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Six of the best signings for 2021/22 so far

By Josh Raisey
Duhan van der Merwe (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group via Getty Images)

Though the 2020/21 season is nowhere near reaching its conclusion yet, rugby clubs are already looking ahead to next season in terms of their recruitment.

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There is a growing drip of new signings across Europe that will only intensify as the weeks pass and the season draws to a close.

So here are the best transfers so far ahead of 2021/22:

ADAM HASTINGS
Confirmed by RugbyPass in November, Hastings is one of a number of players moving to Kingsholm at the end of the season. The Glasgow Warriors and Scotland fly-half is a very handy replacement for Danny Cipriani, who departed the Cherry and Whites in December.

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Josh Beaumont talks to Big Jim on All Access:

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Josh Beaumont talks to Big Jim on All Access:

DUHAN VAN DER MERWE
Another leading name in Scotland that is opting to cross the border at the end of the season, Duhan van der Merwe is set to join Worcester Warriors from Edinburgh. The robust winger has posted some remarkable stats in the Guinness PRO14 and is likely to do the same in the Gallagher Premiership.

GIORGI KVESELADZE
The much-vaunted Georgian centre Giorgi Kveseladze actually joined Gloucester from Armazi Marneuli midway through this season after an impressive Autumn Nations Cup, which included his viral solo try against Ireland.

MARCELL COETZEE
Perhaps no team will miss a departing player more than Ulster next season, who bid farewell to Marcell Coetzee. The loose forward is set to return to his native South Africa and join the Bulls.

JAKE BALL
A loss for Wales and the Scarlets, Jake Ball has confirmed he will be moving to Australia at the end of the season, although a destination is still not confirmed, which will rule him out of contention for the national team.

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JACK SINGLETON
Not necessarily a new signing per se, but Jack Singleton’s will not be returning to Saracens at the end of the season, after his season-long loan at Gloucester was made permanent.

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Jon 8 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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FEATURE Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby? Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?
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