The One That Got Away

[Jim Lahey]

The player who started at your club, was deemed surplus to requirements, went elsewhere and turned out to be a smashing player, and in hindsight should never have been allowed to leave.

For Ulster, Gareth Steenson stands out as someone who had a great career at Exeter, and would have been very useful to have at Ulster.

Leinster, has to be Tadgh Beirne. That was a shocker letting him go in hindsight.

[Enzedder]

We've had one or four recently

Isaac Boss

Fua Aki (aka Bundie)

Keiran Read

Sevu Reece

[fishfoodie]

Blues letting Isa Nacewa join Leinster was a gift.

We were sick he played a few minutes for Fiji, so he could never play for Ireland on residency.

[lemonhead]

Mike Ross, Ultan Dillane, Eoin Reddan and Ben Healy spring to mind, albeit not all at the same level or for the same reasons.

Still: shite.

[fishfoodie]

I know were talking about players, but I'd say Tigers wish they'd held onto Leo awhile longer, & then he might have been their next coach instead of some right lemons.

ROG going outside of Ireland for his path to management makes sense, because you always think he'll be back in Munster eventually

[Tichtheid]

Rory Darge is the one that springs to mind for Edinburgh and he's only really just started his career, he could go a long way. George Turner also went along the M8 to Glasgow before becoming fist choice for them and Scotland, but there is a lot of toing and froing between the clubs.

Coming in the way the obvious one is Duhan van der Merwe (Schoeman and Nel weren't surplus to requirements elsewhere)

Coaching-wise I wish we'd hung on to Mike Blair and brought in a Director of Rugby above him

[fishfoodie]

Rory Darge is the one that springs to mind for Edinburgh and he's only really just started his career, he could go a long way. George Turner also went along the M8 to Glasgow before becoming fist choice for them and Scotland, but there is a lot of toing and froing between the clubs.

Coming in the way the obvious one is Duhan van der Merwe (Schoeman and Nel weren't surplus to requirements elsewhere)

Coaching-wise I wish we'd hung on to Mike Blair and brought in a Director of Rugby above him

You mean you don't wish you'd held onto Matt Williams ......

[Tichtheid]

Rory Darge is the one that springs to mind for Edinburgh and he's only really just started his career, he could go a long way. George Turner also went along the M8 to Glasgow before becoming fist choice for them and Scotland, but there is a lot of toing and froing between the clubs.

Coming in the way the obvious one is Duhan van der Merwe (Schoeman and Nel weren't surplus to requirements elsewhere)

Coaching-wise I wish we'd hung on to Mike Blair and brought in a Director of Rugby above him

You mean you don't wish you'd held onto Matt Williams ......

Whilst he's not quite at the level that would justify putting him feet-first through a bacon slicer, you'll not be surprised to hear that he's not my favourite coach, no.

[Slick]

Rory Darge is the one that springs to mind for Edinburgh and he's only really just started his career, he could go a long way. George Turner also went along the M8 to Glasgow before becoming fist choice for them and Scotland, but there is a lot of toing and froing between the clubs.

Coming in the way the obvious one is Duhan van der Merwe (Schoeman and Nel weren't surplus to requirements elsewhere)

Coaching-wise I wish we'd hung on to Mike Blair and brought in a Director of Rugby above him

That's an interesting thought on Mike Blair that I hadn't really considered much. In the long run I think getting away from Scotland than coming back might work out better.

[Tichtheid]

Rory Darge is the one that springs to mind for Edinburgh and he's only really just started his career, he could go a long way. George Turner also went along the M8 to Glasgow before becoming fist choice for them and Scotland, but there is a lot of toing and froing between the clubs.

Coming in the way the obvious one is Duhan van der Merwe (Schoeman and Nel weren't surplus to requirements elsewhere)

Coaching-wise I wish we'd hung on to Mike Blair and brought in a Director of Rugby above him

That's an interesting thought on Mike Blair that I hadn't really considered much. In the long run I think getting away from Scotland than coming back might work out better.

Hrmm, he's currently working to Dave Rennie, so he's not addressing the stuff that he hated, the selection process and telling players that they are being left out.

I'd rather he was still running our backs, just focussing on that. Some people just aren't head coaches, there's no shame in it, Andy Robinson wasn't one, but he was a hell of a forwards coach. Going back a few posts and mention of Leo Cullen, I remember watching him during his closing seasons, how he conducted himself and orchestrated his team around him and also how he communicated with the ref, it was so obvious that he was going to be a very good head coach.
Mind you, he could hardly have a better set up.

