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Vunipola family reunion on the cards at Montpellier

Saracens young fly-half Manu Vunipola. (Getty Images)
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Manu Vunipola has held talks about joining his cousin Billy at Montpellier when his contract with Japan Rugby League One outfit Mie Honda Heat runs out at the end of the season.

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Montpellier are looking at their options with Argentine international Domingo Miotti, who is in the final months of his contract yet to agree a new deal with the club.

Miotti, 29, who has won nine Test caps, has scored 184 points in 16 games this season, helping Les Bleu et Blanc into fourth place in the Top 14 standings, three points behind second-placed Pau.

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The former Jaguares, Western Force and Glasgow Warriors ace, who joined Montpellier from Oyonnax at the start of last season, has suffered from injuries, so the club are starting to look at their options.

Auckland-born Vunipola, 25, a former England under-20 international, who was a team-mate of his cousins at Saracens before he moved to Japan, and they left for France.

Mako, who was 35 last month, is playing for the Pro D2 leaders Vannes, hoping to get them promoted back into the top flight at the first time of asking, while Billy is enjoying a renaissance at the Septeo Stadium.

Vunipola’s CV had been floating around Gallagher PREM clubs, and he is weighing up his options ahead of his next move, which could be to the Top 14.

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He started the Heat’s first four games of the season, which all ended in defeat, and his last three appearances have come off the bench on the wing, full-back and centre, with Dawid Kellerman starting as playmaker.

But it is by no means a done deal, with Montpellier also looking at Paolo Garbisi, who faces an uncertain future with Toulon and has attracted interest from rival clubs.

Midi Olympique have said that Toulon could release Italian international Garbisi, 25, which could open the door for Montpellier to keep him in France if they don’t opt for Vunipola.

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NoLongerARuck 6 minutes ago
'Rugby needs to be demystified to attract new fans and fresh investment'

In order to make the game profitable we really need international windows, clubs with private ownership that actually owns the product, have the clubs pay for the player wages and the international unions rent them for their matches, allow for the clubs to keep the bulk of the tv revenue, provide incentives for youth development. Remove the central contracting systems and allow investment and private ownership to thrive. The reason why this wont happen is because international unions want control over their players, the product and the revenue. They would rather use international rugby to subsidise the whole thing. The provincial unions and domestic stakeholders also want their slice, they want their teams to be susidised and keep the playing numbers up despite being loss making entities. The NPC and Currie Cup doesnt make money but SA rugby or NZR cant forget about those provincial teams or that pathways otherwise rugby would just die in smaller regions so what do you do? Well you need to commercialise the game further and one way to do that is to create IPL style competitions that generate revenue for owners and unions. If Super Rugby for example became an 8 or 9 team comp with home and away fixtures where the franchises owned the players for 18 weeks, where there was a draft where players were put up for auction and all teams were majority or completely owned by their investors and where they received the bulk of the TV revenue. Where each team has a set budget for wages and where required selection for example 15 domestic players in the 23 man matchday squad was required and at least 8 U23 or home grown players in the squad of 35. This could level the playing field in SR, attract international talent and make all the franchises truly competitive. It would capture the imagination of fans and broadcasters and in the long term generate huge revenue for the owners and the union.

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