Talent everywhere You look in URC
WITH the United Rugby Championship season fast approaching I’ve been having a good look at the recruitment each side has made. Looking at the calibre of player coming into this league there is no doubt the URC is as good as the Gallagher Premiership and the Top 14.
From a Welsh point of view the most intriguing new signing for me is Rob Evans who has joined the Dragons after 12 years at the Scarlets. Evans’ fall from grace has been nothing short of remarkable. He was a mainstay of the Wales side which won the 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam and I remember commenting on the title decider against Ireland and thinking this guy is going to be on the next Lions tour. But fast forward five months and he didn’t even make Wales’ Rugby World Cup squad which came as a massive shock to a lot of people. In his prime he was a tremendous scrummager, and an explosive ball carrier, but his point of difference was his distribution skills.
Over these last few years he couldn’t get in the Scarlets side but he is only 30, and in theory should have a good few years left in him. I really hope he can get back to his best for the Dragons because he has so much ability it would be a shame to see it go to waste. He will be competing for the loosehead shirt with another former Wales prop in Rhodri Jones who joins from the Ospreys but I’m also interested to see how their new second-row signings Sean Lonsdale and George Nott go. Both Lonsdale and Nott arrive in Newport with a huge amount of Gallagher Premiership experience behind them, and are Welsh-qualified. They are two no-nonsense locks who love to graft, and relish the physical confrontation which is probably why Dean Ryan signed them.
If you assess Wales’ second-row stocks they are looking very light especially after a few injuries so I imagine Wayne Pivac will be happy to have them playing in Wales. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen from Lonsdale at Exeter, and he’s my World Cup bolter. Irish outside-half JJ Hanrahan is a decent signing who will bring experience to the Dragons squad, while he will also provide Sam Davies with serious competition for his jersey. Wales hooker Bradley Roberts from Ulster, and Welsh-qualified centre Max Clarke from Bath are also solid additions.
I suspect Vaea Fifita will be the best signing in Welsh rugby with the former New Zealand international having joined the Scarlets from Wasps. I don’t think enough has been made about this
signing because this is a serious statement of intent from Dwayne Peel. You expect to see a player of his quality to sign for mega rich French clubs but he has instead decided to move to sunny West Wales. I am an avid follower of Super Rugby, and used to enjoy watching this guy play for the Hurricanes, and he was outstanding in all 11 of his All Black caps. He loves the physical confrontation, but he is devastating in open play, with an outrageous offloading game which will suit the way the
Scarlets want to play the game. I know a lot of people criticise the regions when they sign overseas players but getting the right calibre of foreign player is vital. Just ask Justin Tipuric how much he learnt from Marty Holah when he was at the Ospreys, and I’m certain Fifita will have a similar effect on the likes of Morgan Jones, Jac Price, and Caleb Salmon so it’s a win win situation for the Scarlets.
Cardiff have made some eye catching signings in Liam Williams and Taulupe Faletau. It is great to see Faletau back in Wales because he is a world class player who would walk into any team on the planet while Williams will add even more stardust to their impressive back-division. The only downside will be their lack of availability at certain times during the season. Over the past few years Cardiff have struggled in the front five, and for this reason I am interested to see how Lopeti Timani goes. He’s another one who has experience of playing in a very physically demanding league with both La Rochelle and Toulon so he should add a hard edge to Cardiff ’s front five.
Elsewhere in the URC the biggest signing is clearly Eben Etzebeth who has signed for the Sharks from Toulon. Etzebeth is undoubtedly one of the greatest locks of the modern era, and is the biggest name signing in the URC this season. The addition of South Africa’s best franchises has been a really good move for this competition. The Stormers were crowned champions last season, and the Bulls downed Leinster in Dublin which is no mean feat. The Sharks lagged behind some of the other South African sides but signing Etzebeth can take them to a new level but I am also impressed by the signing of Springboks hooker Joseph Dweba who is joining defending champions the Stormers from Bordeaux in France.
The Irish provinces have also done some good business. Leinster have always been shrewd when it comes to recruiting players in the past, and I think they’ve landed a good one in former All Blacks centre Charlie Ngatai from European Challenge Cup winners Lyon. He may not be the flashiest centre around but he has very few weaknesses in his game, and is the glue of the side in the same mould as Conrad Smith was for the All Blacks. I think he could be a signing to rival Isa Nacewa. The box office signing in Irish rugby is Malakai Fekitoa to Munster. I’m a massive fan of Fekitoa who is explosive with a tremendous offloading game, and I think he will add a different dimension to Munster’s attacking play.
One of the most underrated additions is Tonga No.8 Sione Vailanu who has opted to join Glasgow. He was a revelation for Worcester, often keeping them in games on his own, and should help fix the very soft underbelly which exists in the Glasgow pack. All in all I’m hugely excited by the talent which will be on show in the URC next season.