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Lyon won't be signing Marcus Smith but they have taken interest in an Irish player's CV
Attempts by Lyon to try and tempt in-demand Harlequins out-half Marcus Smith into signing for the Top 14 club are over, but they have now reportedly taken an interest in ex-Northampton No10 JJ Hanrahan, who these days has been playing out of his native Munster.
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The soon-to-be 22-year-old Smith has still to decide whether he is staying on at Harlequins. The dynamic at the London club has recently changed with the sudden departure of Paul Gustard as director of rugby and the on-going root-and-branch club review by Owen Eastwood.
Prior to Gustard’s exit, Smith had been linked with moves to the Top 14 and elsewhere in the Gallagher Premiership. Finding an out-half has been a major priority for some months now at Lyon, but the uncapped Smith has decided that a switch to France isn’t worth having to shelve his England international prospects for.
With Rhys Priestland expected to be leaving Bath at the end of the season, Smith was also linked some months ago with a move to The Rec but as it stands his future remains unresolved and there could be every chance now with Harlequins bringing in a new director of rugby that he will opt to stay on at The Stoop.
With Lyon securing the signature of Smith no longer a possibility, Midi Olympique have also reported that the club are instead weighing up the credentials of La Rochelle’s Ihaia West, who is also wanted by Clermont, and Hanrahan, who spent two years at Northampton before returning to Munster in 2017.
"It wasn't, 'We have to go and find someone because this is pear-shaped'. Not at all"
– Story of how an ex-solicitor has wound up running the rule over Harlequins incredibly starts with Billy Millard taking his daughters to their playground#GallagherPremhttps://t.co/zve4SR7GJW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 28, 2021
The 28-year-old kicked nine from nine when Munster pulled off an incredible Heineken Champions Cup comeback victory at Clermont in December, winning 39-31 at Stade Marcel Michelin after trailing 9-28 just 24 minutes into the game in France.
Another possible out-half transfer in France is veteran Francois Trinh-Duc leaving Racing 92 at the end of the season to provide back-up to Matthieu Jalibert at Bordeaux, the club that Ireland back row CJ Stander has also been linked with. Bordeaux, though, are now expected to sign Louis Picamoles as their new No8.
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RUMOUR MILL: CJ is once again been linked with a shock move to France. https://t.co/j45Ogrc78D
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 28, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
The best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
2 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
114 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
2 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
114 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
4 Go to comments