Fissler Confidential: Sharks circle England ace, Saracens battle to keep star

England flanker Chandler Cunningham-South, who has entered into the final year of his Harlequins contract, is attracting interest from PREM Rugby rivals Sale Sharks, who have put him on their shopping list.

Cunningham-South, 22, who was born in Sidcup, South-East London but grew up in New Zealand, spent seasons with London Irish and joined Harlequins when their London rivals entered administration.

Despite being included in England’s last 20 matchday squads, he has been overlooked for an enhanced Elite Player Squad deal, which has opened the door for the Sharks to lure him to Manchester next summer.

Saracens are fighting to keep one of their star players, Samoan superstar Theo McFarland, in North London as his contract with the former Premiership and European champions runs out at the end of the season.

McFarland, 29, who can play at blindside flanker and lock, has been outstanding, taking the Premiership by storm since joining Saracens in 2021 after spending a season each with Manuma Samoa and Dallas Jackals.

The former basketball player has made 71 appearances and scored 14 tries, and is a key target for R360, which is causing concern for Saracens, who are eager for him to sign a new long-term deal.

Regan Grace has spent pre-season training with PREM Rugby outfit Sale Sharks but is willing to wait for the right offer before committing to a contract for the upcoming season.

The Port Talbot-born cross-code star, 28, has already declined the chance to return to Rugby League and has attracted interest from Newcastle Red Bulls and clubs in France seeking to bolster their squads.

Grace, who played twice for Bath and four times for Cardiff last season, and also scored a try on his Wales debut in the uncapped match against Queensland Reds, is locked in a game of patience.

Scotland and Lions tourist Ben White is attracting plenty of interest from clubs across Europe, with his contract at Toulon set to run out at the end of the season.

White, 27, who was called onto the Lions tour in the summer as a replacement for the injured Tomas Williams, came close to joining Exeter Chiefs last season, but Toulon insisted that he saw out the final year of his contract.

The former England Under-20 international is appearing on the shopping list of Perpignan if they don’t secure first-choice options, while Saracens, Edinburgh and R360 are all keen, and Toulon want him to stay.

Mark Nawaqanitawase, who is vying to become Australia’s first cross-code star in nearly twenty years, wants to settle his long-term future before the Kangaroos Ashes Tour begins at the end of October.

Nawaqanitawase, who only wants to play in the NRL for the Sydney Roosters, faces a decision between the Rugby World Cup and the State of Origin, with his contract ending in 2026.

The Sydney Daily Telegraph reports that he has not yet received an offer from Rugby Australia or clubs in Japan or France, despite being aware of his availability, and he will make a decision on his future in the coming weeks.

Neethling Fouché, who played his first two games for the Springboks this summer, might leave the Stormers, who are set to sign former Harlequins star Wilco Louw for next season.

Tighthead Fouché, 32, has appeared in 94 matches for the Stormers across all competitions and had a brief two-game spell with the Cheetahs. He is aware that he will see less game time once Louw moves to Cape Town.

However, the Bulls won’t need to search far for Louw’s replacement, as rumours from South Africa suggest that Johan Ackermann is weighing up a move for Fouché, despite him being under contract until 2028.

Exeter Chiefs are set to decide on the future of trialist Harry Ascherl, who has spent pre-season trying to earn himself a deal with the Sandy Park outfit.

Ascherl, who can play in either centre position, played for Bristol Bears and Hartpury before moving to Australia to join Sydney University. He made his debut against Gloucester in the PREM Rugby Cup last weekend.

Chiefs boss Rob Baxter told RugbyPass: “He is on trial pretty much until the start of the Premiership season and has shown great commitment and has done very well for us in training and in the games we have asked him to play.”

Newcastle Red Bulls, who were this week linked with a move for La Rochelle boss Ronan O’Gara, despite him being under contract until 2027, are in the market for a general manager.

The Red Bulls launched a search for a world-class head coach soon after being taken over by the energy drinks giants, but it is understood they want a new general manager in place as soon as possible.

Steve Diamond, who has done a fantastic job pulling together what is widely seen as a highly competitive squad for this season in such a short space of time, is understood to be still waiting to discover his fate.

South African lock Le Roux Roets, who left Sale Sharks by mutual consent this week, has been linked with a potential injury-cover move to France now that he is a free agent.

Roets, 30, who suffered injury setbacks, made only four appearances for the Sharks after joining from their United Rugby Championship counterparts in February 2024, despite being contracted for another year.

The CV of the Boksburg, Gauteng native, who spent a season with Racing 92 as a youngster, appears to be circulating among clubs in the Top 14 and Pro D2.

Toby Booth could still continue to work with Rugby World Cup newbies HK China as they prepare for their debut in the expanded competition in Australia in two years.

Booth, 55, who this week returned to PREM Rugby as a forwards consultant with Harlequins until the end of the season, has a deal with HK until they play a Japan XV in October, but they hope to extend it beyond that.

He started to work with HK in February, and they would like him to continue to work with them until the World Cup in 2027.