Exodus 2016
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<p>Highlanders prop Josh Hohneck has signed a 1 year contract with Gloucester</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/news/12434.php#.Vv1xccZf2Ul'>http://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/news/12434.php#.Vv1xccZf2Ul</a></p> -
<p>Confirmed: Cardiff Blues have announced the signing of Willis Halaholo on a "long-term contract" (following Mitre10 Cup)</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.cardiffblues.com/news/8197.php#.Vv5bGsZf2Uk'>http://www.cardiffblues.com/news/8197.php#.Vv5bGsZf2Uk</a></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Stargazer" data-cid="569028" data-time="1459510203">
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<p>Confirmed: Cardiff Blues have announced the signing of Willis Halaholo on a "long-term contract" (following Mitre10 Cup)</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.cardiffblues.com/news/8197.php#.Vv5bGsZf2Uk'>http://www.cardiffblues.com/news/8197.php#.Vv5bGsZf2Uk</a></p>
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<p>I hope World Rugby puts a stop to this, but I'm not hopeful. If people want to move for money, a change of scene etc fine. But this deliberate targeting of SANZAR players with 3 year contracts to bolster mediocre 6N sides (mainly the Celtic ones) is a joke. Especially with all the PI poaching crap down thru the years.</p>
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<p>5 years to qualify should see the end of it.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Billy Tell" data-cid="569427" data-time="1459592264"><p>I hope World Rugby puts a stop to this, but I'm not hopeful. If people want to move for money, a change of scene etc fine. But this deliberate targeting of SANZAR players with 3 year contracts to bolster mediocre 6N sides (mainly the Celtic ones) is a joke. Especially with all the PI poaching crap down thru the years.<br><br>
5 years to qualify should see the end of it.</p></blockquote>agree totally -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Billy Tell" data-cid="569427" data-time="1459592264">
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<p>I hope World Rugby puts a stop to this, but I'm not hopeful. If people want to move for money, a change of scene etc fine. But this deliberate targeting of SANZAR players with 3 year contracts to bolster mediocre 6N sides (mainly the Celtic ones) is a joke. Especially with all the PI poaching crap down thru the years.</p>
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<p>5 years to qualify should see the end of it.</p>
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<p>I agree with your sentiment, but one can't really exempt England and France from accusations of poaching - they're just better at doing it earlier (Tuilagis, Vunipolas, those French PI academies . . .)</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="ulsterman" data-cid="569845" data-time="1459774060">
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<p>I agree with your sentiment, but one can't really exempt England and France from accusations of poaching - they're just better at doing it earlier (Tuilagis, Vunipolas, those French PI academies . . .)</p>
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<p>Nah. The Tuilagis and Vunipolas were not established Super Rugby players who were offered convenient 3 year deals by England. From memory they moved there as teenagers.</p>
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<p>What your union is doing Ulsterman is looking for areas of weakness in the Irish team, then targeting Super Rugby players who have yet to wear Black or Green and offering them 3-year deals. They don't even try and hide it, these players are labelled by the IRFU themselves as "Project Players".</p>
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<p>So the recent 6N saw Nathan White (OK, no Kiwis crying about this one), C J Stander, Richard Strauss, and Jared Payne all play for Ireland.</p>
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<p>I think in 2017 Bundee O'Aki, Jake O'Heenan and Tom McCartney all come on board the Irish train. I think Tyler Blyendaal is also a project player, and it's all but confirmed that Jamison Gibson-Park is the next project player.</p>
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<p>There will always be players who chnage country for whatever reason, and I don't have a problem with it, but the 3-years is too short, and is being cynically targeted by Ireland > Scotland > Wales.</p> -
Can't really see how World Rugby can stop this happening though ? If you put the qualification period up to 5 years (for instance), wealthy teams will target top junior players offering them scholarship's etc to bring them over early.<br>
In Wales at the moment we seem to have teams searching for Welsh qualified (like Anscombe & Jake Ball) players rather than "project players" like Ireland. <br>
The few imports that have stayed on have little or no chance of ever playing for Wales. Maybe that's due to us not really picking up top quality overseas imports as we can't match the Irish Provinces financially (& definitely not the English/French) -
If kiwi rugby players are happy to abandon NZ at junior level in order to possibly play for Ireland 5 years later...good riddance (in a nice-ish way). <br><br>
To a certain extent this is what Jake Heenan has done. I do find it hard to believe that the captain of our U20 team (?with Maori heritage) heads off to Connacht and is now looking to play for Ireland. <br><br>
However he is perma-injured so maybe that's karma... -
<p>SBW to have a 'sabbatical' after Rio (if he makes it) this oughta get the haters going!</p>
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<p>I'm not a fan of it personally, not to mention I struggle to think of how he is comfortable that he has never really pushed to try and make the 12 jersey his own, is he content just having made the ABs, nabbed a couple of RWC medals without ever being 1st choice, surely that would be a driver for him??</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/78563658/sonny-bill-williams-tipped-for-toulon-return-and-another-bid-for-the-all-blacks'>http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/78563658/sonny-bill-williams-tipped-for-toulon-return-and-another-bid-for-the-all-blacks</a></p> -
<p>He is certainly very clever with his negotiating, seems to get what he wants. And what he wants is obviously a varied life full of little challenges along the way. And i can't blame him for that. </p>
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<p>If he is good enough to make these constant changes, and still be good enough to have an impact in what ever he is doing (and he has), good luck to him. </p>
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<p>You're the man Sonny, if you come back and play a big part in us smoking the Lions, then awesome</p> -
<p>Although a lucrative route he is also taking on a decent challenge to improve himself. If after Rio he goes to France he will be playing at a higher level than playing Mitre10 Cup. He will also get less of a break and come back to the Chiefs to prove himself again and have a crack (with no guarantees) for an AB jersey against the Lions.</p>
