Stephen Myler signs for the Ospreys
The considerable career of Stephen Myler has another bit to run yet after the soon-to-be 36-year-old out-half recently released by London Irish was snapped up by the Ospreys on a one-year deal to provide cover for a region still waiting for Gareth Anscombe to regain his fitness.
Anscombe still has to play a match for the Swansea-based club, his injury in a World Cup warm-up match with Wales away to England last August keeping him sidelined long-term since his high-profile switch from Cardiff Blues.
His absence was a contributory factor in the Ospreys’ dire season which resulted in the sacking of Allen Clarke and the recent arrival of Toby Booth, the former London Irish boss who had been active at Bath and Harlequins in recent times.
To bolster the squad ahead of next month’s restart of the suspended Guinness PRO14 campaign, Booth has now turned to Myler, the long-serving dual-code player who was man of the match in both finals when Northampton completed a historic Premiership and European Challenge Cup double in 2014.
He left Saints in 2018 due to the arrival of Dan Biggar from the Ospreys, going on to help London Irish gain Championship promotion and enjoy a reasonably successful return to the Gallagher Premiership in the 2019/20 season which will also resume next month.
Welcome to the @ospreys @StephenMyler ! Great to see us bringing in this level of experience to cover such a pivotal position. Looking forward to seeing you in the black jersey! https://t.co/UK5xH1klQI
— Ospreys Supporters (@OspreysSC) July 17, 2020
Speaking to the Ospreys website about his move to Wales not long after his Irish departure, Myler said: “As soon as I spoke to Toby, someone I know from the Premiership and who is highly respected and regarded, the chance to be involved with the Ospreys was too good a chance to miss.
“I was fortunate to play for so long at Northampton, a place that loves rugby and wants to see its team doing well. The Ospreys have the same kind of feeling and tradition around them.
“I’ve always had the feeling of a very proud club which is passionate about rugby, wants to do well and achieve things and I want to be part of that.”
Ospreys boss Booth added: “We have identified positions where we need some strength-in-depth and real quality and experience to bolster the squad. We felt Stephen would add some real value on the field but also do the same off the field and in the squad environment.”
"That was one thing I had to learn to deal with, now you're on a properly big stage compared to Northampton… it's the whole country involved, a massive media profile"
– @GeorgeFurbank tells @jimhamilton4 about his ??????? breakthrough @SaintsRugbyhttps://t.co/zeBdbQZjZP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 17, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
26 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
26 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
48 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
26 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
26 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
26 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
26 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
26 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments