Fissler Confidential: Leicester Tigers sniffing around PREM rival's England star

Gloucester are desperate to tie down England centre Seb Atkinson after he became the centre of a tug-of-war between Leicester Tigers and Harlequins, both keen to sign him.

The Tigers believe Atkinson, 24, who has won seven England caps, could address one of their squad’s problem areas at inside centre next season, and are ready to battle Quins to land him if talks with the Cherry and Whites continue to stall.

Atkinson, who started his career at Worcester Warriors, joined Gloucester in 2022, won a PREM Rugby Cup two years later, and is believed to be keen on a move to London, where his girlfriend, Siena, works for Goldman Sachs.

The centre currently holds the record for rugby’s gruelling Bronco fitness test, with a time of 4 minutes and 8 seconds.

Edinburgh are set for a boost with highly rated Scotland-qualified winger Malelili Satala agreeing terms for a new deal despite interest from the Gallagher PREM and Japan.

Bristol Bears were interested in the former Leicester Tigers and Nottingham player, who was born in Scotland’s capital while his father played for the club and served in the 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Edinburgh wanted to agree a deal with Satala because Scotland and Lions ace Duhan Van der Merwe could be on his way to Japan or France, where he spent time with Montpellier early in his career.

Henry Pollock’s profile continues to skyrocket, and he’ll be the cover star of two major magazines hitting the shelves next week: Men’s Health and the high-society publication Tatler.

Pollock will appear on the front page alongside Valentina Pinault, the daughter of one of Hollywood’s most powerful and influential actresses, Salma Hayek, after being named one of the UK’s top 200 most eligible bachelors.

The magazine, which was first published in 1709, has headlined the Northampton Saints and England star and London-based student Pinault as “The ‘It’ Girl Student and the English Star.”

Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx is in the middle of a tug-of-war between the Bulls and the Sharks, who have joined the race to lure him back to the United Rugby Championship when his contract with Kubota Spears ends next June.

RugbyPass reported in August that Marx, 32, a member of Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok squad that won back-to-back World Cups, was being courted by Bulls boss Johan Ackermann, who gave him his Lions debut.

But the Sharks are circling and have also tabled a very strong offer to give Marx plenty of food for thought as he looks to end his six-year stint in Japan.

Toulouse have been sent back to the drawing board after a bid to sign Tongan international lock Jimmy Tupou fell through when he failed a medical earlier this week.

The Top 14 champions are looking for fresh recruits after long-term injuries sidelined Clément Vergé (knee), Emmanuel Meafou (knee) and Thibaud Flament (shoulder), and they were keen to land Tupou, who also plays in the back row.

Tupou, 34, who has played for Crusaders, Blues, Chiefs, Moana Pasifika and Urayasu D-Rocks in Japan, was at Toulouse’s Champions Cup win over Exeter Chiefs last week before the medical revealed an unspecified problem.

Saracens are keen to keep Alfie Barbeary in North London beyond the end of the season, but he is already attracting interest from across the Channel and could move to the Top 14 when his one-year contract runs out.

Barbeary, 26, has made four appearances for Sarries this season following his move from Bath and has been a target for French clubs Union Bordeaux Bègles and La Rochelle in the past but stayed in the Gallagher PREM to fight for a place in Steve Borthwick’s England set-up.

The former Wasps No. 8, who has won England under-20 and A honours, could opt to follow Tom Willis and try his luck in France if he cannot force his way into Borthwick’s plans this season.

Former England inside centre Manu Tuilagi is set to be offered a one-year deal to stay with Bayonne next season, but the club is still interested in signing someone as a back-up.

Tuilagi, 35, has been linked with a return to the Gallagher PREM, staying in France, or even a move to a club in Japan, where he has long been touted for a move.

He has made four appearances for Bayonne this season and is widely expected to give an indication of his future in the next few weeks.

Leeds-born Felix Balshaw, son of England World Cup winner Iain, is a rising star in French tennis who celebrated his first ATP Tour title last week in Lyon.

He is set to be in the world’s top 180, having started the 2026 season ranked 718th. He moved to France when he was nine after 2003 World Cup winner Iain joined an exodus and signed for Biarritz, and he admits that he feels more French than English.

“I grew up in France and, as each day went by, I felt more and more French. Since I’ve been little, from when I started playing in Tennis Europe juniors, I have always had the French flag by my name,” he told the BBC.