The UAFC

While undoubtedly true at one point I'd like to think that the tide is turning. The fact that the likes of Jack McGrath and Nordi are willing to move north when they'll undoubtedly have the inside line shows it can't be all that bad. In addition to that the loyalty some of our imports have shown over the years show we must be getting some things right.

Ulster reported to have signed South African underage hooker Chris Poole.

How many hookers do we need?

UlsterNo9 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:09 am Ulster reported to have signed South African underage hooker Chris Poole.

I thought you were mixing that up with the Prince Andrew stuff for a moment.

https://rugby365.com/countries/france/s ... g-overseas

justinr73 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:31 am

UlsterNo9 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:09 am Ulster reported to have signed South African underage hooker Chris Poole.

I thought you were mixing that up with the Prince Andrew stuff for a moment.

https://rugby365.com/countries/france/s ... g-overseas

This is a rumours thread, Prince Andrew on the other hand.....

Anyway back to rugby, Tom Stewart is a very hot young prospect in the same "position" as Poole. Not sure what the development strategy is here if true? Position change for one of them perhaps.

Must say, I'm not keen on uprooting young lads and taking them to the ends of the earth in the hope that they might make it big. Far too many potential problems and the morality of it concerns me. If they are successful, it's just money buying success at the cost of home grown talent and it also robs the home country of quality players. If it's not successful, a lot of kids go home, or stay in their 'adopted' country with few prospects. Maybe if a contract is linked to a university or other longer term training place, the latter might not be such a worry.

OK but it’s not as though they’re taken hostage is it?

Not a huge amount of difference between that and all the Irish lads that used to come and play footy in England in the 80s.

Or the boy Browne that my team Preston has turned into an international.

Whether the rugby lads are lost to SA is a matter for them really.

I know they're not forced to come. I'm tempted to say, 'seduced'. It's the lads from Tonga, Fiji etc that make me sad. They go and don't come back, making the big nations even stronger and condemning their own islands to always being second division sides. On the other hand, who could deny any young fella the opportunity to build a good life for himself and his family? If I was in their shoes, I guess I'd do exactly the same thing! Hypocrite, yea, probably.

I’ve met Dan Leo quite a few times and he says that those lads feed a couple of hundred people back home.

At least my wife is coming back to the Province after a long spell on the mainland.

It's good and bad, isn't it - good that they're doing it bad that they have to do it.

So you coming hereon a dependent's visa? Just playing the long game in a marriage of convenience? The lengths that Lionels will go to to to get a toe hold in our wee country!

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

It was her promise to let me have a year work off that convinced me!

Just about to view a couple of houses. Needless to say, she’s got her eye on the expensive ones....

Happy house hunting! Look on the bright side - for the price of the flat my daughter's currently renting in Cambridge, which is nice but nothing special, you could buy three brand new three bedroom houses in a decent part of Bangor. So you'll probably get more for your money than what you're moving away from.

justinr73 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 22, 2019 2:43 pm It was her promise to let me have a year work off that convinced me!

Just about to view a couple of houses. Needless to say, she’s got her eye on the expensive ones....

He who is content with least is richest of all..... or something like that. Socrates I believe. Give her a dose of it.

Sammy Arnold ain't coming back

I hope somebody's starting negotiations with a few Saracens who might be freelance soon. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/51013178