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Gustard's lost holiday time pays off as Harlequins sign Travis Ismaiel

By Online Editors
Harlequins have picked up Travis Ismaiel of the Bulls (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Harlequins have signed Travis Ismaiel, the 27-year-old Bulls winger who made his Super Rugby debut in 2015 against the Sharks and has gone on to earn 39 caps in that tournament, scoring 50 points.

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He also scored on his international debut for South Africa in the 2018 friendly against Wales in Washington. Prior to earning full international honours, he represented South Africa A in their two-match series against England Saxons in 2016.

Harlequins boss Paul Gustard said: “I have been enquiring about Travis for a couple of months now since we lost Nathan (Earle) to a nasty injury against Saints last season.

“I was over on holiday in South Africa in the summer with my family and I took the opportunity over a couple of days to meet his agent, speak to Travis and meet some players who knew him and all the feedback I received was that he is such an impressive individual with huge coachability and some real X-factor.

“To be capped in such a competitive position in South Africa allied to boasting a very impressive try-scoring record in Super Rugby of almost one in two is great news for the club. What isn’t great news for me was I had to buy my wife a new handbag to compensate for lost holiday time!

“I have no doubt he will be a huge presence on the pitch for us with his excellent aerial skills. He is fast and is a big man who enjoys running hard.

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“We will look for him to work hard to get his hands on the ball as much as we can because, like all our wings, they have magic in them, and we want them to show the league why they are so special.

“Initially he comes as injury dispensation for Nathan, but we see real potential for growth in Travis, so we have signed him on a longer contract to maximise his development. On behalf of the club, we welcome Travis, his wife Zaylin and his children Connor and Kiara.”

Ismaiel added: “I’m very excited to be joining a club like Quins with such a rich rugby history.

“There is a clear excitement when speaking to Paul with regards to the culture they have at the club and what they are looking to achieve over the next couple of seasons.

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“I’m looking forward to getting to work with the boys and can’t wait to contribute to the team in any way possible. My family and I can’t wait for this new chapter in our lives and we are looking forward to experiencing a new culture and way of living. I’m sure Quins is the right place to do that.”

WATCH: Episode three of RugbyPass Rugby Explorer series sees Jim Hamilton take a trek through South African rugby

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Sam T 1 hours ago
Jake White: Let me clear up some things

I remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.

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Ed the Duck 8 hours ago
How Leinster neutralised 'long-in-the-tooth' La Rochelle

Hey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂

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