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Ex-Harlequin and England rep Luke Wallace makes switch to Championship

By Alex Shaw
Luke Wallace in action for England in 2014 against Barbarians. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Greene King IPA Championship clubs’ precarious financial state is no great secret and very few have the flexibility in their budgets to go after a player as accomplished as Luke Wallace.

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The majority of higher profile signings made in the competition in recent years have generally been made by the relegated team from the Gallagher Premiership, Ealing Trailfinders, who have significant financial backing, or Yorkshire Carnegie, before their recent money issues.

Coventry’s rise back up the English league structure has not gone unnoticed, however, nor has the healthy crowds they are attracting to Butts Park Arena.

Those crowds will now be treated to the sight of flanker Wallace, with the 28-year-old agreeing to move to Coventry for the 2019/20 season.

Speaking on the move, Wallace said “I am really looking forward to joining Coventry and linking up with the team next week. It is a good opportunity for me to join a strong squad and play my part during an exciting time for the club.”

The former Harlequin is one of a number of players let go by the Twickenham-based club this summer, with Head of Rugby Paul Gustard beginning to mould the squad to his liking, 12 months after leaving his role as England’s defence coach to take the reins. Wallace made 169 appearances during his 10-year stay at the club and represented England against the Barbarians, albeit in an uncapped match.

Luke Wallace
Luke Wallace of Harlequins waves to the supporters after the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Harlequins and Leicester Tigers at Twickenham Stoop. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Harlequins)
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“Luke is going to add significant experience to the team and we are excited to get him on board,” said Coventry Director of Rugby Rowland Winter.

“We have lots of quality in the back row and the competition for places will be fierce, which is exactly what we need in order to drive our way up the league table.”

Wallace will join the likes of Jack Ram and Ben Nutley in the Coventry back row, as well as making the move to the West Midlands alongside fellow Quins academy product Stan South. Other arrivals from Premiership sides this summer include Gareth Denman, Ryan Burrows, James Voss and David Langley.

With increasing concern that the Premiership may seek to end promotion to the competition, the likes of Coventry and Ealing have strengthened significantly this summer, with both clubs intent on challenging Newcastle Falcons for top spot in English rugby’s second tier next season.

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In other news: Retallick’s deal leaves Kiwis worried

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

33 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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