Ealing sign 4 more players with Premiership experience, including ex-Harlequins winger Charlie Walker
Big spending Ealing Trailfinders continue to plan to have a real shot at Saracens in next season’s Championship, Ben Ward’s Londoners signing four more players who all have Premiership experience, including Charlie Walker.
Former Harlequins winger Walker has arrived from Zebre in the PRO14, another winger Dean Hammond has come from Worcester, back row Guy Thompson from Leicester and Shaun Malton from Bristol, the hooker who featured for Exeter during their Premiership title win in 2017.
Walker, the 27-year-old who played 96 times for Quins before heading to Italy last summer, said: “I can’t wait to get going at Ealing. After hearing the club’s vision, seeing the facilities and speaking to players at the club it became an easy decision. It’s a short career and I’m hungry to win some silverware.”
Hammond, another 27-year-old, joined the Warriors in 2013 from Western Province, making 81 appearances. “I’m excited to be part of a team that is breeding a winning culture and has the hunger to be the best they can be,” he said.
The arrival of Thompson, the 33-year-old who joined Tigers in 2018 following 100 appearances for Wasps in the five seasons prior, had long been rumoured. “After speaking to Ben I was hugely impressed with the ambition of Ealing. Having watched them play, I’m excited to be playing some expansive rugby.”
Malton, the 30-year-old age-grade South African international, also had stints at London Irish, Nottingham and the Durban-based Sharks aside from featuring for the Bears and the Chiefs. “I met Ben at the ground and it was great to hear what he had to say, about where they want to be as a club in the next couple of years. I’m really excited to be a part of it.”
Ealing director of rugby Ward told the club website: “Charlie is someone who we have known for a long time and I’m delighted that he chose to join us. He has the ability to change a game and make something out of nothing.
“Dean offers us power and pace. We have worked hard to improve our outside backs and he will add a lot of value and competition to what we already have.
“Guy’s rugby CV speaks for itself and this is a huge signing for us. He has been at the top level for nearly a decade and I’m sure he will bring plenty to us, both on and off the pitch with his leadership.
“Shaun is a great character who will bring a huge amount to our squad. To bring in a player of his calibre is massively exciting for us and with his experience we see this is as a significant move to continue growing as a club.”
Ambitious Ealing had previously announced the signings of the likes of Ulster winger Angus Kernohan, Gloucester lock Simon Linsell and utility Exeter back Max Bodilly following their second-place finish behind Newcastle in the truncated 2019/20 season.
Comments on RugbyPass
One that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
108 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
1 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
108 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
3 Go to commentsWell one thing about World Cup knock out rounds and Ireland is very clear: they won’t be getting ahead of themselves in ‘27! Because making it beyond the QF is well and truly ‘IN THEIR HEADS’ now…😉
108 Go to commentsHas this guy been dope tested? Sounds like a case of “roid rage”.
1 Go to comments