[assfly]

Pieter-Steph du Toit

[Uncle fester]

Rory Darge is the one that springs to mind for Edinburgh and he's only really just started his career, he could go a long way. George Turner also went along the M8 to Glasgow before becoming fist choice for them and Scotland, but there is a lot of toing and froing between the clubs.

Coming in the way the obvious one is Duhan van der Merwe (Schoeman and Nel weren't surplus to requirements elsewhere)

Coaching-wise I wish we'd hung on to Mike Blair and brought in a Director of Rugby above him

You mean you don't wish you'd held onto Matt Williams ......

Whilst he's not quite at the level that would justify putting him feet-first through a bacon slicer, you'll not be surprised to hear that he's not my favourite coach, no.

On behalf of all non-Leinster Irish fans, can I just apologise for RTE giving him continued employment in a field related to rugby?

If it's any consolation, RTE like to have at least one buffoon in the setup. Heaslip shows promise for taking over that role in the future.

[fishfoodie]

You mean you don't wish you'd held onto Matt Williams ......

Whilst he's not quite at the level that would justify putting him feet-first through a bacon slicer, you'll not be surprised to hear that he's not my favourite coach, no.

On behalf of all non-Leinster Irish fans, can I just apologise for RTE giving him continued employment in a field related to rugby?

If it's any consolation, RTE like to have at least one buffoon in the setup. Heaslip shows promise for taking over that role in the future.

It's tough to compete with the Ozzies on sheer cockishness, just look at their cricketers for the last few hundred years

It makes me gag anytime I hear Justin Harrison on comms

[Yr Alban]

Zach Mercer. Lived in Scotland from age 8 to 18. Product of the Glasgow academy. Played for Scotland U16s. Then moved back to England, who capped him twice and discarded him. That was 6 years ago, but now he is forever ineligible for Scotland because he didn’t qualify by bloodline.

[sockwithaticket]

Zach Mercer. Lived in Scotland from age 8 to 18. Product of the Glasgow academy. Played for Scotland U16s. Then moved back to England, who capped him twice and discarded him. That was 6 years ago, but now he is forever ineligible for Scotland because he didn’t qualify by bloodline.

He had a bit more to do with England than you're crediting there. Born in England, lived there 'til 8 years old and then from 16 onwards, English parent, played Eng U18 and U20.

Even if England had never capped him he would've had to move back to Scotland and fulfil a new residency period before he could have been eligible to play for your senior side.

[Rhubarb & Custard]

Zach Mercer. Lived in Scotland from age 8 to 18. Product of the Glasgow academy. Played for Scotland U16s. Then moved back to England, who capped him twice and discarded him. That was 6 years ago, but now he is forever ineligible for Scotland because he didn’t qualify by bloodline.

He had a bit more to do with England than you're crediting there. Born in England, lived there 'til 8 years old and then from 16 onwards, English parent, played Eng U18 and U20.

Even if England had never capped him he would've had to move back to Scotland and fulfil a new residency period before he could have been eligible to play for your senior side.

Can he not qualify otherwise for Scotland

[sockwithaticket]

Zach Mercer. Lived in Scotland from age 8 to 18. Product of the Glasgow academy. Played for Scotland U16s. Then moved back to England, who capped him twice and discarded him. That was 6 years ago, but now he is forever ineligible for Scotland because he didn’t qualify by bloodline.

He had a bit more to do with England than you're crediting there. Born in England, lived there 'til 8 years old and then from 16 onwards, English parent, played Eng U18 and U20.

Even if England had never capped him he would've had to move back to Scotland and fulfil a new residency period before he could have been eligible to play for your senior side.

Can he not qualify otherwise for Scotland

Nope, he was only qualified for the U16s on residency grounds, he's not got a parental or grand parental connection afaik.

[Yr Alban]

Zach Mercer. Lived in Scotland from age 8 to 18. Product of the Glasgow academy. Played for Scotland U16s. Then moved back to England, who capped him twice and discarded him. That was 6 years ago, but now he is forever ineligible for Scotland because he didn’t qualify by bloodline.

He had a bit more to do with England than you're crediting there. Born in England, lived there 'til 8 years old and then from 16 onwards, English parent, played Eng U18 and U20.

Even if England had never capped him he would've had to move back to Scotland and fulfil a new residency period before he could have been eligible to play for your senior side.

I wasn’t claiming England poached him. Merely that he spent his formative years (8 to 18 I believe, rather than 16, he was at Merchiston and I think he stayed the distance there) and played for one of our representative sides, and he wouldn’t have been a poach for us either. But instead he chose to leave and declare for England, who it turns out didn’t really want him. I think it’s fair to call him one who got away.