 

[TRF_Olyy]

 

[Which Tyler]

JJ tribute


Ball in both hands, no idea if he's going to step left, step right, turn on the pace, chip, grubber, pass left or pass right.

Just so elusive, with pace to fully exploit, and real rugby intellect.

And those highlights completely ignore his defence, at which he was the best in the world at OC for a full RWC cycle (and further).

In attack, he was always what I imagined a Guscott-with-professionalism-from-age-grade would have been; with the bonus of his defensive reading.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

TRP saying
Racing after Ford now

 

[TRF_Olyy]

TRP saying
Racing after Ford now

Explains why they stopped chasing Marcus Smith
Would be frustrating to lose him after two seasons considering he'll have been fit/available for less than one

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Looks like Max Green is doing pre-season at Sale - don't really know anything about him other than he's a 9 (and even that came as a surprise because I was thinking Max Clarke at first)
Any Bath fans able to say if he's any good?

 

[Which Tyler]

Eish we'd kept him, but largely because he's better than "nobody' as 3rd choice.

He's one of those who's never really had a chance to show what he can do. Half backs need to play to improve - he never did, so he never did.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Eish we'd kept him, but largely because he's better than "nobody' as 3rd choice.

He's one of those who's never really had a chance to show what he can do. Half backs need to play to improve - he never did, so he never did.

Fair enough - imagine that's the role he'd be looking at with us as we've no one behind Warr/Quirke with Cliff retiring (I'm guessing Nye Thomas will go on loan to Caldy again for consistent game time)

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

Fair enough - imagine that's the role he'd be looking at with us as we've no one behind Warr/Quirke with Cliff retiring (I'm guessing Nye Thomas will go on loan to Caldy again for consistent game time)

Who is your number 1 next season do you think?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Who is your number 1 next season do you think?

At this point I think still Warr, but I reckon Raffi will start most of the pre-season Prem Cup games to see if he can find some consistent form

 

[stus768]

Sundays rugby paper saying itoje out of contract this year and is looking to get Finn Russel money, currently on £800k.

If true definitely don't think it's a good use of funds. Also shows downside of the marquee system in driving up wages.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Happy for him to go to France to be honest. By him being one of the salary cap cheats I'd be happy to see the back of him.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

He's not putting in £1m worth of performances per season atm

With the state of the game in the country ATM I've no love for players demanding dumb salaries - the likes of Watson, Genge etc. talking about how there needs to be more money for players despite clubs collapsing left right and center
Short career n that, so can understand wanting more money, but go get it in Japan of France if you have such unreasonable demands

 

[die_mole]

I don't get why a club would pay that much for a national team player. A foreign international maybe. But an England player is essentially there for playoffs and champions cup. Sure those games are important but you still need to pay a squad for the rest of the games.

 

[Which Tyler]

IIRC, England players are due to miss 2 rounds of Premiership rugby this coming season (Rounds 1 [QF] and 12 [Pre-6N training camp]).
This is a large part of the point of shrinking the Premiership (or would have been, had it been planned and thought through, rather than knee-jerk)

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

I'd also add that Itoje does bring publicity as a 'star player' but on the pitch he's no better than most the starting locks in the prem, he's not really got a point of difference anymore which is a shame really.

 

[munstermuffin]

The English game needs to be smart but might be no harm for the league as a whole to let some of the "established" big value guys go abroad.
@TRF_Olyy I would use Sale a few years ago and Exeter as 2 great examples where they invested in home grown talent and it eventually comes good.
Like I know people bang on about Leinster being funded by IRFU and we here in Munster are recovering now but it is because of heavily investing on foundations at youth level now. Like take all the high earners out of Leinster and they probably still have a team that will hold its own at URC level.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

I'd also add that Itoje does bring publicity as a 'star player' but on the pitch he's no better than most the starting locks in the prem, he's not really got a point of difference anymore which is a shame really.

Yep.

I think the world's long caught up with, and overtaken, him. We're left with a smallish, reasonableish lock, no more.

I can't see him ever reclaiming his previous lofty status but a change of scene and a couple of years banking the coin in France or Japan might just give us a rejuvenated version in the run up to 27. Hopefully as experienced back up to the Chessums or some other emerging monsters.

 

[stus768]

I don't think he ever properly took off as a sports personality either, seems like a decent guy and obviously has his vitality endorsements but doesn't seem to have the charisma off the field to really drive additional interest in the sport. At least Farrell is fun to dislike!