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England star Rokoduguni set for shock Bath exit after travelling to France for medical - report


Semesa Rokoduguni (Getty Images)
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England star Semesa Rokoduguni could be set for a shock exit from Bath after travelling to France for a medical – according to reports.

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Somerset Live say that the England wing presented for a medical at Beziers, the ProD2 side set to be bought by UAE investors. Rokoduguni was said to be a target of the club who have designs on promotion to the Top 14.

Like many others, the winger has apparently been asked to take a 25 per cent pay cut and now has had his had turned by the ambitious Beziers, who have been linked to a number of high profile players in the last two weeks. Beauden Barret, Dan Biggar and Courtney Lawes had been linked with the club, before all three agreed new contracts elsewhere.

Rokoduguni has spent his entire professional career with the Blue, Black and White, scoring twice on his debut against Dragons in November 2012. The winger has continued his prolific try-scoring throughout his time in the West Country, with 71 tries in his 194 appearances to date.

A serving soldier in the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, he also been capped for England on four occasions, although he has fallen down the pecking order with head coach Eddie Jones.

Many are tipping Béziers to become a new giant of French rugby over the course of the next decade, should the takeover deal go ahead. French winger Christophe Dominici has been acting as a middle man between the parties. Negotiations have however apparently stalled.

Beziers head coach David Aucagne said this weekend: “The atmosphere is not great. Some players are asking less questions because they were given permission to look at options outside of the club.”

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“I think mostly of my players. Some have small children. This is what worries me. If they are fired overnight, it’s tricky. We have to find a job and it will be complicated. Many are in a state of uncertainty.”

“It’s not a great atmosphere.”

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By George! 3 hours ago
The All Blacks captain shouldn't need a rest after a sabbatical

I emphasise with him, being the child of Samoan immigrants myself, nonetheless we all start somewhere and in our similar cases, with some initial and temporary adversity, by the way it builds character. He is the prodigy of hard working parents I'm sure, just as would be Scooter’s parents. I'm not a farmer but I doubt it would be a holiday owning a farm or even running one. You borrow off the bank for plant and machinery or use land as collateral driving around in a vehicle you don't own, you own nothing the bank does until you finally pay your loans. In a nutshell that is how it works, basically big risk and reward, but I digress. I would suggest that after 16 years as a professional rugby player Ardie has done damn well for himself, it doesn't take much digging to get an estimate of his potential earnings, I can tell you he's far removed from those carless days of his youth that you point out. But I don't begrudge Ardie “making hay while the sun shines” because one's appetite grows in relation to their means and ofcourse he has a wife and family and business ventures to attend to. If I can use this analogy; There is a monumental task before them they are going to war and we need our leadership to set the tone and build the unity. The coach is the Admiral and he will be in the vanguard but the ship will put to sea without it's Captain who will be having a break after coming back from a Sabbatical; “a planned break from work or study, usually for rest with the expectation you'll return afterwards and resume where you left off.” Yeah? Nah!

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