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Gloucester face salary cap predicament as big names pile up - reports
Gloucester could face a tough time staying within the Aviva Premiership salary cap next season, per a report on GloucestershireLive.co.uk, following a flurry of transfer activity.
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The Cherry and Whites have been one of the bigger spenders in the Premiership so far this season, securing the signings of Franco Marais, Jaco Kriel, Matt Banahan and Danny Cipriani for the next campaign, none of whom will arrive at Kingsholm cheaply.
They are also believed to be in advanced negotiations with Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Franco Mostert of the Lions, Munster’s Gerbrandt Grobler and, per the GloucestershireLive report, Lions prop Ruan Dreyer.
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Working in Gloucester’s and director of rugby’s David Humphreys’ favour is the fact that there is a high turnover of staff this season and several highly-paid players will be leaving the club. Kiwis John Afoa and Jeremy Thrush are both departing from Kingsholm, as are the Welsh pair of Ross Moriarty and Richard Hibbard, Scotland international Matt Scott and a number of fringe players from the senior squad.
This will create some leeway in the cap for next season, as well as, in theory, opening up at least one marquee player spot, making Humphrey’s job a challenging one, but not an impossible one.
This offseason marks a notable change in strategy from Humphreys and Gloucester, who have previously recruited prodigiously from the Guinness PRO14, following Humphreys appointment as director of rugby in 2014.
The plan had been for the likes of Hibbard, Scott, Afoa, James Hook and Greig Laidlaw to provide Gloucester with the extra quality and consistency required to challenge for the Premiership title, but come the beginning of next season, none of those players will still be on the books with the Cherry and Whites.
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Since Johan Ackermann’s arrival as head coach, the plan has clearly changed to targeting South African players to supplement the squad at Kingsholm, with Ruan Ackermann already on board, as well as the confirmed signings of Marais and Kriel.
Should the singings of van Rensburg, Mostert, Grobler and Dreyer all go through, too, that will take the tally of South Africans at Gloucester to seven, with five of the seven having played key roles in the Lions’ resurgence under Ackermann.
Comments on RugbyPass
Completely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
3 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
54 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
54 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
54 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
54 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to comments