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Anthony Watson could be too pricey for London Irish
Declan Kidney, the London Irish director of rugby, says trying to bring England wing Anthony Watson back to club could be significantly hampered by the Premiership £5m salary cap.
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Watson is expected to leave Leicester at the end of the season with the arrival of Ollie Hassell-Collins from London Irish one of the reasons he is looking for a new club with a recent visit to Castres highlighting the player’s various options at the end of the season.
Watson started his senior career at Irish in 2011 before heading to Bath and then Leicester where his talents have earned more than 50 England caps and British and Irish Lions test recognition and the 29-year-old remains a key figure in Steve Borthwick’s plans for England’s Rugby World Cup challenge in France.
However, his status also means he comes with a large wage requirement and with Irish being able to bring on quality young players such as Ben Loader and Henry Arundell, there are other considerations for Kidney to deal with. He said: “There are lots of players come to us through agents and before a big game (against Saracens on Sunday) I wouldn’t be going into speculation about one player.
“Anthony is playing well for Leicester and has played well for England and is an old boy at the club but like a lot of players you have to see who you can fit in the cap. He is a very good player and there are a lot of good players out there and I am also very happy with the group of players I have here. We have a few tough selection decision going into Sunday and when you look at our back three players overall it is not a case of who do pick it is who do you leave out is the hard part.
“We have some exceptionally good players and that is depth of squad we are trying to build up over recent years and why it is no surprise where we are. We just need to close out a few deals on the pitch.”
Tom Parton is one of the impressive Irish players that have come through their own system but he is off to Saracens at the end of the season adding to the need for Kidney to bolster his back line options.
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Irish are aiming for a top four finish but currently stand fifth with a game in hand over Northampton in fourth and must tackle leaders Saracens away on Sunday and former champions Exeter as they bid for a play-off spot. Irish have won their last three Premiership games against Saracens but Kidney is taking nothing for granted and has even allowed for 90 minutes to make the journey to North London. “That is the same time as going to Northampton!” he added. “Sarries are coming off two defeats and it has all the makings of a cracker of a match.”
Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments