Jonah Holmes on verge of Tigers exit? - reports
Wales international Jonah Holmes has been linked with an exit from English club side Leicester Tigers and a switch to a Welsh PRO14 region in a bid to pursue his international career – according to reports.
The Rugby Paper report that Holmes is considering a switch to the Dragons, despite playing his entire professional career to date in England.
Dragons head coach Dean Ryan is apparently eager to add the 6 ft, 100kg wing to the books at the Newport.
The 27-year-old has managed just three caps for Wales since his debut in 2018, when his Welsh eligibility was cashed-in by then Wales coach Warren Gatland.
Holmes last featured for Wales in a Rugby World Cup warm-up match in August 2019, but failed to make the plane to Japan. He did however make his way back into the squad for the 2020 Guinness Six Nations under Wayne Pivac.
Holmes – who is eligible to play for Wales through a Welsh grandparent – was a shock call-up to the Welsh squad in 2018.
Under current Senior Player Selection Policy (SPSP), with his current Leicester Tigers’ contract coming to an end, he must now join a Welsh team or forgo playing Test rugby.
Holmes has played his entire club career outside of Wales. Brought up in Ealing, Holmes studied biomedicine at Birkbeck College, University London and started his rugby career at Rosslyn Park joining London Wasps.
Playing at scrum-half or wing, he made five senior appearances for Wasps from 2010/11 and won promotion to National One with Henley Hawks after being dual registered. A loan spell followed at London Scottish in 2012/13 and then with Premiership newcomers London Welsh before being recalled by Wasps.
He moved to Carnegie in 2013/14 and stayed for three seasons before joining Tigers in the summer of 2017, although his days at Welford Road may be numbered if still harbours designs on more Welsh caps.
Loop-holes to the Welsh eligibility system have, however, been previously exploited.
Exeter Chiefs prop Tomas Francis extended his first contract with the club on a number of occasions so that he could continue playing for the Premiership side and Wales, despite not having 60 caps for the club.
The coronavirus pandemic, however, might ultimately scupper Francis, who was set to make 60-caps this year, had it not been for Test match postponements.
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar 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.
9 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.
35 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
35 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
35 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.
35 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.
35 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.
35 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.
2 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.
35 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.
18 Go to comments