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Stephen Varney exits Gloucester with immediate effect

Stephen Varney of Italy looks on during the Italy Team's Run, prior to the Guinness Six Nations Round Five match between Wales and Italy, at the Principality Stadium on March 15, 2024 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Federugby via Getty Images)

Italy international Stephen Varney has signed for French Top 14 side Vannes with immediate effect –  as first reported by RugbyPass last week.

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The 23-year-old scrum-half – who has been capped 30 times by Italy – will join the Brittany-based club ahead of mid-season as they battle to make a case for themselves in the Top 14.

“I am delighted and honoured to have the opportunity to join RC Vannes,” Varney told the Vannes club website this weekend. “I want to help the club achieve its objectives and I am really looking forward to getting started with the whole group.”

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Welsh-born Varney qualifies for Italy through his Italian mother and has been part of the Gloucester team since 2020.

Despite signing a contract extension in April 2023, he hasn’t made any appearances for the Cherry and Whites so far this season. Gloucester head coach George Skivington is reasonably well-equipped in the scrum-half department, having recruited Wales international Tomos Williams from Cardiff during the summer.

Skivington also has Caolan Englefield and Charlie Chapman as options. This effectively means that West Country side can effectively afford to release the Italian halfback as a result.

Varny’s new club Vannes have been promoted into the Top 14 for the first time this season but have so far struggled in the French top flight. They initially relied on New Zealand scrum-half Michael Ruru but he has not played since their win over Lyon.

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Jules Le Bail has since been the preferred starter, with Alexandre Gouaux providing support off the bench.

With Varney’s arrival coach Jean-Noel Spitzer is hoping to improve results. The Top 14 newbies currently sit bottom of the league with just one win from seven games.

Varney was previously linked with a move to Cardiff. Vannes will face Gloucester in the EPCR Challenge Cup in December, adding an extra bit of spice to Varney’s transfer.

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J
JW 2 hours ago
All Blacks player ratings vs Ireland | Autumn Nations Series

Nah, if you see some picture of a way to blame Dmac rather than the whole team who were slacking and just getting beat by an Argentina team that was up for it then you've got unconscious bias I'm afraid.


The coaching staff (and the team as they had done throughout Fosters era) did just not get them in the right frame of mind. They slackened off after two intense English tests and were slow to build back up into test match intensity after the San Diego run around. You can view that Wellington loss as akin to what went on in Chicago in 2016, it was just delayed a couple of weeks in this instance.


Good reminder of what game management is, unfortunately it doesn't cover all the bases and is missing pivotal parts of lethality.


I think you're misunderstanding the argument, this is about Dmac, not the team, and about his idea of game management, not his application. In none of the games this year, including this weekends one, has he done relentless execution of the basics. His conservative game was neither shrewd or accurate.


The difference here is perspective. You see a win and you want to apply credit, just as you saw a lose and want to apply blame. Dmac's game management in both circumstances was very similar, just in this game I felt that pressure to concentrate on it caused him a few more errors in that application for no real gain in that area, and a much more ineffective attack stop the team from making it a very comfortable game.


The other difference is you a way overplaying Irelands performance imo. They were pathetic. Even in the start of the 2nd when they were trying to get points with the card it felt comfortable they weren't going to have what it takes even if they fixed their error rate. That was the first Bled test where Dmac nearly singlehandedly took an unbeatable 50 lead, a great example of good game management that again just didn't come off. Those tests were not 12 tests ago. Twelve tests ago he was running England around like he'd been in the jersey his whole career. We didn't break any record, the streak is a figment of Irelands imagination to desperately show how good they are to the world. You've been caught hook line and sinker in all these topics sadly.

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