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Fissler Confidential: Exeter eye Welsh star as Scottish one exits
Tonga lock Vaea Fifita is being marketed to clubs in France and Japan, with the Scarlets seemingly willing to offload his estimated £400,000 a year salary from their wage bill.
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The Scarlets pulled off what was seen at the time as a stunning transfer coup when they signed the former All Blacks forward from Wasps in January 2022.
But the Scarlets, who have lost nearly £5million in the last two years, are hoping someone takes Fifita – the 31-year-old who played for the Hurricanes and can also operate in the back row at blindside flanker and No8 – off their hands.
Bath are believed to be interested in a move for loosehead Francois van Wyk, who was confirmed on Friday to be leaving Welford Road when his contract runs out later this summer.
Van Wyk, who will be 33 in July, played for Western Province and Western Force before spending four years with Northampton Saints and then signing for the Tigers.
A member of the Tigers side that recently lost the Premiership Rugby Cup final to Gloucester, he is keen to stay in the United Kingdom and Bath are looking to strengthen their front row options next season.
Exeter Chiefs are among the clubs waiting for out-of-contract Wales outside centre Mason Grady to decide where he will play next season.
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The 22-year-old half-brother of former Wales centre Corey Allen has only 12 international caps, making him ineligible for Test selection if he calls time on his Cardiff career after playing less than 50 times for the club.
Cardiff are desperate for him to stay in the Welsh capital next season, especially as they have already lost scrum-half Tomos Williams to Gloucester, while Bath have also been sniffing around him.
Edinburgh tighthead Luan de Bruin is being touted for a move away from the Scottish capital when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The 31-year-old ex-South Africa U20s international started his career at the Cheetahs before spending a season at Leicester and moving to Edinburgh in 2021.
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De Bruin has suffered from injuries since moving to Scotland. He has only played four games this season but appeared at tighthead in last week’s Challenge Cup win over Bayonne.
Winger Tyler Offiah, the 17-year-old 6ft 2in son of Rugby League legend Martin, will join Bath on a three-year deal when he finishes his A levels this summer.
The England U18s cap, who was in the London Irish academy until they went bust, has been playing for the London & South Central academy and Wellington College this season.
Several clubs were interested in signing him, but his father’s former club, Wigan Warriors, apparently wasn’t among them. In September, he will study politics and international relations at the University of Bath.
Exeter have sent highly rated former Wales youth international hooker Iestyn Harris out on loan to Championship high flyers Cornish Pirates.
The 25-year-old has struggled with a neck injury this season but is helping out the injury-hit Pirates, who are without knee injury victim Morgan Nelson and Rhys Williams (head injury) to get game time.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are set to confirm the departure of Scotland lock Jonny Gray. He has been out of action all season with an injury he picked up at the end of last season.
Scotland centre Matt Scott, who was announced on Friday as leaving Leicester when his contract expires at the end of the season, is eying a move abroad. Scott has been attracting interest from clubs in France and also Japan for next season.
Newcastle Falcons look set to keep fly-half Brett Connon when his contract runs out at the end of the season after on-and-off discussions.
The 27-year-old has scored 88 points in the 15 games that he has played for the club this season. He could stay following Louie Johnson’s departure to Saracens.
Ace wheeler dealer Steve Diamond has been working hard behind the scenes to improve his squad for next season, with a centre and lock high on his wanted list.
Northampton Saints-bound Melbourne Rebels back-rower Josh Kemeny believes his move to Franklin’s Gardens could benefit his prospects of winning more Wallabies caps in the long run.
Kemeny shocked Rugby Australia when he signed a two-year deal with Saints and could benefit from any proposed changes to their overseas selection policy.
But he has told the Australian media the move “is something that is going to help me develop as a player, and hopefully an international player”.
Comments on RugbyPass
Safas are so triggered by Ireland. 3 consecutive losses, incl RWC. 8 losses out of last 12 Tests. Always excuses, of course, with Bok fans. Now Rassie with his “88%” nonsense, the Claytons Excuse is an embarrassment to Bok teams of the past when every test mattered. Their fickle mojo will be on edge for the Ireland tour. Have the referees been appointed yet ? They will need security. Have WR laid out strict guidelines for TMO’s and replays on the stadium screens ? Will the constant stoppages from Bok forwards for cramps and bootlaces be tolerated ? We’re not talking a dominant Springbok team here, they won the LOTTO Cup and they know it whether they admit it or not. The Disney doco has their fans positively fermenting internally, its going to be a nasty hangover if they get beaten on home soil. What will the excuses be then……
65 Go to commentsGreat role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
65 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
65 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
65 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
65 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
2 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
65 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
65 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
65 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
65 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
65 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
65 Go to commentsNot sure how Karl Dickson can ever ref a Quins game, he played for the club for 8 years as understudy to Care and is still close friends with half the team
3 Go to commentsAre bookies taking bets on how many times Vunipola's eventual statement will use the term “elders"? My money is on at least 4 times.
4 Go to comments