Transfer news, rumours, suggestions, frenzied speculation, and outright lies - Season 2023-24

[Scrumhead]

Not very flashy, few dominant hits but a 92% tackle completion rate. Similar gain line success and dominant carry stats to Cracknell who has a lower tackle completion.

He'd be an ok signing but not one I'd be excited by.

Goes missing in big games and seems to have an overinflated idea of his own carrying ability so he's selfish ball in hand and too often gets buried trying to carry through somewhere that he shouldn't have. He gets worse the better the opposition gets - like Dombrandt but much worse.

I actually rate Cracknell quite highly, but I think the point does need to be made that we don't need a second Cracknell. We already have one of those and he does a job very nicely. We have decent depth in our back row - even assuming Hatherell and Rogerson are both off (which I don't believe are confirmed yet?), we have Reffell, Liebenberg, Cracknell, Ilione, Carnduff, and now Moro, and that's without dropping one of our many lock/6s back, using the likes of Williams from the academy, getting a loan from Nottingham, etc.

Our squad does not need another okayish 6/8. We're just getting rid of two of them who rarely actually played! If we're going to sign a back row, then we need either a new first team 8 to replace Wiese, or to go for someone young and improvable (like Moro). If we can't get either of those, then spending cap on squad cover who is "just as good as Cracknell if you look at it" isn't worth doing.

Just feels like a Kalamafoni signing. Yeah, he'll probably be all right, but it's signing someone as a starter in a key position who probably wouldn't be first choice anywhere else.

Puja

You won’t find a Glaws fan that will agree with you. Ruan has been phenomenal for us, often the only reliable ball carrier we have had in the forwards, and is never less than 100% committed. It’s dreadful business for us to let him go, he should have been in the England reckoning long ago.

I rate him but it’s a hard no on that last statement.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Gloucester Rugby 2024/25 end-of-season leavers

Freddie Clarke
Charlie Chapman
Ruan Ackermann
Chris Harris
Santiago Carreras
Albert Tuisue
Louis Hillman Cooper
Morgan Adderly Jones
Mayco Vivas
Ioan Jones
Rory Taylor
Morgan Nelson
Alfie Petch
Christian Wade
Gareth Anscombe
Gareth Blackmore
Zach Mercer
Aristot Benz Salomon
Matty Ward

Would be a couple of absolute crackers to pick up for some club! Very surprised Glaws have let Taylor go with Carreras and Anscombe off. Could have kept him another year and see if he can push on towards that 10 shirt.

[Banquo]

Gloucester Rugby 2024/25 end-of-season leavers

Freddie Clarke
Charlie Chapman
Ruan Ackermann
Chris Harris
Santiago Carreras
Albert Tuisue
Louis Hillman Cooper
Morgan Adderly Jones
Mayco Vivas
Ioan Jones
Rory Taylor
Morgan Nelson
Alfie Petch
Christian Wade
Gareth Anscombe
Gareth Blackmore
Zach Mercer
Aristot Benz Salomon
Matty Ward

The last couple of months have been profoundly dispiriting from where we sit.
Would be a couple of absolute crackers to pick up for some club! Very surprised Glaws have let Taylor go with Carreras and Anscombe off. Could have kept him another year and see if he can push on towards that 10 shirt.

There's no money mate, and/or the money is being splashed around by a- those who can't afford it, b-those who can, but still warehouse players and c- those who are aspirant and spending unsustainably.

[ilovelamp]

Jones has realised he’s actually Welsh and is off to Scarlets. He has been surpassed in the pecking order at Glaws by Jack Cotgreave who looks a very exciting prospect.

Not sure what the score is with Taylor, especially given his prior links to JLB at Irish. Suspect he may be off to the Championship for a season or two.

[ilovelamp]

Goes missing in big games and seems to have an overinflated idea of his own carrying ability so he's selfish ball in hand and too often gets buried trying to carry through somewhere that he shouldn't have. He gets worse the better the opposition gets - like Dombrandt but much worse.

I actually rate Cracknell quite highly, but I think the point does need to be made that we don't need a second Cracknell. We already have one of those and he does a job very nicely. We have decent depth in our back row - even assuming Hatherell and Rogerson are both off (which I don't believe are confirmed yet?), we have Reffell, Liebenberg, Cracknell, Ilione, Carnduff, and now Moro, and that's without dropping one of our many lock/6s back, using the likes of Williams from the academy, getting a loan from Nottingham, etc.

Our squad does not need another okayish 6/8. We're just getting rid of two of them who rarely actually played! If we're going to sign a back row, then we need either a new first team 8 to replace Wiese, or to go for someone young and improvable (like Moro). If we can't get either of those, then spending cap on squad cover who is "just as good as Cracknell if you look at it" isn't worth doing.

