Exodus
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Tumua Manu (Chiefs) joins french club Pau on a two-year deal.
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@Bovidae It will be interesting to see where some of the older players are going to, who are now off-contract in France. Retiring, returning to NZ, or going to another overseas club.
There's a list forming: Julian Savea, Liam Messam, Tom Taylor, Loni Uhila, and a few that I can't remember right now. I just saw that Tom Marshall has signed in Japan.
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Former ABs analyst and Blues assistant coach Alistair Rogers is the new defence coach of Canon Eagles.
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2020-2021シーズンを迎えるにあたり、キヤノンイーグルスに入団する選手とスタッフを以下にお知らせいたします。新入団選手氏名ポジション身長/体重生年月日主な
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Report: Eddie Jones intent on brazenly luring Hoskins Sotutu to England
England coach Eddie Jones is reportedly keen on swooping in on Hoskins Sotutu, one of Super Rugby Aotearoa's breakout stars, after the Blues No 8 revealed he qualifies to play for England via his mother.
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If only the NZ Herald had run that article after the ABs had capped him. But then again, it also sounds like Hoskins wanted that information out there. If Hoskins goes I will be disappointed. At least with Shields, he tried for years to get into the ABs and only left after it became clear that he was not likely to get picked.
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Eddie Jones has repeatedly said it's not his job to write the eligibility rules, it's his job to prepare the best possible team for England to the very best of his ability.
Whatever decision Hoskins Sotutu makes is up to him. He will know his career goals and his own Rugby identity. He has to think as well about his post-Rugby career and the very real possibility that injury could cut his career short.
It would be a stunning coup by Eddie Jones and the RFU if they could get Hoskins Sotutu of the Blues and former NZ under-20 international to commit to playing for England. But dear God, what would it say about Ian Foster and NZR if they let such an obvious outstanding talent slip through their fingers?
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Eddie Jones has repeatedly said it's not his job to write the eligibility rules, it's his job to prepare the best possible team for England to the very best of his ability.
Whatever decision Hoskins Sotutu makes is up to him. He will know his career goals and his own Rugby identity. He has to think as well about his post-Rugby career and the very real possibility that injury could cut his career short.
It would be a stunning coup by Eddie Jones and the RFU if they could get Hoskins Sotutu of the Blues and former NZ under-20 international to commit to playing for England. But dear God, what would it say about Ian Foster and NZR if they let such an obvious outstanding talent slip through their fingers?
I don't think it says anything about Foster or NZR if he choses to play for England. He's a young, inexperienced lad, so they're not going to throw extra money at him to keep him here. What can they do? Nothing. They're not going to cap a player quickly, just to keep him from playing for another country. Now, that would be dodgy!
From what I've read, it's still a distinct possibility that he choses to play for Fiji. I haven't been able to find it anymore, but I remember reading somewhere that there's quite a lot of pressure from his family in Fiji to do so. There may also be financial pressure from that side.
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@Stargazer It's Ian Foster's job now to prepare the ABs to have the best possible shot of recapturing silverware. That is maxmisied by getting Hoskins Sotutu on board.
If he choses anything other the ABs then Eddie Jones will be laughing for some time.
Hopefully the ABs at the Blues will be enthuse about the AB environment. I'd also get Wayne Shelford and Kieran Read to sit down with young Hoskins 1:1 and explain what that AB Number 8 jersey meant to them.
Ultimately and rightly, the player has the choice here. But I hope the ABs management are doing all they can to bring young eligible talent on board.
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@Machpants said in Exodus:
But dear God, what would it say about Ian Foster and NZR if they let such an obvious outstanding talent slip through their fingers?
It would say NZ has a GDP and pop of a tenth of England, and they can pay him a fuck load more?
Yeah, but NZ has more Rugby fans and won't have its economy anything like as badly affected by Covid-19.
Given the cuts the RFU are currently making, they're not exactly swimming in spare cash:
RFU boss reveals the breathtaking cuts made behind closed doors
The RFU's high ranking officials - including Eddie Jones - have taken pay cuts but the damage for English rugby's rank and file has been far more considerable.
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Hopefully growing up in New Zealand makes him desire the jersey and on form he'd have to be picked in the squad.
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If I was a young England-based talented Number 8 busting my backside off, I'd be a bit upset that my national coach is so intent on turning a player who has spent almost all his life on the other side of the world into an England international.
Eddie Jones said recently that NZ had three great development systems full of young talent: Tonga, Fiji and Samoa. Its obvious he's obsessed with selecting talent from two other development systems: the North island and the South Island of New Zealand.
Why isn't Eddie Jones trying as hard to develop young players from the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Shepney or the Isle of Dogs into becoming England internationals?
Poaching talent plugs holes, but it isn't going to work long-term as a talent development system.
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Why isn't Eddie Jones trying as hard to develop young players from
Because Eddie isn't the Development Officer/person from the RFU. He's the coach of the national team, his job is to make them the best, within the rules he's given. And if getting some bloke from NZ with an English Mum is the best, then he will do it. In fact he would be remiss if he did not pursue it.
