TRP

[HDAWG]

Yeah I was just saying players I wouldn't mind signing if we could.

Given removal of marquee signings and such, wouldn't be surprised if we recruited more from the championship. If they end up like Dan Frost I'll be happy.

[Shugs]

  Fair enough. I’d take Esterhuizen at 12 and C Harris at 13!!

[CV2]

Re issues with our back line if you look at the top teams currently they either have a really strong 9/10 combination (Quins and Leicester) or various "ball playing" backs outside 9/10 (Sarries and Exeter)

If you look at Sarries outside Faz they have Lozowski, Daly, Malins, Goode, all more than comfortable with ball in hand, play various positions and are kicking options. Exeter have Slade and Hogg outside of Simmonds.

We know we play a lot of Dobby but I think with an eye towards recruitment next year and who might be leaving I would really like us to target some more ball playing backs to take some of the burden off our two young fly halves.

Lozowski would be perfect for this (although unlikely) as he is more than comfortable at 10/12/13. Obviously Mills was brought into for similar reasons but with his injury record and Jimmy being another year older there is no one else that I currently can think of in our back line who falls into this category (potential with Crossdale). We either have speed merchants or pure physicality with Fek/Paolo.

Gone are the days of Beale/Daly/WLR. Here's wishing for some more gems out of the Championship!

   

[Peej]

It doesn't say much for our ambition if we lose Fekitoa and turn to a Championship player

[Neils]

It doesn't say much for our ambition if we lose Fekitoa and turn to a Championship player

Money

[NellyWellyWaspy]

It doesn't say much for our ambition if we lose Fekitoa and turn to a Championship player

Fek is probably a marquee and we can't have that second marquee slot any more. The money he is on will likely break the cap we would be forced to squeeze him in to. I cannot see any centres that we would want (those not of the fragile nature), we don't have any in the academy who are ready yet, overseas players will be too expensive, so it is not a tactic, but a necessity to scour the Championship clubs.

I am guessing we could list those players here, if we wanted to, and then eliminate them one by one till we are left with a shortlist. We will no doubt be losing Mills and Fekitoa (which other backs would be losing, Watson ... ?), so we do have some wiggle room.

[mike909]

Centres - I was mildly surprised we didn't look at Sam Hill when he left Exeter - not getting game time at Sale....and if Devoto is not going to get an England call.....he would be exactly the sort of 12 that would be a similar replacement for Jimmy. (and sadly for Mills)

[Peej]

Why no doubt that Mills is leaving? What have I missed there?

It's a 13 we need, and there are a few of those kicking around from the SH. There may be a discarded All Black? There's always SA too, where pounds still have serious oomph in the exchange rate. I take what you mean about the cap, but if Gopperth is going down, we lost props and hookers last season that were on more than their replacements are. Do we know for sure if Fekitoa is in the cap, given it was probably Launch and Lima last season?

[wasps]

No way to know who is in or out of cap.
But assuming Lima was the marquee, we may well have moved him to the cap and made Fekitoa the marquee knowing that we'd keep him for longer.

[wasps]

Centres - I was mildly surprised we didn't look at Sam Hill when he left Exeter - not getting game time at Sale....and if Devoto is not going to get an England call.....he would be exactly the sort of 12 that would be a similar replacement for Jimmy. (and sadly for Mills)

Talk of signing Devoto should soon have a £5 bounty on it

[HDAWG]

Pretty sure Fekitoa is overseas marquee and Lima was overseas marquee (now replaced by Fifita as 2nd marquee signing).

Launchbury I thought was highest earner that's not overseas marquee.

[JonnyD]

Centres - I was mildly surprised we didn't look at Sam Hill when he left Exeter - not getting game time at Sale....and if Devoto is not going to get an England call.....he would be exactly the sort of 12 that would be a similar replacement for Jimmy. (and sadly for Mills)

Talk of signing Devoto should soon have a £5 bounty on it

I have to agree, not sure why Devoto would want to leave a regular starting spot in a great Exeter side for us… unless we are paying well over the odds. Also, he’s a good player but not the sort of player to win matches by himself of grab the game by the scruff of the neck and lead his team through it.

I wonder what will happen with Mills, do we look after him, offer him a reduced deal for another year and hope he’ll be fit or just cut our losses, think he’d struggle to find another club with his injury record now.

For me, I think Umaga could do with some SA beef outside him at 12 to just give the ball to when he’s in a jam. Must be some cheaper options about that can do at least what Booj does. Odogwu back and practising his craft again in the 13 shirt seems even more important now

[NellyWellyWaspy]

Re Mills, the business head says cut him loose. Even if he offered to play for free he would end up costing us money (more medical costs).

We also need a winger that can defend, take high balls, run and side step. In the 14 shirt we haven't had that for a while. For me, when given space, Kibirige is fast, but that is one facet of a job he otherwise does not do well. Bassett is a way better winger in the round.

[mike909]

Re Devoto (who I only raised as an example of a Jimmy-a-like 12) the main problem we have is that anyone who is playing well and so likely for a good team and is both unlikely to fancy it and potentially beyond our ££s and we don't want someone who isn't playing well

The only compromise is someone who has underachieved perhaps - hence my thought re Sam Hill.....I'd guess we must now have the contacts in NZ with the  'Canes and so I'd be thinking about looking there for some ideas.....?

We do probably also need a 13 with experience to allow rotation of Odogwu and allow the academy guys to develop without the pressure to be the finished article too soon.

But somewhere between 12/13 and 15 we need a second receiver. It's generally suited our style - it worked fine with our recent star 15's and with Jimmy at 12. If it's at 15 then we can go "more direct" at centre - so something like a Sam Hill and Odogwu  centre partnership would have legs if the back three included peak fire power.

Where Atkinson fits in with this is probably up for grabs with 10 and 12 and 15 open to him, especially if he adds some bulk.

[chris1850]

Centres - I was mildly surprised we didn't look at Sam Hill when he left Exeter - not getting game time at Sale....and if Devoto is not going to get an England call.....he would be exactly the sort of 12 that would be a similar replacement for Jimmy. (and sadly for Mills)

Hill has been injured most of this season but hasn't really shown when given opportunities last season