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'I feel sorry for Maro Itoje. He's been spotted in Wigston last week and Kibworth this week'
Geordan Murphy has provided an update on the state of play regarding recruitment at Leicester, explaining why there were no player signing announcements this past week and also making a tongue-in-cheek remark about the Tigers’ false link with Maro Itoje.
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It had been rumoured earlier this month that the England and Saracens lock was on the Leicester radar due to his connection with incoming head coach Steve Borthwick, but Murphy dismissed the Itoje speculation out of hand a fortnight ago.
He gave the Itoje rumour another mention in his latest weekly Leicester Tigers TV update, adding that the deals for the players they actually have signed have been completed and are just waiting to be publicly announced.
“Again we have nothing to announce this week,” said Murphy on LLTV when quizzed about recruitment. “I feel sorry for Maro Itoje. He’s been spotted in Wigston last week and Kibworth this week.
“There is always going to be rumours linking us to different players… we have been tied to a lot of names and a lot of people over the course and some fantastic players but we’re excited for the guys that we have and the fits that we have for our club.
“All the players that we have signed are signed. We haven’t announced those for a few different reasons but when we are ready we will announce them.
“Our contacts all finish on June 30 and the contracts for incoming players and academy graduates will start on July 1,” continued Murphy, who will become director of rugby in order to accommodate Borthwick taking over the head coach position the Irishman has occupied since succeeding Matt O’Connor during the 2018/19 season.
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“The way it has worked out we should be back in the next few weeks to stage one but it’s highly unlikely that we will get back before July 1. As such, the guys who are leaving will leave and move to their new clubs and we will promote and have the guys who are incoming available.
“There are other problems in and around that, visa issues getting into the country and quarantine issues, but we have got a strong group of young men coming up from the academy and we have to give them the backing that they will step up and train with the first team and those guys are good enough to take their spots if needed.”
There is no still definite return date for the suspended 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership season to resume, but Murphy insisted Tigers will be ready for whenever that return happens.
“We’re working towards finishing this season and when that starts we are unsure of, but we will get the guys back in and start stage one and get a base level of fitness under our belts. Stage two will be a return to rugby training as we know it although that may be tweaked.
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“We have discussed numerous different things that may need to happen. We’ll have to be smart the way we do that but the most important thing is we have the guys ready to actually play rugby and play rugby the way Leicester Tigers should play rugby.
“We have to do an element of a large amount of physical preparation in order for that. We don’t have the start date and that is a frustration but we know we will be back out playing rugby. We’ll just prepare with that in mind.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
15 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
15 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
15 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
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