TRP - Interesting

[Neils]

Lee is close to signing a Saffer lock who can double at back row. Move expected next week. No name given.
Also another club being investigated for a salary cap breach. The club is one of the current top four.

[W2APS]

What odds on it being a team from Devon paying people via a communications firm?

Also good lock news given the expected situation.

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[coddy]

Could be Sale with their new found millions and Director of Rugby who has shown time and again a lack of respect for the values of the game.

[BG]

The rumour of a saffa lock would explain Blackett's relaxed position on what might or might not happen to Rowlands and Flament.

The 1st club that sprang to mind about salary cap infringements was Sale. They have a smaller squad than most but that squad does contain some box office players.

The owner/CEO, Orange, has been on record flippantly remarking that it is easy to by-pass the cap rules, and he's certainly rich enough, and has enough business interests to make it difficult to trace where payments might be coming from.

Bristol and Bath have cash rich owners but something tells me that they wouldn't risk it.

[RBB]

Not convinced it isn't Bristol, they seem to have collected galacticos over the last couple of years, and keep adding to the squad. Twitter very quiet at the moment, however I am sure the supposition will commence soon.

[HDAWG]

I mean the first lock I think of from SA that also doubles at back row is Pieter-Steph du Toit.... But I doubt it. Still interested in who we've got in mind.

I reckon it's Exeter too. The previous season when they signed Stuart Hogg, released Campagnaro to "balance the books", and then provide extensions and salary increases to Slade, Nowell and LCD. I found that very suspicious. I'm probably wrong though.

[wasps]

It's probably the signing of Manu that has prompted investigations to make sure things are above board

[Shugs]

One of the few times I'm glad we're not in the top 4! Good news on the lock - I imagine that will trigger Rowlands departure though as it seemed to be suggested he was waiting for us to find a replacement before he left. All the international locks are already farmed out so it will be someone more under the radar.

[JonnyD]

Very interesting, and what a few on here, including myself, having been calling for for at least 2 seasons now.
Hope it’s someone who will be pushing for a starting spot and is an absolute beast.
However, after watching the last three games of the season back recently i think we might be more in the market for a lineout caller. Tibo may not call but is so dynamic in the lineout and will be a loss if he eventually goes and losing Matthews and Gaskell’s injuries means we are light of a lineout calling mastermind.
We have definitely struggled more over the last few years in the lineout without Myall, Gaskell or Matthews in the side.

[Chunky24]

Random guess based on nothing more than i was reading an article on Montpelier and some salary cap issues, Jacques du Plessis.

[Marlow Nick]

In the current financial climate will we really sign a big name? My guess is a very good not-quite-international who will get Rowlands' salary

[MarleyWasp]

By process of elimination (looking through the squads of the SA franchises on Wikipedia), the following fit the bill:

Ben-Jason Dixon (22)
Juandré Kruger (34)
Abongile Nonkontwana (25)
Willem Alberts (36)
Ruan Vermaak (22)
Tyler Paul (25)
Evan Roos (20)
JJ van der Mescht (21)
Johan du Toit (24)
Ernst van Rhyn (22)
Elrigh Louw (20)
Bobby de Wee (26)
Tienie Burger (26)
Thembelani Bholi (30)
Lusanda Badiyana (23)
Oupa Mohojé (30)
Reniel Hugo (30)

Obviously not an extensive list as I haven't included players playing in France, the Pro14 or Japan.

Pieter-Steph du Toit also fits the bill but has confirmed he will stay with the Stormers.

[DanJester]

Is it a Top 4 team, or a team chasing the Top 4? If the latter then I'd be worried it could be us, given how we offloaded players like Ash and Carr, who would have been on hefty contracts.

[Neils]

Is it a Top 4 team, or a team chasing the Top 4? If the latter then I'd be worried it could be us, given how we offloaded players like Ash and Carr, who would have been on hefty contracts.

Quote is - in the running to finish in the Top 4. So us, Bath and uncle Tom Cobbly. It is not the EAs.

[Raggs]

It may simply be an overrun, similar to what we had not so long ago, wouldn't sell papers if they said as much though.

Exeter would be the most obvious to me. Sale have a tiny squad, Bristol still have a lot of players that wouldn't have cost a lot, even with their bigger names. Saints? Perhaps, but doesn't really feel right.

Just seen the new post that includes us and Bath. I'd hope without Cips, Le Roux etc, we're not threatening the cap too much to be in danger of a serious breach. Bath, perhaps, and they have done it before.