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4 more players leave Northampton, including midfielder Andy Symons

By Online Editors
(Photo by Leila Coker/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Northampton have announced that Andy Symons, Fraser Strachan and Devante Onojaife will leave the Gallagher Premiership club at the conclusion of their contracts on June 30, while mid-season loan signing Ben Glynn is also being released.

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Centre Symons, 28, arrived at Franklin’s Gardens in the summer of 2018 from Gloucester after stints with Leicester Tigers and Worcester Warriors. He now moves on to pursue an opportunity to play in France.

A serious knee injury halted his debut season at Franklin’s Gardens after just three appearances, but he notched up a further 14 appearances for Saints this season, scoring three tries – including a double against Saracens in October.

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“The time has come for me to move on, but I’ve really enjoyed working with this extremely talented group of players and coaches,” said Symons. “I want to thank the club’s medical staff for working so hard to get me through a really challenging injury last year.”

Strachan, another centre, came through Northampton’s academy system and signed his first full-time contract in 2017. The 21-year-old former Scotland and England age-group international moves on to Championship outfit Ealing Trailfinders having made four first-team appearances. “The time is right for a fresh start for me now, and I’m excited about what’s in store for the next stage of my career,” he said. 

Meanwhile, flanker Onojaife departs with six senior appearances, two in the Premiership. The 22-year-old forward also earned international honours, representing Scotland U20s in the Six Nations. “I’ve made some great memories with a fantastic group of players here at Franklin’s Gardens,” said Onojaife.

“I’ll look back on my time here with huge fondness. This rugby community in Northampton is special and I wish the rest of the squad and the coaches the very best for the future.”

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Glynn will also depart Franklin’s Gardens on June 30 following the conclusion of his short-term loan deal from Ospreys. The lock was signed as injury cover back in February and made three Premiership appearances off the bench for Saints.

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Jon 8 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 10 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.

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