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'Can you imagine Siya Kolisi living in Cov?' The Rugby Pod on the Wasps-in-for-Springboks-skipper rumour
Siya Kolisi, the 2019 South Africa World Cup-winning captain, has been linked with a possible switch to Wasps for the 2021/21 season but The Rugby Pod – consisting of Wasps fan Andy Goode and Coventry native Jim Hamilton – just can’t see it happening.
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Kolisi for Wasps isn’t a new story. It was said in South Africa in 2018 that the back row did consider a switch to England that year before eventually being convinced his best preparation ahead of the 2019 World Cup in Japan was to remain with the Stormers.
Three years later, though, murmurs that Kolisi could finally be on the move away from Cape Town have resurfaced, with Wasps again in the conversation. Times have changed since 2018, however.
The English club are not as flash with the cash as they once were, Dai Young is no longer their director of rugby, while a conveyor belt of UK talent is now at their disposal, no one more potent than recent new England cap Jack Willis.
Kolisi turns 30 next June prior to the scheduled British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa and The Rugby Pod duo reckon France will be the destination if the Springboks skipper is convinced his future is best served in Europe.
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Former Scotland international Hamilton got the topic rolling on this week’s episode of The Rugby Pod, mentioning the Kolisi-for-Wasps rumour to co-host Goode, the ex-England out-half who played for the club for two seasons until 2015. Here is how the discussion unfolded:
JH: Can you imagine Siya Kolisi living in Cov? If he goes I’m moving back.
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AG: They’re buying him Warwick Castle, I think.
JH: Will he go? C’mon, give us something. If you were putting your Range Rover on it, will he come to Wasps?
AG: If I was to put my Range Rover on it he would not be going to Wasps. Honestly, I’ve not heard it. I’m not privy to any information on Siya Kolisi joining Wasps. Personally, can I see it? No, I can’t see it happening.
AG: I’d love him to be at Wasps, he’s unbelievable. But do we need to spend a boatload of money which Siya Kolisi, a quality player, would cost? I don’t think Wasps need to sign someone like that.
AG: You have got Thomas Young, the Willis boys, Alfie Barbeary, when he is fit again, playing in the back row. You just don’t need him [Kolisi]. It’s a luxury. If Kolisi leaves South Africa I guarantee he is going to France somewhere because that is where the dough still is.
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JH: Or I’d love to see him at Saracens.
AG: C’mon mate, you [Saracens] can’t buy him.
JH: He can be a marquee player.
AG: True.
One rumoured transfer that Goode did concede will happen is the departure of Will Rowlands from Wasps to one of the four Guinness PRO14 Welsh regions as he wants to continue playing Test rugby for Wales.
AG: The Will Rowlands one, it’s a shame that he has got to leave Wasps because he came through from Cambridge University under (Joe) Launchbury and other players. He is now a fully-fledged international for Wales and he is a damn good player and growing year on year.
JH: Why would he go to Dragons?
AG: The most money probably, let’s be truthful about it. He has got to go back to Wales to continue being an international rugby player for Wales. He cannot resign for Wasps as it stands with the 60-cap rule when you come out of contract in a foreign country.
AG: If you choose not to sign for a region and you haven’t got 60 caps you can’t play for their national team, so he has to go back to Wales. He has probably got ten caps now maybe (five), he has to go back to Wales if he wants to play international rugby – which he does – and on the table, there are the four regions. From what I hear Dragons are offering a decent chunk of cash for him.
Defence coach Ian Costello has revealed the lengths Wasps go to to be the outstanding breakdown team in the Gallagher Premiership.
– reports @chrisjonespress ???https://t.co/LFhhjFOxuT
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 4, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments