The rumour mill

First topic message reminder :

Whilst unofficial negotiations will have been taking place for some time, it is only a few weeks until official approaches can be made and so the rumour mill is in full swing. Whilst ignoring what your mate's cousin's goldfish heard, what are the rumours you've heard coming and going from your club?


Rumours so far...
Geoff Parling to Glaws staying at Tigers
Matt Garvey to Quins, Saints, Glaws & Bath...
Nick Kennedy to everyone
Dave Attwood to Glaws
Sean Cronin to Connacht
Jonathan Joseph to Bath - confirmed
Matthew Rees to Cardiff confirmed
Stephen Shingler to a Welsh club confirmed to Scarlets
Adam Warren to Glaws and Cardiff
Kahn Fotuali'I to Toulouse - leaving but to Saints
Matt Kvesic to Tigers, Glaws, Saints and Sarries - confirmed to Glaws
Castro, John Smit and Claasens to Toulon - Castro & Claasens confirmed to Toulon
Alex Corbisiero to Saints confirmed
James Johnston to numerous French clubs & Sarries - confirmed to Sarries
Anthony Watson to Tigers & Bath
Tiny to Racing Metro
Sailosi Tagicakibau to Toulon
Toby Faletau to Bath
Billy Vunipola to Sarries - confirmed
Rhys Gill, Martin Roberts, Eiffion Lewis-Roberts, Gareth Delve, Dwayne Peel to Cardiff
Chris Cochrane to Connacht
Fionn Carr to Connacht confirmed
Newcastle starting XV to Tigers
George Ford to Saints or Bath confirmed he's leaving, but to who...
Stephen Donald to anyone who'll have him
Jonny Sexton to Racing confirmed he's leaving...
PDJ to Quins & Wasps - confirmed to Quins
BJ Botha to Toulon
Mike Ross to Munster signed a new contract
Richie Gray, Rob Miller & Kearnan Myall to Glaws - [b]Gray confirmed to Castres, Myall confirmed to Wasps, Miller staying at Sale (TRP not very accurate with these ones!!)
Stephen Myler to Tigers - staying at Saints
Matt Mulan to Wasps - confirmed
Ryan Lamb to France, Exeter or Wuss
Andy Saull to Exeter or Newcastle
James Scaysbrook to Tigers - staying at Exeter
Tom Johnson to Bath - re-signed with Exeter (how many Bath rumours are actually ever true??)
Mickey Young, Kieran Brookes to Bath - Brookes gone back to Newcastle on loan
Dan Carter, SBW, Dusatoir, McCaw to Sarries & under the salary cap too...
Gareth Maule to London Irish
Andy Goode to Newcastle, Dragons, Saints or KFC. - confirmed to Wasps
Steffan Jones to Wasps or London Welsh
Nick Robinson to Worcester or Dragons - going to Bristol
Joe Carlisle to Wasps - confirmed
James Hudson to Glaws - confirmed
Ian Nagle to Glaws
David Mele & Joel Kefi to Tigers
Sione Timani to Bath
Adam Ashley-Cooper to Leinster
Isa Nacewa to...

It will be in the Leicester Mercury tomorrow that Geoff Parling has signed a new deal with the tigers. Happy to read that bit of news!

https://twitter.com/martin_crowson/status/290516884347031552

Yeah he has signed extended contract for Leicester...so it'll be interesting to see who Glos end up with.

Nice to see its not all about money...

GeordieFalcon wrote:Yeah he has signed extended contract for Leicester...so it'll be interesting to see who Glos end up with.

Nice to see its not all about money...

James Hudson perchance?

I can't imagine we can afford Bekker, but there are rumours. We're still being linked to Myall, Kennedy and Garvey. The general consensus is that we'll need 2 locks.

Erm keep yer thieven mits off!!

I think Garvey and Kennedy would be a cracking combo for you guys. Cant comment on Myall not really seen much of him.

Myall is like many modern locks now, athletic and able to play at no.6. He is more of a lineout lock and not really in the Jim Hamilton mould.

Ah cheers marra...

And I just read the most ridiculous rumour earlier at lunchtime in french newspaper midi olympique : Sexton is apparently courted by Racing and allegedly met Racing Metro president a couple of times already. I am pretty sure this is not even possible from an IRFU point of view but please someone correct me if I am wrong.

Racing would already have pre-signed Lydiate, Roberts, Mujati, Tonga'huia, Lapeyre, Planta and Andreu for next season and also the current Castres managers (Labit and Travers).

European employment law would limit what the IRFU can do i believe. They could perhaps threaten to stop players being selected for Ireland if they play overseas, but that's about it.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Erm keep yer thieven mits off!!

I think Garvey and Kennedy would be a cracking combo for you guys. Cant comment on Myall not really seen much of him.

Don't worry Geordie

I'd like to see Garvey and Kennedy and as Cumbrian says, my concern with Myall is that he is a bean pole and would add little grunt. However, with Big Jim going and Brown retiring we're left with no middle jumper, so we may end up having to go down that line.

Kennedy is on record saying that he couldn't see himself playing for any other premiership team but Irish, so hopefully that'll mean he'll be coming back.

Wouldn't mind James Hudson coming back either, but can't see him leaving Newcastle now.

HKC,

I rate Savage highly...so thats one piece of the jigsaw...just need a couple more...

Ours arent bad but not brilliant...Hudson, Tomes, Del Fava, McLeod

Fortuali'i is tipped for Saints, but might stay in Wales if the deal is right.

Mickey Young is out of contract, and I reckon he'll be on Bath's radar. Allegedly, we (Bath) have already secured Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, and Matt Garvey from Irish. We're after a prop, too. George Ford's arrival is STD (Subject to Donald), I reckon.

Garvey to Bath...hhmm lets hope they dont ruin him like they have with Attwood...

Morne Steyn is in serious talk with Stade Français apparently...
at least it means that Meyer gave up on him.

Attwood's not been ruined. He's a cracking player. Slips off one too many tackles for my liking, but still quality. A big engine, too.

Quote Rolf: "George Ford's arrival is STD "

I can assure you he didn't pick up anything playing at Leicester

Rolfs_Cartoon_Club wrote:Attwood's not been ruined. He's a cracking player. Slips off one too many tackles for my liking, but still quality. A big engine, too.

He's not shown the form from when he left GLos though...and isnt even starting for Bath isnt he?

I thought Attwood was coming back from an injury?

Attwood has just not kicked on at all at Bath, I don't even think he's in the Saxons is he.

Great hands for a lock but just lacks a bit of grunt.

He hasn't been the same since his injury, but he has looked good in his last few games. I'm sure he will be targetting a strong end to the season and a summer tour spot.

Mickey Young is out of contract, and I reckon he'll be on Bath's radar. Allegedly, we (Bath) have already secured Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, and Matt Garvey from Irish. We're after a prop, too. George Ford's arrival is STD (Subject to Donald), I reckon.

Damn Bath. Keep yer mits off Ford. We'll let you have Mickey though. Watson and Joseph would be cracking signings though I don't see the point in signing Garvey when you have four locks on the books already. Bath to bid for PDJ?

Either Garvey's being signed as a back row (he's a decent 6), or Attwood's off.

PDJ turned us down before he went to Saints. There may well be a surprise with who we sign at prop- a big South African, perhaps, given Gold and the club's connections?

I heard that Racing Metro have secured Morne Stein for next season - So I guess Sexton will stay with Leinster.

Garvey may be signed as a lock/back row to replace Simon Taylor or Skirving? Him at Attwood together would be a hefty 2nd row combo, although probably not so good in the lineout. Caldwell hasnt featured much this season due to injury so I don't know what will happen to him.

I thought PDJ to Quins was a done deal?

I thought Steyn was going to Stade?

Yes, Steyn is going to Stade.

Bathman_in_London wrote:I thought PDJ to Quins was a done deal?

I've heard this bandied around for the last few days Bathman. COS has said they're looking to sign a replacement for JJ, but i'm not sure where the PDJ rumours come from. I only found a reference to it in the Torygraph dated today, and the hack .. sorry, journo that wrote it only made a passing sentance to this effect.

Could be true; could be a case of chinese whispers. Do you have a source at all?

With Bath having Caldwell, Day & Hooper signed up for next season and from the sound of it Attwood has re-signed too, this would really mean Garvey would go as a 6. If he has any international aspirations then he's going to find it very difficult to get ahead of the plethora of 6s that England have. So really his best chance is to focus on lock. If that's the case the move to Bath would either be unlikely or odd.

Rolfs_Cartoon_Club wrote:Fortuali'i is tipped for Saints, but might stay in Wales if the deal is right.

Mickey Young is out of contract, and I reckon he'll be on Bath's radar. Allegedly, we (Bath) have already secured Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, and Matt Garvey from Irish. We're after a prop, too. George Ford's arrival is STD (Subject to Donald), I reckon.

To be honest who aren't Bath linked to?

On another note is there going to be anyone left at London Irish?

Also are Sale Sharks not going to lose anyone?

Beshocked - if there's a god in heaven (and a relegation clause in his contract), I will fly over to drag Richie Gray to Sarries or Leinster myself.

It wasn't the best planning of Irish to have so many of their sort after players out of contract at the same time.

Without being antagonistic, with the excpetion of Gray, there is very few players of any note in the Sale side. Seymour and Miller are really the only decent players, the rest are rather mediocre.

AlastairW wrote:

Bathman_in_London wrote:I thought PDJ to Quins was a done deal?

I've heard this bandied around for the last few days Bathman. COS has said they're looking to sign a replacement for JJ, but i'm not sure where the PDJ rumours come from. I only found a reference to it in the Torygraph dated today, and the hack .. sorry, journo that wrote it only made a passing sentance to this effect.

Could be true; could be a case of chinese whispers. Do you have a source at all?

Thinking about it I don't have a source, just various passing mentions. I've just heard it enough times so that I've convinced myself its true!

Corbs to Saints is now offficial:

http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/news/6965.php#.UPaCoh1LMfJ


As a LI fan, I wish him all the best. Sadly, we've learned to get by without him over the last couple of seasons, Hopefully Max Lahiff will stay and fill the void.

George Carlin as much as I would have liked that. He can't come to Sarries now. Everyone thinks we are breaking the salary cap. If we get Gray too.......

To be fair HKC you are right.

If I was Richie Gray I would look at Quins.

Quins are fairly settled with Kohn and Robson, and Charlie Matthews is a good youngster.

To be honest if Quins cant afford to keep JJ then we wont be able to afford Grey. He will be looking to fill that marquee signing role if with another prem team. And Quins have given that to NEV.

I would doubt that Leinster will sign Gray unless Leo Cullen retires this season.

propdavid_london wrote:Quins are fairly settled with Kohn and Robson, and Charlie Matthews is a good youngster.

To be honest if Quins cant afford to keep JJ then we wont be able to afford Grey. He will be looking to fill that marquee signing role if with another prem team. And Quins have given that to NEV.

This.

No offence to Grey, i think he's an outstanding line out operator and very mobile, but i'd rather take NEv as marquee signing anyday of the week.

Grey couldn't be a marquee signing for any other Jeff side now that he is playing in the Jeff. So this could rule out any potential switch.

Maybe Gray might fancy a switch a bit further up North and East from Manchester...just on the Scottish border...a club going places with ambition, a great coaching team, money and not too far from his home...oh and a few other fellow Scotsmen...

Berwick RFC?

Crackin club...dont knock it!!

Been confirmed that's saints have bought Corbs

I wasn't Geordie!

Gray might enjoy actually winning some games anyway!

Corbs begins the LI exodus then eh.....

Yeah Gray might enjoy that feeling Bathman

GeordieFalcon wrote:Maybe Gray might fancy a switch a bit further up North and East from Manchester...just on the Scottish border...a club going places with ambition, a great coaching team, money and not too far from his home...oh and a few other fellow Scotsmen...

Melrose?

Are we going to list all the border clubs now?

Alnwick?

Yeah, why not. How about Jed Forest?

Galashiels?

When I was younger I used to think Northampton was in Northumbria.

Does that make me a bad person?