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Big Test names among 5 candidates for RPA General Secretary
The Rugby Players Association have revealed the five candidates who are standing for election to become the RPA’s new General Secretary.
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The eventual winner will replace Damian Hopley, who left the role of RPA CEO after 24 years earlier this year.
Players can vote for their preferred candidate. Voting starts today (Monday 12th December), and closes on Wednesday 4th January 2023. The winner will be declared on Monday 16th January 2023.
The candidates include former England fullback Mike Brown and Wales centre Jamie Roberts.
Mike Brown
Mike Brown made his debut for Harlequins during the 2005/06 season. The full-back went on to make 351 appearances, a record number for Harlequins and after winning two Premiership titles and one European Challenge Cup title, he moved on to play for Newcastle Falcons for the 2020/21 season. Brown also made 72 appearances for his country.
Christian Day
Christian Day retired from professional rugby at the conclusion of the 2017/18 season to embark on a new full-time position at the RPA, now as Head of Player Affairs. The second row represented Sale Sharks, Stade Français Paris and Northampton Saints over a career spanning 17 seasons. During that time, he made 220 Premiership appearances placing him 13th on the all-time appearances list as well as lifting two Premiership Rugby trophies, two European titles and an Anglo-Welsh Cup. Christian served as Chair of the RPA Players Board between 2014-2017.
Matt Garvey
Matt Garvey joined the RPA as Development Manager for Bath and Bristol in the summer of 2022, having retired at the end of the 2021/22 season. He ended a 13-year playing career that took him from London Irish, to Bath Rugby, then Gloucester and finishing at Worcester Warriors. He also won representative honours with England Saxons and captained Bath between 2017 and 2019 during his seven-year stint at The Rec. Garvey also sat on the RPA Players Board, as Representative for Gloucester between 2019-2021.
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Mark Lambert
Having retired from a 17-year rugby career at Harlequins in the summer of 2020, Mark joined the RPA as Head of Rugby Policy. Mark represented England at age-group level, and Saxons. He won one Premiership title back in 2012, the LV= Cup in 2013 and one European title in 2011. Lambert went onto make over 250 appearances for Harlequins. Mark served as Chair of the RPA Players Board between 2017-2020.
Jamie Roberts
Jamie Roberts’ career spanned 16 years, playing for Cardiff, Racing 92, Harlequins, Bath, Harlequins, Stormers and the Dragons. He won 94 times for Wales, winning numerous Grand Slam titles as well as going on two Lion tours. Off-the-field, he has studied for several qualifications, including a medical degree from Cardiff University and MPhil at Cambridge University.
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo 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.
33 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
33 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
33 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.
33 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.
33 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.
33 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.
33 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
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