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Leicester Tigers could be set to lose promising loosehead Hills


Owen Hills
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Leicester Tigers could be set to lose a promising young loosehead in the form of Owen Hills.

Just this morning it was confirmed that flanker Will Evans is leaving the club for Harlequins, a move that has frustrated many Tigers fans.

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Evans enjoyed a meteoric rise through the Tigers ranks in the closing stages of the 2015/16 season, making his senior debut for Leicester Tigers and then going to the World Under-20s Championships with England, becoming an integral part of the team that reached the final.

However he has seen precious little game time in the years since. Some have suggested that the 6 foot, 90kg Evans was considered too small for a club that prides itself on dominating opposing packs. Tigers also lost undersized hooker Harry Thacker, who has gone on to become a standout player at Bristol Bears since arriving at Ashton Gate last summer.

The 5’11, 116kg Hills doesn’t have a size problem but the 22-year-old is eager for more game time. RugbyPass understands that talks have taken place with both Gloucester and Bristol Bears, and that he could be set to be lured away from Welford Road.

A Leicester Tigers season ticket holder as a youngster, he played his junior rugby at Market Bosworth, before joining the Tigers academy.

He represented both England Under-18s and then Under-20s and reached the Junior World Cup Final in 2015. He graduated from the club’s academy to join the development squad in 2016/17.

According to Tigers’ website, he made his first senior appearance for Tigers in the Marcos Ayerza testimonial fixture against Argentina in 2015 and added senior experience with Moseley, Nottingham and Loughborough Students as he came through the professional ranks.

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EvilMockingJay 23 minutes ago
Antoine Dupont missing for now as Galthie names 33-man France squad

Oh but we want that Cup too ! But SA and NZ don't want to play fair with us xD France is a strong team but not enough to win a final, a semi or a quarter at 16 against 15 xD

Like in 2023, there was 27 (!!!) “mistakes” from BOK against us. Fallen for 1 point. Can't say we would have won against England (who were robbed too, and fallen for 1 point too) and NZ after but I personally believe so. England was pretty weak, getting beated again and again by France and we humilated the Blacks during the opening match. Again 2011 and also 1995… it’s normal not to win every time, after all we are not the only team that play to win. But being robbed every time you have a real chance (or just you were winning no question ask without a ref who suddently stop following the rules of rugby) is harsh. There is voices in France that are starting to say “screw this corrupt World Rugby and screw this RWC, let’s just play our Top14, after all we will never win a World Cup because it is rigged to let a SH team win”. And when you see how it goes (terrible ref being promoted to a RWC final, change in the rules when we are specialists about it, that stupid 20’ red card that encourage brutality from players and partiality from ref and always for or against the same team, forward pass not seen when it’s the other team doing them, same with offsides…) what can you say to these people ? I keep the faith one day we will get that WC, but after 2023, at home, it’s hard to say to these people “no you are wrong”. Like France (one country among a lot of other countries) were robbed 3 times. That’s a lot for ONE country and one competition taking place only every 4 years. And we ain't the only ones robbed. Always by the same teams : RSA or NZ.



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EvilMockingJay 1 hour ago
Antoine Dupont missing for now as Galthie names 33-man France squad

Oh yeah, i was meaning 8 in the starting 15 at Toulouse in top14. Wasn’t counting bench or CC or 6N ^^. That’s partly why I told you Galthié did not learn from what happened in 2023. When Dupont became available, bam, your going to Marcoussis. Like man, let him play with his club for a bit first don't trow him against national teams right away... Exactly the same situation as 2023…

I already know what is going to happen in 2027. Last (or the one before, you know, i don't see japanese team doing such a dirty move, but samoa ? Oh yeah, i’m clearly seeing that coming) pool match Dupont will get hit and will be out of the competition with another big injury. Probably not going to happen for NTK, because without Dupont he’s just not at international level at all and everyone saw it. Meaning will get something like Lucu (or Le Garrec)/NTK (because he wants so badly NTK on the field) and we will loose. Again. Lucu, Le Garrec, Jauneau and Jalibert—they’re nothing more than stopgaps for Galthié. He just wants Dupont and NTK, and that’s it. He’d make them play against the Boks or the All Blacks even on one leg. That’s pretty sad being unable to work with 9 and 10 jersey considering we are the nation with the most of international 9s possible. And everyone (except Ben Smith the troll) envy us MJ at number 10… as you said i would love to see both ST and UBB half-backs in the same match but it ain't gonna happen. I’m not a fan of the idea too put MJ at number 15 (did he ever took that place even in his club ?), his talent is more the one of a real fly-half than a full back. Would be wasting both his talent as 10 and Ramos precision for conversions, but that’s only my opinion since we never saw him play 15, maybe i judge him to harsh. Ain’t a problem against Australia (they are in a really poor state) but facing the Boks ? Naah, too experimental.



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