Fissler Confidential: Sale Sharks eye double-whammy of Saracens stars

Saracens star Alex Lozowski could become Sale Sharks’ next signing after joining team-mate Elliot Daly in having talks about a switch to Manchester next season.

Sharks boss Alex Sanderson told Fissler Confidential this week that he hopes to make two signings in the next couple of weeks and is keen on former England international Lozowski, who is closing in on 200 appearances for Saracens.

“It’s going pretty good actually, I think there are going to be a couple more that are going to drop in the next couple of weeks. You’ll probably hear about them first. I don’t know how you do it,” he told me this week.

Jacques Nienaber said this week that comments to SuperSport last month about his future have been taken out of context, but that hasn’t stopped him from being linked with a return to South Africa.

The senior Leinster coach said that he misses working with the Springboks when asked about his longer-term plans, and there have been whispers about a potential move to the Sharks.

Sharks coach John Plumtree is stepping back from the head coach role in Durban next week, with JP Pietersen earning a promotion from coaching in the Currie Cup, but Nienaber’s name is still lingering in the background.

Former England and Lions star Courtney Lawes is a long way from securing a move to Stade Français despite talks over a move from Pro D2 outfit Brive, who are keen to cut costs and slash their wage bill.

It is understood that there are tax implications if the ex-England skipper, who was reported to have been offered around £400,000 a season when he left Northampton Saints, moves to another French club.

A source across the Channel spoke to Fissler Confidential, saying: “Courtney has held talks with Stade, but that’s as far as it has gone at this stage.”

Newcastle Red Bulls, who are still looking for their first point of the campaign, are ramping up their recruitment efforts and weighing up a raid on Gallagher PREM rivals Gloucester to sign lock Cam Jordan.

They have already seen off several clubs, including Saracens and Gloucester, to secure England-qualified former All Blacks No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu once his contract with the NZRU runs out late next year.

They are now looking at Jordan, who has made 75 appearances for the Kingsholm outfit after starting his career with his hometown side Leicester Tigers, where he came through the academy system.

Saracens are stepping up their efforts to sign a new full-back, which could signal they are planning for life without England and Lions star Elliot Daly, who has been in talks with Sale Sharks.

The North London side are reportedly bringing in Wales scrum-half Tomas Williams from Gallagher PREM as they undergo a potential changing of the guard, with several players expected to depart once their contracts run out.

However, one player remaining at the club is former Newcastle Falcons loosehead Phil Brantingham, who was capped by England A against Ireland earlier this year but is sidelined until spring due to a shoulder injury.

Northampton Saints continue to secure contracts with players whose deals end at the end of the season, with lock Tom Lockett being the latest to sign a new agreement to remain at Franklin’s Gardens.

England A international Lockett, 23, who started Saints’ Champions Cup Final defeat to Bordeaux in May, has made 50 appearances for the club and joins Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall and Alex Coles in signing new deals.

Fissler Confidential understands that Saints are now targeting England hooker Curtis Langdon to be the next player to agree a deal, having opened negotiations with the former Sale Sharks, Worcester Warriors and Montpellier player.

Wales loosehead Rhys Carre is back on the market following R360’s decision to put off their launch until 2028, and his future with former Gallagher PREM and European champions Saracens appears to be in doubt.

Carre, 27, who played 92 games for Cardiff before moving to North London, made three appearances for Wales during the Autumn Nations Series and had been a target for the breakaway competition.

And a move to PREM Rugby rivals Leicester Tigers, who are looking at a potential replacement for Nicky Smith, could be on the cards after they travelled to Wales recently for a meeting with a player who was in camp.

Sharks fly-half Jean Smith, the son of Glasgow Warriors boss Franco, is set to move to Italy to rejoin Benetton Treviso from United Rugby Championship rivals the Sharks next season.

Treviso-born Smith, 22, who played junior rugby for his hometown club, has made five appearances for the Sharks this season, scoring 16 points, and is out of contract at the end of the season.

But he has been earmarked for a shortcut to international rugby by the Azzurri despite already winning under-20 honours with South Africa, and Treviso look to be poised to complete the deal before the New Year.

Bristol Bears have swooped on Championship leaders Ealing Trailfinders to sign highly rated full-back Tobi Wilson on a deal from the start of next season.

This season, Wilson, who has scored four tries in six games for the Trailfinders, who have won all eight of their league games, is helping put them seven points clear of the reformed Worcester Warriors in second place.

The 22-year-old, who started his career at Sixways, joined Ealing in May 2024 from Coventry, scoring 16 tries in his first season, and has rejected a new deal following an offer from Bears boss Pat Lam to move to the West Country.

Gloucester Rugby have announced that club stalwart Lewis Ludlow, who recently made his 250th appearance for the club, is staying at Kingsholm next season after signing a new deal.

Ludlow, 31, is the club’s longest-serving captain in the professional era, having worn the armband since November 2020, and has sights set on surpassing Nick Wood’s professional appearance record of 277 games.

“The Club took a chance on me when I was a 17-year-old kid at Hartpury. Two hundred and fifty games later, I still have the same desire to give back,” he said.