Just feels like a Kalamafoni signing. Yeah, he'll probably be all right, but it's signing someone as a starter in a key position who probably wouldn't be first choice anywhere else.

Puja

You won’t find a Glaws fan that will agree with you. Ruan has been phenomenal for us, often the only reliable ball carrier we have had in the forwards, and is never less than 100% committed. It’s dreadful business for us to let him go, he should have been in the England reckoning long ago.

I rate him but it’s a hard no on that last statement.

Would have been far more deserving than that donkey Ethan Roots.

[Danno]

No-one was too happy with him either tbf

[Banquo]

Jones has realised he’s actually Welsh and is off to Scarlets. He has been surpassed in the pecking order at Glaws by Jack Cotgreave who looks a very exciting prospect.

Not sure what the score is with Taylor, especially given his prior links to JLB at Irish. Suspect he may be off to the Championship for a season or two.

Taylor has been playing for Hartpury, mind getting past Bazalgette has proved beyond a few

[Which Tyler]

Would have been far more deserving than that donkey Ethan Roots.

That's about the same level of challenge, as when I set myself the challenge of befriending that Golden Retriever - whilst happening to have a sausage in my hand.
I mean, yeah, you're not wrong, but...

[p/d]

No-one was too happy with him either tbf

Oakboy aside.

[Banquo]

No-one was too happy with him either tbf

Oakboy aside.

always rooting for the underdog and bad hairstyle

[Scrumhead]

Roots did OK. I don’t have any desire to see him back in the mix but he wasn’t a ‘donkey’.

[ilovelamp]

Nepo Laulala to Glaws. Will be announced this week.

Feels like that will be a dreadful signing.

People said that about John Afoa when we signed him too off the back of an injury plagued stint at Ulster. Turned out to be one of our best ever signings. Time will tell with this one.

[Captainhaircut]

Nepo Laulala to Glaws. Will be announced this week.

Feels like that will be a dreadful signing.

People said that about John Afoa when we signed him too off the back of an injury plagued stint at Ulster. Turned out to be one of our best ever signings. Time will tell with this one.

Afoa was 31, Laulala will be pretty much 34 by the time the contract starts.

Suppose it depends how much he’s on- if he’s cheap then it’s just a gamble to keep him fit, probably playing him for 20 mins coming off the bench for Fasogbon.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Gloucester Rugby 2024/25 end-of-season leavers

Freddie Clarke
Charlie Chapman
Ruan Ackermann
Chris Harris
Santiago Carreras
Albert Tuisue
Louis Hillman Cooper
Morgan Adderly Jones
Mayco Vivas
Ioan Jones
Rory Taylor
Morgan Nelson
Alfie Petch
Christian Wade
Gareth Anscombe
Gareth Blackmore
Zach Mercer
Aristot Benz Salomon
Matty Ward

The last couple of months have been profoundly dispiriting from where we sit.
Would be a couple of absolute crackers to pick up for some club! Very surprised Glaws have let Taylor go with Carreras and Anscombe off. Could have kept him another year and see if he can push on towards that 10 shirt.

There's no money mate, and/or the money is being splashed around by a- those who can't afford it, b-those who can, but still warehouse players and c- those who are aspirant and spending unsustainably.

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

[FKAS]

The last couple of months have been profoundly dispiriting from where we sit.
Would be a couple of absolute crackers to pick up for some club! Very surprised Glaws have let Taylor go with Carreras and Anscombe off. Could have kept him another year and see if he can push on towards that 10 shirt.

There's no money mate, and/or the money is being splashed around by a- those who can't afford it, b-those who can, but still warehouse players and c- those who are aspirant and spending unsustainably.

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Do we need another young flyhalf with no Prem experience and potential though? For next season we've got;

Titcombe, 23 - bit of URC experience with Scarlets
Threlfall 18/19 - some Champ experience with Notts
Talbot 17/18 - academy, England u18s and u19s

Is Taylor going to offer us something immediate or just take Championship loan and PRC opportunities away from those already there?

[Danno]

There's no money mate, and/or the money is being splashed around by a- those who can't afford it, b-those who can, but still warehouse players and c- those who are aspirant and spending unsustainably.

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Do we need another young flyhalf with no Prem experience and potential though? For next season we've got;

Titcombe, 23 - bit of URC experience with Scarlets
Threlfall 18/19 - some Champ experience with Notts
Talbot 17/18 - academy, England u18s and u19s

Is Taylor going to offer us something immediate or just take Championship loan and PRC opportunities away from those already there?

You'll have all the T's!

[p/d]

No-one was too happy with him either tbf

Oakboy aside.

always rooting for the underdog and bad hairstyle

Ewers know Hill mention Armand.

[FKAS]

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Do we need another young flyhalf with no Prem experience and potential though? For next season we've got;

Titcombe, 23 - bit of URC experience with Scarlets
Threlfall 18/19 - some Champ experience with Notts
Talbot 17/18 - academy, England u18s and u19s

Is Taylor going to offer us something immediate or just take Championship loan and PRC opportunities away from those already there?

You'll have all the T's!

Excellent point he goes with the naming scheme.

I seem to remember something about him being a decent player but it's just whether we need him when options are already there.

[Epaminondas Pules]

There's no money mate, and/or the money is being splashed around by a- those who can't afford it, b-those who can, but still warehouse players and c- those who are aspirant and spending unsustainably.

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Do we need another young flyhalf with no Prem experience and potential though? For next season we've got;

Titcombe, 23 - bit of URC experience with Scarlets
Threlfall 18/19 - some Champ experience with Notts
Talbot 17/18 - academy, England u18s and u19s

Is Taylor going to offer us something immediate or just take Championship loan and PRC opportunities away from those already there?

Good point. He's a very talented lad. I'd have preferred him over Titcombe, on the assumption that we're still looking for a frontline 10.

[FKAS]

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Do we need another young flyhalf with no Prem experience and potential though? For next season we've got;

Titcombe, 23 - bit of URC experience with Scarlets
Threlfall 18/19 - some Champ experience with Notts
Talbot 17/18 - academy, England u18s and u19s

Is Taylor going to offer us something immediate or just take Championship loan and PRC opportunities away from those already there?

Good point. He's a very talented lad. I'd have preferred him over Titcombe, on the assumption that we're still looking for a frontline 10.

If we're not signing a front line ten we're screwed for next season. Titcombe at 23 has been around enough that he should be able to hold his own as the back up or third choice, can also cover 15 which is useful from the bench (and in general with our squad). I don't think he'll count for the homegrown salary cap exemptions though we are probably ok for that anyway.

[Banquo]

The last couple of months have been profoundly dispiriting from where we sit.
Would be a couple of absolute crackers to pick up for some club! Very surprised Glaws have let Taylor go with Carreras and Anscombe off. Could have kept him another year and see if he can push on towards that 10 shirt.

There's no money mate, and/or the money is being splashed around by a- those who can't afford it, b-those who can, but still warehouse players and c- those who are aspirant and spending unsustainably.

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Yeah sorry, I’d wrongly thought he was being suggested for a champ club. Not that we’d say no, but suspect his salary ask too steep

[Puja]

There's no money mate, and/or the money is being splashed around by a- those who can't afford it, b-those who can, but still warehouse players and c- those who are aspirant and spending unsustainably.

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Yeah sorry, I’d wrongly thought he was being suggested for a champ club. Not that we’d say no, but suspect his salary ask too steep

Gods Banquo, not **everything** is about the Championship, okay? I know that all the publicity and media attention that you all get might be confusing and it just becomes an assumption that any rugby conversation is about the Champ, but other leagues do exist, you know!

Puja

[Epaminondas Pules]

There's no money mate, and/or the money is being splashed around by a- those who can't afford it, b-those who can, but still warehouse players and c- those who are aspirant and spending unsustainably.

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Yeah sorry, I’d wrongly thought he was being suggested for a champ club. Not that we’d say no, but suspect his salary ask too steep

Totally get that, unless it is Worcester. Who are screwing the pooch for everyone else while they're at it.

[Banquo]

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Yeah sorry, I’d wrongly thought he was being suggested for a champ club. Not that we’d say no, but suspect his salary ask too steep

Gods Banquo, not **everything** is about the Championship, okay? I know that all the publicity and media attention that you all get might be confusing and it just becomes an assumption that any rugby conversation is about the Champ, but other leagues do exist, you know!

Puja

actually, watch out later this evening for the amazing and innovative new name

But the branding is actually very good imo.

[Banquo]

Tigers could do a lot worse than take a punt on Taylor. We’ve definitely got money

Yeah sorry, I’d wrongly thought he was being suggested for a champ club. Not that we’d say no, but suspect his salary ask too steep

Totally get that, unless it is Worcester. Who are screwing the pooch for everyone else while they're at it.

Tell me about it. Offering gopping (in relative terms) contracts, inflating the market. They are also throwing huge sums into marketing, promos etc, which obviously then leads to...why can't we do that #sourgrapes