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Harlequins fill Saunders retirement gap by adding Steele
Harlequins have signed scrum-half Scott Steele, one of the eleven players released by London Irish last month after their contracts at the Gallagher Premiership club expired. The 26-year-old, who twice helped Irish win promotion from the Championship, will play the remainder of the 2019/20 top-flight season with Quins and stay at the club for the 2020/21 season.
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With 115 points to his name throughout a 127-game career for the Exiles, Harlequins are hoping Steele will add considerable experience and dynamism to an already busy scrum-half department containing respective England and Argentina internationals Danny Care and Martin Landajo.
A skilled footballer, the former Leicester Tigers academy and Scotland U20 representative played rugby and football from a young age, representing Kilmarnock in professional youth football.
Commenting on his move to The Stoop, Steele said: “I’m really excited about a new challenge after a six-year period with London Irish. I’m looking forward to working with and learning off a great variety of experienced heads and impressive young talent at the club.
“The coaching set-up at Quins is full of experience and there is huge potential for me to further develop my game here. I have spent some time at training this week and the set-up seems extremely professional. It allows the players to just come in work hard each day. I’m looking forward to getting involved and getting back to matchday action.”
? “I like to play with high tempo”
? @scottsteele247 gives his first interview at SSP.
? https://t.co/xgTc7cmQMu #COYQ pic.twitter.com/4t3pFzNGWL
— Harlequins ? (@Harlequins) July 21, 2020
Harlequins boss Paul Gustard added: “It’s exciting to have a player of Scott’s quality join the club as we head into the remainder of the current season and beyond. He has played over 100 games while with London Irish and affords us an impressive half-back department going forward with Danny and Martin already in place.
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“With the retirement of Niall (Saunders) it was important we got someone in who could play immediately and we were delighted that Scott was in a situation to move and we were then in a position to offer him a squad spot.
“He is a proven performer at this level and is one of the more combative and competitive nines around. He is hungry and keen to continue his development and I’m sure with Nick (Evans), Sean (Long) and Charlie (Mulchrone) working within our coaching team, he will be in a great environment to do just that.”
Harlequins will open the Premiership restart, hosting Sale at The Stoop on August 14 after the season was suspended last March due to the pandemic.
Gustard has addressed recent rumours around Adam Jones' future at @Harlequins head-on
– reports @chrisjonespress ???https://t.co/eotSu7YoHy
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 20, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Except 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.
33 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.
2 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
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 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
33 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.
33 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. 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.
33 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.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
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