Fissler Confidential: Sale Sharks to lose out on another big signing?

Sale Sharks’ bid to land England under-20 Junior Kpoku appears to be hanging in the balance, with Toulon in pole position to keep him in the Top 14 next season.

Kpoku, 20, who stands at 6 ft 8 in, was the star of England’s 2024 U20 World Cup-winning squad in South Africa and recently joined Toulon until the end of the season after being told he was surplus to requirements at Racing 92.

The Sharks, who have been sniffing around him for a couple of years, face missing out once again, with it looking likely he will stay on the Côte d’Azur, where, further along the coast, his older brother Joel has just joined Nissa Rugby.

Tony Belleau is close to staying in the Gallagher PREM with Northampton Saints beyond the end of the season, with negotiations over a new contract at an advanced stage.

The Saints are hopeful they can convince the former French international to stay, despite interest from Top 14 clubs hoping to take him over the English Channel after just one season in the East Midlands.

The 29-year-old quickly became a favourite in the stands and in the dressing room following his move from Clermont Auvergne and has had interest from Toulon and Montpellier, but the Saints are growing confident of retaining him.

Australian Kangaroos and NSW Blues star Angus Crichton, who is switching codes to join the NSW Waratahs later this year, is at the centre of a tug-of-war between the two codes.

The Sydney Roosters star is due to take up his Rugby Australia contract in the middle of the Rugby League World Cup, which starts in October, and is tipped to be a star of the tournament, so the NRL would need to request his release.

New Wallabies boss Les Kiss might, however, want to fast-track him into his side to face England, Scotland, Wales and the Nations Championship Finals Weekend.

Bath are understood to be closing in on agreeing a new deal with England inside centre Max Ojomoh, who late last year was the subject of an enquiry from Top 14 outfit La Rochelle.

Ojomoh, 25, the son of former England star Steve, who played in three of Bath’s Cup final successes last season, made his Test debut against the USA in the summer, then followed it up with a try against Argentina at Twickenham.

A versatile performer who has also played outside centre and fly-half this season has another season left to run, but the whispers are that Bath have been speaking to him about a three-year contract.

Mark Mapletoft, who spent a decade coaching at the Twickenham Stoop before leaving to join the RFU six years ago, where he is a pathway coach and under-20s boss, is a surprise name to become Quins’ next head coach.

Quins are planning another overhaul of their coaching structure following a disastrous season, which has seen them win only two of their ten PREM games so far, leaving them five points off the bottom of the table.

Whispers of a potential return have been gathering momentum this week, while Chinnor boss Nick Easter is understood to have met with the club, although sources have stressed that it was not a job interview.

Bristol Bears are poised to make a move for Cornish Pirates hooker Sol Moody, who has been one of the Champ’s standout performers this season since joining on a dual registration from Exeter Chiefs.

Moody has scored eight tries in eight games for the Pirates, including four in the 45-24 victory over Ampthill in Camborne last weekend, and has caught the eye of several PREM and Championship clubs this season.

He joined the Chiefs three years ago alongside three other former classmates, Toby Clinch, Louie Sinclair and Junior Kpoku, from Finborough School in Suffolk, but has not made a first-team appearance for the Sandy Park club.

The Sharks are expected to make a decision on the long-term future of caretaker boss JP Pietersen, who took over at Kings Park from John Plumtree towards the end of last year.

The former Springbok winger is set to find out early this month if he will be offered the Durban job full-time, with more experienced coaches like Franco Smith, Johann van Graan and Jacques Nienaber all unavailable.

Sharks owner Marco Masotti, the New York lawyer, is also weighing up the futures of several of Plumtree’s loyal lieutenants, who were given a stay of execution but whose long-term prospects remain in doubt.

Rob Baxter has not ruled out sending out an SOS call for replacements to bolster his injury-hit squad, but will give fringe players the chance to impress before he does.

Baxter has been hit by injuries to star names Tom Hooper, Len Ikitau and Manny Feyi-Waboso, while young star Kane James faces between 12 and 14 weeks on the sidelines with a serious ankle injury.

“There is dispensation, that’s the discussion for Tony and I to have on budget, etc. We’ll be giving squad players their opportunity, and often what you find is someone will stand out, and they’ll often look to be the best option,” he said.

Veteran Portugal scrum-half Samuel Marques looks set to join an exodus of players leaving Pro D2 strugglers Beziers when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

Marques, who comes from Condom in south-western France, will be 38 in December and has played for Abi, Toulouse, Brive, Pau, Carcassonne and Beziers during a long career.

Closing in on 1,400 points in Pro D2, he is said to have proposals on the table from Provence and US Montauban, with at least two other clubs in the French second tier weighing up whether to enter the race.

Castres Olympique are looking to bolster their back row next season and have asked about Blues star Dalton Papali’i, who has struggled to break into the All Blacks set-up since the 2023 World Cup.

Papali’i, 28, who is closing in on 100 appearances for the Auckland franchise, has won 37 caps but has only played four times since the tournament in France three years ago, when he came off the bench in the final against the Springboks.

He captained the All Blacks XV last autumn and is, however, committed to New Zealand Rugby through to the end of the 2027 World Cup in Australia, and will be hoping Scott Robertson’s sacking will kick-start his international career.