Northern | US

The English club that just moved a step closer to signing Paddy Jackson


(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Comments
Comment

A new club has emerged as the favourite to sign former Ulster and Ireland star Paddy Jackson.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jackson – who moved to Perpignan at the start of the season after his IRFU contract was terminated – had been the French side’s starting flyhalf for the first half of the season.

However, the Top 14 outfit are having a nightmare return to the French top flight, and are yet to record a victory. What’s more, Jackson’s standing at the club and with the fans have taken a serious blow since he was linked with a move away from the troubled side – even suffering the ignominy of being booed by his own fans.

The 27-year-old was initially linked with a move to Lyon in November, with French out-half Lionel Beauxis set to leave the club for Oyonnax.

RugbyPass now understands that Jackson is close to finalising a deal with Championship side London Irish. Irish are expected to bounce back up into the Gallagher Premiership this season, and had an interest in Jackson at the end of last season when he was forced to depart Ulster.

London Irish plan to move back to the capital with a ground share at Brentford FC, and are in need of star power to bolster the squad ahead of that return.

They are also set to benefit from a major windfall, namely the Premiership Rugby’s £200million minority stake sale to CVC Capital Partners.

ADVERTISEMENT

RugbyPass revealed on the weekend that Irish are also set to sign Tongan secondrow Steve Mafi.

The former Leicester Tigers lock – who can also play in the backrow – is currently plying his trade for Top 14 champions Castres.

Last year the Tongan had been linked with a return to Welford Road for this season. Mafi had apparently agreed terms with the now departed Tigers’ coach Matt O’Connor, who was fired by the club just one game into the 2018/19 season.

A source has told RugbyPass that the Mafi is instead set to agree terms with the Exiles for an annual salary in the region of £500,000 per year.

ADVERTISEMENT
Video Spacer

Stream Nations Championship 2026 LIVE

Hemispheres collide in the new Nations Championship. Stream live, replays and highlights free on RugbyPass TV.

Watch on RPTV
Starts 4th July 2026 - USA only.
ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

N
NoLongerARuck 58 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

35 Go to comments
Close Panel
Close Panel

Edition & Time Zone

{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezoneTitle}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Close Panel

Editions

Close Panel

Change Time Zone

Copied to clipboard

Share Article close