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Report: Montpellier to sign Wallaby Paenga-Amosa to fill Springbok void

Paenga-Amosa /Getty

Montpellier Herault look set to wield their considerable financial clout in the transfer markets with reports that they are to fill a Bismarck du Plessis shaped void in the team with a like for like replacement. Midi Olympique report that MHR have agreed terms with Wallaby hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa and that the Australian will join the club on a two-year deal.

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With 9 caps to his name, the soon to be 25-year-old hooker is signed with the Queensland Reds until 2021. Standing 6 foot and weighing 117kg, Paenga-Amosa cuts an imposing figure, one suited to the forward-centric rigours of the Top 14.

A former bin-man in Sydney, the front-rower rose from the ranks of the Shute Shield to the Wallabies after some standout performances for Brad Thorn’s Reds. Born in Auckland, Paenga-Amosa moved to Australia where he grew up playing rugby league, before leaving the Canterbury Bulldogs’ junior system at 15 to pursue a career in union.

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Why Nigel Owens is such a good ref:

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      Why Nigel Owens is such a good ref:

      He will replace Springbok legend Bismarck du Plessis at MHR, with the 37-year-old South African expected to retire at the end of the current season.

      Montpellier don’t appear to be dampening down their recruitment, despite investigations into whether or not they were compliment with the LNR salary cap protocols.

      MHR were fined €3 million, but face no further sanctions, after coming to an agreement with the LNR earlier this year. The club had been accused of irregularities during the 2018/19, following an expose by L’Equippe and RMC. The LNR stated that the “parties are pleased that an amicable solution has been found and that it allows us to work in the future in a peaceful atmosphere.”

      The accusation revolved around the signing of South African flyhalf Johan Goosen, and a number of other top players. A report had suggested that money paid sums to Goosen and other players via a shell company in South Africa, so that the majority of their salaries would not be counted towards the salary cap.

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      J
      JW 14 minutes ago
      'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

      Well a) poor French results doesn’t seem to effect the situation much. In fact one of the reasons given for this selection policy is that the French don’t tune in for foreign rugby content on the other side of the world, at a time when theyre not having their vino. So who would know the results? And b) this is the crux of the matter, they are legally abided to play them as part of WRs tier 1 reciprocal tours programme. The only real choice for the SH team is to treat it the same, which is fine when teams are happy to do that, but the AB’s have a totally anthesis policy/mentality so would never use the games in the same way.


      So alligned with b) the only real option is to complain to those in control. I suspect that’s why weve seen France reneging on the practice, and you can only be left to think that if they hadn’t reneged, WR would have done something more drastic about it. Which of course would mean not just telling them to bugger off when they want to tour, it’s no one playing them (from t1 at least) at all (assuming they have no interest in scheduling match’s outside the windows, like Ireland and NZ are doing).


      Then of course that means no involvement of France in the Nations Championship. Which means they are automatically the last ranked team in 6N to qualify, so the actual worst team in 6N gets to compete in it, making a mockery of the promotion and relegation WR wanted to happen between T1 and T2 for qualifying purposes. Yup, b) is just something nobody wants to happen. Well done FFR and LNR for making the tour work instead (how well is yet to be seen).

      111 Go to comments
      T
      Tom 1 hour ago
      No definites, but which Wales players could still make Lions squad?

      Williams, Faletau, Lake, Morgan are the only ones who have a chance. None of them are guaranteed but I'd imagine they'll pick Williams and Morgan who could get in on merit and will likely be favoured for inclusivity.


      Williams is fighting it out with Ben White for 3rd slot behind JGP and Mitchell.

      Morgan is up against JVDF, Earl, Curry, Curry, Willis for 4 flanker slots. Morgan is a fantastic player but a huge call to leave any of those boys at home given how much Wales struggled at the breakdown against England. He's by no means solely responsible for that but it will be fresh in the minds of the selectors. Given the amount of hybrid players emerging and the inclination for a 6-2 split, they may be able to find room for a 5th flanker in the squad. In which case may be Ben Curry who misses out or Willis might be excluded given we have such depth in the players who have chosen to play for clubs this side of the channel.


      Lake and Faletau are good enough but I'd be surprised if Faletau gets picked over Conan and Lake would be up against Cowan-Dickie which I can't see happening. Blair Murray is probably 4th in the 15 pecking order behind Kinghorn, Heenan, Marcus Smith. He may be a better 15 than Smith but Smith brings versatility so would be ahead of him. Since Smith may go on tour as a 10/15 hybrid, they would already have 3 fullbacks in the squad so Murray won't make it, good player though.


      Nicky Smith and Dafydd Jenkins clutching at straws.

      3 Go to comments
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