Fox follows tested exit route for Bath

ENGLAND U20 star Ollie Fox is set to be the latest scrum-half to come off the Yorkshire Carnegie conveyor belt and move on to bigger and better things.

Dewsbury-born Fox is close to signing for Bath on a senior academy contract for the 2019/20 season, bolstering the growing ranks of ex-Carnegie men down at the Rec even further.

Centre Max Wright and fellow nine Max Green moved to Bath in 2017 to join former England U20 captain Jack Walker, while DoR-in-waiting Stuart Hooper and academy manager Andy Rock are also ex-Leeds men.

In exchange, Bath have sent a number of players to Headingley on loan, with Levi Davis currently at the troubled club who defied the odds to see off London Irish last weekend.

As exclusively revealed by The Rugby Paper, Carnegie have had to slash their budget for next season with the club’s current shareholders no longer able to sustain the same level of investment going forward.

How this affects Carnegie’s relationship with Bath, or their ability to produce players of the class of Fox, and the likes of Danny Care, Craig Hampson and Green before him, remains to be seen.

Carnegie’s budget for next season could be as low as £1.3m.

Carnegie CEO Gary Hetherington said: “The shareholders are unable to maintain their current level of funding and this news was delivered to the players and staff at last week’s meeting. This is, of course, very unfortunate and everyone will be affected but the board were honest, transparent and have delivered the news as early as possible.” As previous reported by

The Rugby Paper, it was confirmed this week that Dan Temm (Bedford) and Andrew Foster (Doncaster) are leaving the club in the summer.

Head coach Steve Boden could also be on his way, possibly to former club Doncaster, where he made nearly 200 appearances hooker before embarking on a successful coaching career.

Given his knowledge of the Knights and his track record in developing talent, Boden would appear to be one of the frontrunners for the head coach position vacated by Clive Griffiths at Castle Park; Griffiths will be taking on a DoR-type role next season.

Former Bath and Exeter flanker James Scaysbrook is believed to be another name in the frame, while Mike Ford has been mentioned. Ford is currently in charge of Germany but is keen on a UK coaching gig.