Jersey Reds announce 8 new signings, including two from Munster and an ex-Saracens academy lock

English Championship club Jersey Reds have announced the signing of eight players for the 2020/21 season. Director of Rugby Harvey Biljon revealed in May the 15 players who were staying on with the island club from the prematurely ended 2019/20 campaign.

Now with Sale’s Rob Webber already on board as forwards coach for next term, Biljon has arranged an influx of new forwards. 

Jersey confirmed the signings on Wednesday of hooker George Edgson (Doncaster) and props Ollie Dawe (Bristol), Jack Higgins (Plymouth) and Ciaran Parker (Munster), and the Championship club have now unveiled another batch, locks Zak Farrance (Oyonnax), Shay Kerry (Ampthill) and Sean O’Connor (Munster) along with back row Lewis Wynne (London Scottish). 

South African World Cup winner Joel Stransky guests on The Lockdown, the RugbyPass pandemic interview series

South African World Cup winner Joel Stransky guests on The Lockdown, the RugbyPass pandemic interview series

Farrance, 24, was born in London and spent four years as a member of the Saracens academy before making the move to Oyonnax in 2014 and spending six years there. Backline signings are yet to be announced for the club that finished sixth last season, winning six of their 14 matches before the Championship campaign was cut short. 

Coach Biljon told the club website: “We intend to maintain the reputation of Jersey as somewhere where the set-piece is a strength. I have worked with our new forwards coach Rob Webber to identify players who we think will be real assets to our squad once we are able to get together for pre-season.”

Current players who agreed on new deals or whose existing contracts stretch into 2021 are hookers TJ Harris, Jack Macfarlane, props Zei Alexis, Dan Richardson, Roy Godfrey, lock and back rows Max Argyle, Josh Bainbridge, Rory Bartle, Kyle Hatherell, Jake Upfield, fly-half Brendan Cope, centres Apakuki Ma’afu, George Spencer, and wing/full-backs Brendan Owen and Tom Williams. 

The departure of 21 players was confirmed last month. That list included props Leeroy Atalifo, Alec Clarey, Harry Morley, James Wayland, locks Charlie Beckett, Liam Hallam-Eames, back rows Conor Joyce, Janco Venter, George Willmott, scrum-halves Will Homer, Liam Howley, fly-halves Aaron Penberthy, Greg Dyer, centres Mark Best, Rodney Iona, James Newey and wingers Auguy Slowik, Jack Stapley and Leroy van Dam.

Two loan signings also departed – Sale hooker Nic Dolly and Gloucester wing Alex Morgan.