Fissler Confidential: Ollie Lawrence rumours wide of mark

Leicester Tigers boss Geoff Parling admits he considered a move for former Gloucester hooker Jack Singleton before United Rugby Championship outfit Glasgow Warriors snapped him up on a three-month deal earlier this week.

Singleton has been out of the game since leaving Gloucester when his contract ran out at the end of last season, and the Tigers had their sights on him before landing Samoan international Richie Asiata after Finn Theobald-Thomas’ premature retirement.

“We did look at Jack amongst other guys, but we are pleased to get Richie in with us,” Parling said on his midweek media call this week.

Former England wrecking-ball No. 8 Billy Vunipola is weighing up his future, with his contract at Top 14 outfit Montpellier set to run out next summer.

Vunipola, who played for Wasps and Saracens before moving to France almost three years ago, will celebrate his 34th birthday next month and appears to be undecided about his next move.

He has been linked with a lucrative move to Japan Rugby League One to finish his career, where he has been linked down the years, while Montpellier are expected to decide on an extension before Christmas.

England outside centre Ollie Lawrence has been linked with a move to French outfit Bayonne next season, but Fissler Confidential understands reports from France are off the mark.

The Bath star, who moved to the Rec when Worcester Warriors went into liquidation three years ago, was reportedly a target for Bayonne, who have veteran Manu Tuilagi out of contract at the end of the season.

But Lawrence, 27, is under contract to the former Gallagher PREM champions until the summer, according to a well-placed source, and isn’t being marketed for a move to France at this stage of his career.

US Eagles tighthead prop David Ainu’u will leave Toulouse when his contract expires at the end of the season and join Top 14 rivals Bordeaux after signing a four-year deal.

Ainu’u, 26, born in American Samoa, played for the Eagles in the 2019 Rugby World Cup and can play on either side of the front row. He has signed a three-year deal with an option for a further year.

Bordeaux were in the market for another front-rower to replace French international Jefferson Poirot, who is 34 next month and due to retire after the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

Sale Sharks’ Alex Sanderson this week hailed Tom Roebuck, who signed a new contract, but is praying that it doesn’t end up costing him a fortune in trainers for hat-trick scorers.

Sanderson told Fissler Confidential that any member of the Sharks squad who scores three tries in a game gets to choose a pair of trainers at his expense.

“Tom’s cost me a few 100 quid in pairs of trainers because that’s the reward for hat-tricks, and he is open to getting a couple more pairs out of me this season,” said Sanderson, who confirmed it’s included on their salary-cap declaration.

Junior Kpoku is still keeping his options open despite being touted for an international switch from England to France when he becomes eligible in 2028.

Kpoku, under contract to Toulon until 2029 after joining on a permanent deal in the summer, isn’t closing any doors after coming close to returning to the Gallagher PREM with Sale Sharks.

“Whether it’s England or France, I just need to work and be ready in two years. It’s an objective, and I’m staying open to any possibility,” said Kpoku, who is in contact with France boss Fabien Galthié.

Gloucester boss George Skivington insists former Ireland international Ross Byrne has a future with the Cherry and Whites, despite only two cameo appearances off the bench in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

Byrne has played only 56 minutes this season in games against Bristol Bears and Sale Sharks because he doesn’t fit how Gloucester wants to play, but Skivington believes that more time on the pitch is just around the corner.

“Ross gets talked about more because of his history and his pedigree and what he’s done previously. But, just like any other player, someone’s going better in his position, they’re getting selected, but you’ll see Ross in a Gloucester jersey at some point,” he said.

Bayonne are currently in negotiations to extend the contract of former Scotland lock Ewan Johnson amid interest from the Gallagher PREM and the URC.

Johnson, who has won three senior caps for Scotland, has also earned A and under-20 honours and spent his entire career across the Channel with Racing 92, Vannes and Oyonnax before moving to Bayonne at the start of last season.

He was born in England, has a Welsh mother and grew up in France, and clubs are keen on him if he fails to agree a new deal with Bayonne, with his present contract set to run out next July.

Georgian tighthead Beka Gigashvili could leave Toulon this summer after eight seasons at the Stade Félix-Mayol, amid suggestions that the club is weighing up wholesale changes to its pack next season.

Gigashvili, 34, started his career with Stade Olympique Chambéry and then Grenoble, and entered the final year of his contract in July, with 150 appearances for Toulon behind him.

But four defeats in their opening six games of the season have left Toulon battling in the lower half of the Top 14 table, and the pack is one of the areas earmarked for a reshuffle.