'One day I'll get to try that haggis': Jono Lance on the deal that wasn't a deal at Edinburgh
New Western Force signing Jono Lance has taken to social media to outline his disappointment that UK employment law red tape foiled his agreed move from Worcester Warriors to Edinburgh. The Guinness PRO14 club announced the Australian’s signing on May 1, but the 29-year-old has not secured a work permit.
“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,” read a June 11 Edinburgh statement about the collapse of the Lance deal.
A Super Rugby winner with both the Reds and the Waratahs, Edinburgh had hoped the wealth of experience Lance had at the top level would be invaluable for Richard Cockerill’s team.
The out-half has now re-emerged as a Western Force signing ahead of the new domestic rugby competition in Australia and he is returning there with unfinished business as he was at the club when it was axed from Super Rugby.
Lance, who arrived back in Perth last Friday, is currently serving his two-week quarantine period at the house of his girlfriend’s mum and has used the lay-off to clarify what happened back in the UK. “Disappointed to not be able to experience Edinburgh and the Champions Cup,” he wrote in a Twitter thread.
My career at Edinburgh pic.twitter.com/UfaD0kdWvf
— Jonathon Lance (@jonno_lance) June 14, 2020
“My discussions with director and management had me anticipating playing exciting rugby in all competitions. Edinburgh is in good hands.
“Unfortunately the black and white nature of visa regulation, combined with being at a club (Worcester) that I felt prioritised meeting an English player quota, resulted in me not meeting the required threshold of games played, a visa rule I was uninformed about.
“This was worsened by the cancellation of half the season and has cost me the opportunity to play at a team who included me as part of its future ambitions.
“As disappointing as it is, I am fortunate that when one door closes many more can open in this global game of rugby. Good luck to Edinburgh in the future and one day I’ll get to try that haggis in town.”
In order to secure a visa extension in the UK, Lance needed to have played at least 75 per cent of Worcester’s matches during his time at the Premiership club which didn’t happen. He made nine appearances in 2018/19 and twelve in 2019/20.
Lance’s switch to England had been a sort of homecoming for the Aussie. It was 1999 when he arrived in Yorkshire and spent two years there while his father Dean coached Super League’s Leeds Rhinos. Joining Worcester meant he was back retracing his steps, even if he was doing so in a different rugby code.
“I lived in England when I was young when my dad coached the rugby league team in Leeds,” he told RugbyPass last year. “It was when I was nine until I was eleven. I remember going to the smaller stadiums with the atmosphere and the drums and the trumpets. That definitely made a lasting impression.
“As well as that, the shorter bus rides to and from games is a bit different to flying at least three and up to twelve hours to get to an away game. That is exciting, but also the pressure that comes with the relegation/promotion side of English sport is something that is a drawcard.”
2) Unfortunately the black and white nature of visa regulation, combined with being at a club that I felt prioritised meeting an English player quota resulted in me not meeting the required threshold of games played, a visa rule I was uninformed about.
— Jonathon Lance (@jonno_lance) June 14, 2020
4) As disappointing as it is, I am fortunate that when one door closes many more can open in this global game of rugby. Good luck to @EdinburghRugby in the future and one day I’ll get to try that haggis in town.
Jono— Jonathon Lance (@jonno_lance) June 14, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments