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Unlike in football, the transfer window never closes in rugby. All year long we can be surprised and delighted with moves and rumours o the biggest names switching between bitter rivals. In this article we will break down some of the biggest rumours of the last 7 days and say how likely each of them are to happen!
According to RugbyPass, PREM player of the season and Gloucester captain Tomos Williams is yet to sign an extension with the west country club. The Welsh international and British & Irish Lions squad member has been a smash hit since his move across the bridge from Cardiff and is naturally attracting interest from across the rugby globe.
His old club in the Welsh Capital are rumoured to be of interest to up to a dozen investors and Williams would be the perfect feel good signing for any new owners. He is without a doubt good enough to play for any club side, but the prominence Gloucester have given him in the short time since his arrival makes it hard to believe they will let him go.
Rating: 4/10 - Agent talk
The biggest transfer story in recent days was the hock reports that Ilona Maher, rugby's most followed player, could be headed to the North West of England to play for Sale Sharks in the PWR. Maher's 15s future is still unknown following the rugby world cup having competed her short term contract at Bristol. She has been rumored to have been offered at WWE contract, but now ruck.co.uk have linked her to Sale Sharks.
Whilst many of her compatriots would love to see her return to the USA to play in WER, the PWR likely still represents her biggest earning potential in club rugby. Sale have been league strugglers in recent seasons with just 3 wins in the last 2 years, but have a new coach in charge and went on an ambitious recruitment drive over the summer that saw them sign multiple internationals.
They already have multiple USA eagles on their books, but it still feels a stretch for this one to be true. One suspects if Maher were to return to PWR she would prefer one of the London teams (who have all also been on ambitious recruitment drives). That is, of course, if she returns at all.
Rating: 2/10 - Headline grabber
Rebel league R360 continues to dominate the headlines. If the competition ever does get off the ground (which many still think it won't) it seems likely a healthy proportion of the players will hail from Wales.
Wales were one of the few T1 nations not to sign the letter condemning the competition and banning any players who sign up from playing test rugby. With the huge uncertainty over the number of pro teams in Wales moving forward, it is easy to envisage an exodus if and when clubs are cut.
If R360 are still waving money around by then, they will find plenty of grateful recipients in Wales where budgets have been slashed to an almost impossibly low level.
Rating: 5/10 - the door is certainly being left open
It was confirmed this week that European Champions Union Bordeaux-Begles missed out on signing Springbok prop Thomas du Toit from Bath. They supposedly offered him huge money to move to the Atlantic coast, but family reasons caused him to return home to South Africa and sign for the Sharks.
This means UBB are still seeking a new prop. The pack is their main area of weakness when compared to rivals Toulouse and legendary Ben Tamiefuna is approaching the end of his career. One name on their list is Racing's Gogichashvili, who brings the added benefit of being JIFF qualified.
Rating: 9/10 - UBB will sign a prop... we just don’t know who!