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Jono Lance move to Edinburgh is off

By PA
(Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Former Worcester stand-off Jono Lance will not be joining Edinburgh. The Guinness PRO14 club announced the Australian’s signing on May 1, but the 29-year-old has not secured a work permit.

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A statement read: “Edinburgh Rugby can confirm that the signing of stand-off Jono Lance will not be going ahead.

“Lance was due to join the squad next month, subject to obtaining the right to work in the UK – and the signing was initially communicated in May. However, the player has been unable to obtain a UK visa.

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“The club wishes Jono all the best in his future ambitions and thank  him for his professionalism during this period of uncertainty regarding his signing with the club.”

Reports in Australia earlier claimed Super Rugby side Western Force were poised to sign the fly-half. Lance joined Worcester in late 2017 and made 30 appearances including 13 in the 2019/20 season.

A Super Rugby winner with both the Reds and the Waratahs, he had a wealth of experience at the top level and was set to provide invaluable cover at both stand-off and full-back for Richard Cockerill’s team.

Lance said at the time his deal with Edinburgh was announced: “To get the chance to come to a club that has become one of the strongest in the Guinness PRO14 and to hopefully play Champions Cup rugby was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.

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“The style of rugby Edinburgh have been playing is something that excites me and to have coaches who feel that you can be a big part of developing that brand of rugby was something I wanted to be a massive part of. My partner and I did a big drive through Scotland as a holiday and loved all of it.

“And Edinburgh is one of the greatest cities in the world, so to have the chance to play rugby there really is amazing. After chatting to some players and meeting the coaches to hear their vision for the club in the near future and long term, it’s clear that there are exciting times ahead for Edinburgh.”

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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