Stars taking flight from ailing Exiles
LONDON WELSH’s squad is starting to break up with a host of players picking up deals elsewhere.
Two players are poised to move up into the Premiership from the under-threat Championship outfit, with Ryan Hodson on the way to Harlequins and Nick Reynolds off to Newcastle.
Australian-born openside Hodson has been a mainstay of the Welsh team since arriving at Old Deer Park from Jersey in the summer of 2015. He is EQP qualified through his Manchester-born grandmother and has previous experience in Super Rugby with Melbourne Rebels and Western Force.
Centre Reynolds has scored 15 tries in 59 appearances for the Exiles and was a member of the club’s Premiership squad in 2014/15. Born in Carmarthen and raised in Llanelli, the former Wales U20 international spent six seasons with the Scarlets before moving to London.
Josh McInally, Welsh’s towering RAF lock who was named in last year’s Championship Dream Team, has landed a move to odds-on Championship title favourites London Irish.
Their main rivals, Yorkshire Carnegie, are thought to have swooped for highlyrated full-back Chris Elder and loose forward Ben West, who played lower league rugby for Newbury and Cinderford before joining the professional ranks.
Carnegie have room for a full-back after releasing Christian Georgiou from his contract.
Durable prop Ben Cooper, an ever-present for Welsh last season and this, will bolster Bedford’s front row, while centre Heath Stevens is off to Jersey and Ealing have snapped up ex-Rotherham back-rower Barney Maddison and strong-running No.8 Kieran Murphy.