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No end in sight yet to Harlequins' trolly dash as three more signings announced

By Online Editors
James Horwill talks to his Harlequins team after their Gallagher Premiership defeat to Gloucester this month (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Harlequins)

Having lit a fire with the signings of four overseas Test internationals earlier in the week, Harlequins boss Paul Gustard initially turned his attention to indigenous UK talent on Wednesday with the announcement that he has captured two local forwards for next season before again shopping overseas.

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The London club stole a march in the recruitment stake for 2019/20 with the early week revelation that they have captured the signatures of Argentina duo Martin Landajo and Santiago Garcia Botta, Italy’s Michele Campagnaro and Wales’ Scott Baldwin. 

The signings continued to come thick and fast on Wednesday, with Gustard first revealing he had snapped up 22-year-old English openside Will Evans from Leicester and Scottish second row Glen Young from Newcastle. He then later unveiled an overseas addition, adding 27-year-old South African lock Stephan Lewies to the mix.

Evans enjoyed a stellar rise through the ranks at Leicester in the closing stages of the 2015/16 season, making his senior debut and then going to the World Under-20s championships with England who reached the final. He was named in that competition’s dream team and became a member of England’s senior EPS squad of 45 at the tender age of 19.

Gustard said: “Will is a player I have been fortunate to work with before. He’s a young man with a very clear goal of where he wants to get to and we are delighted he has chosen to join us as he takes the next step forward in his burgeoning career.

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“He is a tough-on-the-ball seven, he tackles hard and runs with real intent. He is a super talent and I’m confident in our ability to help him develop his game, fulfil his potential and realise his ambitions, which in turn will help us achieve ours.”

Evans said: “There is a great buzz around Harlequins at the moment and I know they are an incredibly ambitious club.”

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Young, meanwhile, has been with Newcastle since he played for their under-18s in 2012/13. Two years later he broke into the first team and represented his Scotland’s under-20s.

He played the 2015/16 season on dual registration with Doncaster and was named in the Championship dream team that season, having made the play-off final. Young then made his Premiership debut the following season.

Gustard said: “Glen is an incredibly promising talent and we’re looking forward to having him as part of our squad as we look to build on the early momentum we have earned to date.

“He has impressed us with his playing performances and we were delighted that he is the kind of self-effacing character we are looking for. He is hungry, energetic and is desperate to improve. He loves lineouts and will add real awareness and acumen to our calling systems and structures.”

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Lewies is currently on loan with Lions but played the majority of his career in South Africa with Sharks where he made 80 appearances. He earned his only Test cap at the age of 22 when he replaced Victor Matfield in a 2014 55–6 win over Scotland in Port Elizabeth.

“We feel Stephan has illustrated that desire to compete and find a way to win,” said Gustard. “We are confident we can provide an environment that will see him succeed. It is a very positive signing for the club.”

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Jon 7 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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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

39 Go to comments
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