Fissler Confidential: One England international in, one out for Bath

Willie le Roux is now looking for a Japanese club, but he won’t be signing anywhere on the cheap after Gallagher Premiership big guns Bath bulked at his £450k a year wage demands.

Le Roux, 35, who has helped the Springboks win back-to-back World Cup finals, has already confirmed that he is leaving the Bulls at the end of this season and is not taking up the option of a third year on his contract.

Fissler Confidential understands that his CV is being circulated to Japan Rugby League One clubs, but he has yet to attract any substantial offers from clubs looking for a full-back.

Former England winger Joe Cokanasiga is attracting interest for a move to France just days after RugbyPass revealed that Henry Arundell was on his way to the Rec next season.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Newcastle

11:30

21 Dec 24

Bath

All Stats and Data

Fiji-born Cokanasiga, 27, has scored 35 tries in 95 appearances for Bath since moving from London Irish in 2018, and it was only earlier this year that he penned a three-year extension to keep him in the West Country until 2027.

The flyer has been regularly linked with moves away from Bath but has always remained loyal. With two years left on his deal, interested clubs could have to bide their time or look elsewhere.

Stormers boss John Dobson is under pressure amid rumoured discontent in the squad, and his club’s investors are understood to be looking at available options following a disastrous start to his reign as director of rugby.

Dobson is one of the longest-serving coaches in South Africa having been at the Cape Town-based franchise since 2010 and was promoted to director of rugby last March, but since then, they have lost 16 of 24 games they have played.

He recently told the Guardian: “But when the Stormers fire me, I’m done in coaching. Panasonic v Mitsubishi would mean nothing to me,” a defeat to high-flying Lions will only strengthen calls for an emergency save our season flare.

Leicester Tigers are eyeing up a double dramatic move for Tom Seabrook and Tarek Haffar from arch East Midlands rivals and Premiership champions Northampton Saints.

Former England U20 winger and centre Seabrook, 25, started his career with Gloucester, where he scored within 58 seconds of his debut against Saracens and was loaned to Hartpury University, spoke to the Tigers this week.

Ex-London Irish loosehead Haffar, 23, who England also capped at U20 level, and came off the bench against the Bulls last weekend, has struggled to get a start for Saints in the Premiership and could opt to try his luck elsewhere.

Shizuoka Blue Revs have spoken to Lions playmaker Sanele Nohamba about joining their sizeable South African contingent when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

Nohamba, 25, appeared to be set for a switch to the Stormers to replace Paul de Wet, but they are now set to look elsewhere, and there were rumours of interest from Edinburgh in the former South Africa U20 international.

The Blue Revs, who are skippered by Springbok back-to-back World Cup winner, Olympic bronze and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Kwagga Smith, are believed to be heading the queue of interested clubs.

Premiership high flyers Bath are closing in on a deal to keep England outside centre Ollie Lawrence at the Rec when his current contract runs out at the end of the season.

Lawrence, 25, had been rumoured to be on the shopping list of a couple of rival Premiership clubs and was one of the players to be given an enhanced Elite Player Squad contract by Steve Borthwick before the autumn internationals.

It would appear that Lawrence, who moved to Bath from Worcester Warriors, has been offered a two-year deal with the option of another year to commit his future to Bath.

Leicester Tigers will have to look elsewhere for a backup fly-half after former Welsh international Sam Davies decided to turn down the chance of a move to Welford Road when his Grenoble contract runs out next summer.

Davies, 31, the IRB Junior Player of the Year in 2013 and son of former Wales international Nigel, moved to the Pro D2 leaders in 2023 after stints with his home town club the Ospreys and the Dragons.

The Tigers wanted him to replace Jamie Shillcock, but Davies, who has scored 84 points in nine games, signed a two-year deal with Grenoble that will keep him at the club until 2027.

Lions scrum-half Nico Steyn continues to be linked with a move to Edinburgh when his contract with the Johannesburg-based United Rugby Championship side runs out at the end of the season.

Former South Africa under-20 international, 22, has made 13 appearances for the Lions and was two years ago named in the team of the tournament for the Under 20 Six Nations Summer Series.

Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has been linked in South Africa with a move for Steyn who could be one of a host of players to leave the Lions this summer.

Stormers lock Adre Smith looks set to leave at the end of the season, with a potential move to either France or Japan being mounted by Fissler Confidential sources in South Africa.

Smith, 27, started his career with the Griquas in 2019 before switching to the Stormers two years later and is closing in on appearing 50 times for them in all competitions.

He is due to be under contract until 2027, but we understand that his CV has been doing the rounds of Japan Rugby League One and Top 14 clubs in recent weeks.