Fissler Confidential: Tigers braced for Billy Searle tug-of-war

Billy Searle’s headline-grabbing performances for Leicester Tigers this season haven’t gone unnoticed in France by Bayonne, who appear to be willing to buy him out of the final year of his contract.

Searle, who turns 30 next month, starts for England A tonight vs Ireland XV at Thomond Park and has extensive experience of life across the channel. He played in France for Biarritz, Toulouse and Agen before joining the Tigers, where he has caught the eye this season.

Bayonne, who face competition from Newcastle Red Bulls, are looking for someone to add depth behind first-choice Joris Segonds, who started two Tests for France against the All Blacks in the summer.

Sale Sharks have gone back into the transfer market looking for a lock after their move for former England under-20 international Junior Kpoku fell through, with the versatile loose forward set to stay in Toulon next season.

The Sharks have been very active in the transfer market, looking to improve their squad for next season, with the signatures of Tomas Francis, Nicky Smith, Alex Lozowski and Joe Marchant already secured.

They have drawn up a shortlist of players they will now look to bring to the club to bolster their ranks, and are starting to work their way through it.

Bristol Bears are showing an interest in Ulster’s former Ireland under-20 lock Matthew Dalton, who is coming to the end of his one-year contract with the United Rugby Championship outfit.

Dalton, who rejoined Ulster for a second spell in January 2025, has also played for Utah, Newcastle Falcons and Soyaux Angoulême and has made five appearances so far this season.

Ironically, last weekend he turned in a Man of the Match display at blindside flanker in the win over Cardiff, and Pat Lam is set to decide upon the future of former All Black Steven Luatua, who has been injured for most of this season.

Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter has revealed that he has made an enquiry about taking the Ospreys American-born fly-half Jack Walsh back to Sandy Park next season.

Baxter is looking to replace Newcastle Red Bulls-bound Josh Hodge, but has told RugbyPass that a deal is far from done, despite Walsh looking for a new club with the Ospreys on borrowed time.

“We’ve had a look, a bit of a look at Jack, and there’s a kind of a little bit of room in the squad, but things haven’t progressed any further than me talking with the agent. I haven’t had a meeting with Jack,” said Baxter.

Newcastle Red Bulls are preparing to clear out members of their coaching staff to prepare for the arrivals of Dan McFarland and Callum MacRae at Kingston Park this summer.

Fissler Confidential revealed in January that McFarland and MacRae, who are both well known to Newcastle Red Bulls managing director Jonny Petrie, and Gregor Townsend, who is taking over at the club after the World Cup.

It is understood that head coach Alan Dickens, who took charge of team affairs after Steve Diamond left the club, has been told his contract won’t be renewed, and that line-out coach Scott MacLeod could join him in leaving.

Perpignan are closing in on a deal to sign Saracens Italian international tighthead Marco Riccioni when his contract with the former PREM Rugby outfit runs out at the end of the season.

Riccioni, 28, has made 68 appearances for Saracens since he joined from Benetton five years ago, and has been attracting a lot of interest from across the Channel from clubs who want to sign him.

Lyon and La Rochelle have both spoken to him, but he is now in advanced talks with the Blood and Gold about joining compatriot Pietro Ceccarelli and Kieran Brookes at the Aimé-Giral.

Edinburgh have emerged as a potential suitor for Chinnor’s highly-rated boss Nick Easter, where he would reunite in the Scottish capital with Sean Everitt.

Easter, who has been interviewed by Harlequins to be their next head coach, worked for Everitt at the Sharks in South Africa, and it’s understood he would be interested in a move North of the Border.

Everitt is set to revamp his coaching staff at the United Rugby Championship side after it was announced that assistant coaches Rob Chrystie and Michael Todd will both leave the club at the end of the season.

Reece Walsh says he would consider joining the exodus of NRL players who are switching codes when his current deal with the Brisbane Broncos expires, but unions face a long wait to get their hands on him.

The Broncos superstar’s deal doesn’t run out until the back end of 2029, but he has seen Kangaroos’ team mates Angus Crichton and Mark Nawaqanitawase hop codes in the last month and isn’t ruling a move out.

“I’d probably be silly not to say there’s a bit of interest there – maybe we will see what the future holds for myself,” he told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.

Runaway Champ Rugby leaders Ealing Trailfinders have lined up a treble swoop on Saracens to sign Louie Johnson, Gareth Simpson and Harvey Beaton.

Fly-half Johnson, 22, moved to Saracens after catching the eye for Newcastle Falcons and had been linked with a return to Kingston Park, but has only played 12 times, while Simpson is being pushed out by the arrival of Tomas Williams.

Johnson has played for Amphill this season, as has tight-head Harvey Beaton, who has made more appearances for the Bedfordshire outfit than his parent club.

Michael Cheika is making a strong impression in the dressing room at the NRL outfit Sydney Roosters, with James Tedesco already a big fan of the former Leicester Tigers boss.

Tedesco told SEN 1170 Breakfast that Cheika’s involvement with the Roosters, who are hunting their first Grand Final since 2019, is going to reap its rewards very soon.

“I think his motivation and his intensity and how he speaks to us, especially in the tackling and the wrestling, that’s been a real highlight. The way he talks to us definitely gets the forwards revved up, ” he said.