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Reports: Former Highlander heading to England

Reports have surfaced out of England stating that former Highlander and current Fiji winger Patrick Osborne will be moving to the Aviva Premiership next season.

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Currently plying his trade with the Kubota Spears in Japan’s Top League, Osborne has been linked with a move to the Premiership’s Northampton Saints.

If the reports are true, Osborne will join current Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd at Northampton next season.

30-year-old Osborne could potentially be used to fill the hole left by the departure of long-time Saints wing and Welsh international George North, who is expected to return home and join a Welsh Pro14 side in the near future.

Osborn would not be the first high-profile signing for the club this coming season, as the Saints have already secured the signature of another giant Fijian in Wallaby winger and current Waratah Taqele Naiyaravoro.

The club have also signed Wales flyhalf Dan Biggar and former All Blacks prop Ben Franks from 2018/2019 onwards.

Osborne had an extremely successful career in New Zealand, scooping up seven titles in as many seasons.

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Osborne bounced around Super Rugby before finding a home with the Highlanders, winning a Super Rugby title with the side in 2015. He previously had two short stints with both the Crusaders and Chiefs – where he won his first Super Rugby title – after starting his provincial career with Canterbury in 2010, with whom he won five titles with.

In 2016 Osborne moved to Japan, dashing his All Blacks dream and declaring his allegiance to his native Fiji.

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Bull Shark 1 hour ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

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