Armitage till Wasps?

16:40, 10 MAY 2016 BY PAUL SMITH - Here's Dai's thoughts on back row signings & my take on Steffon et al
WASPS have been linked with a summer move for Toulon’s England international flanker Steffon Armitage.

The five-times-capped specialist openside would be a direct replacement for Wasps’ player-of-the-season George Smith, who departs for his native Australia then to play two final seasons in Japan this summer.

Armitage has been in Toulon, alongside brother Delon, since leaving London Irish in 2011, and as such has been the highest-profile victim of the RFU’s policy not to select non-Premiership contracted players for England.

If he does therefore return to England with Wasps, it would be perhaps the most significant signing of the season for English rugby, and also one which may have international implications for black-and-gold club captain James Haskell, who wore England’s No.7 shirt during their Grand Slam campaign.

Toulon
During his time on the Cote d’Azur, Armitage has won three European Cups and the French Top 14, as well as being named European player-of-the-year.

Delon recently announced he will leave Toulon for Lyon next season, while Wasps have already committed to bring another member of the Armitage clan – younger brother Guy, who is a centre – to the club from London Welsh.

French sports paper Midi Olympique believes Steffon’s future with Toulon is uncertain because competition for places in the backrow is fierce, which means his high salary makes him a luxury that owner Mourad Boudjellal will opt to discard.

They report that Toulon will give more game-time to Charles Ollivon, a rising star who joined the club from Bayonne who is expected to replace Northampton-bound Louis Picamoles in French team in the near future, plus the promising Gregory Annetta.

Toulon have also signed Australian flanker Liam Gill, who Boujellal has described as being ‘less greedy’ than some of his more established international stars.

Wasps
Despite speculation regarding Australian World Cup finalist Kurtley Beale, Wasps’ boss Dai Young has not confirmed the identity of any big name transfer targets since his interest in another Toulon superstar, Leigh Halfpenny, failed to end in success earlier this year.

However, the club need to replace Smith and Charles Piutau, and under the updated Premiership salary cap legislation have capacity to employ two players from outside England whose costs supplement the £6.5 million cap.

Despite the presence at Wasps of the much-improved and highly-rated Thomas Young, his father recently confirmed that an openside flanker is top of his shopping list.

“We’re actively chasing another two or three signings and have been doing for a month or so,” said Young senior. “Fingers crossed, we are expecting in the next couple of weeks that we’ll be in a position to announce some news.

“Our first option is to find a specialist seven, but we do have options in our existing back row. Thomas can play six and seven, Sam Jones can play seven and eight and Hask is England seven. So it doesn’t necessarily need to be a specialist seven, but that would be our first option.

“I’d have few concerns about Thomas being our starting seven, as he’s come on in leaps and bounds, but we need two quality players for every position.

“That could be Thomas and Hask at seven and we shuffle things around, but with Nathan Hughes also becoming eligible for England alongside Hask and George leaving we don’t want to leave ourselves short, so we need to bring someone in.”

Skill-Sets
Armitage is known for his strength, speed and in particular for his effectiveness over the ball at the breakdown, where he is adept at winning penalties and turnovers.

This makes him a perfect fit for Wasps’ back row, and the player also ticks all the boxes identifed by Young as being important qualities in his target signing.

“The key thing is to bring another player of international standard,” said Wasps’ boss. “I don’t see us finding another George Smith, as there’s not many of them out there, but the type of players we’ve shown interest in to date is well-documented.

“Unfortunately this doesn’t mean we’ve been able to get them all over the line, but it does show that we intend to replace quality with quality.

“We try to have at least one ball-carrier in each row of the scrum, and when we’ve played well that has happened. The last couple of weeks with one or two injuries we haven’t quite had the balance and it’s been all about Nathan.

“So we would like someone with the ability to carry, but if it’s a seven he has to be able to link and play like George and Thomas, and provide that continuity in play and that support of breaks as one extra pass has certainly paid dividends for us.

“I like to have two carriers in the back row, but certainly want our seven to be in a position where he creates, can offload and link. A lot of our moves involve our openside, perhaps with an inside ball, so someone that can create and carry would be ideal.”

Finances
Multi-millionaire Boudjellal is notorious for both interfering in the playing side of his club, and for his outspoken outbursts in the media.

However, he is also a canny operator, and Midi Olympique believes the Toulon president’s most recent comments are designed to generate a financial contribution through the payment of a transfer fee for Armitage in addition to removing his costs from the payroll.

They therefore believe joining Guy at Wasps to be a more likely outcome than following Delon to Lyon, which ironically is also the club where Smith saw out his days in France, having previously played at Toulon.

This may, of course, be the latest case of Wasps’ financial clout following their bond issue being seriously over-estimated, and the presence of former Toulon player and coach Pierre Mignoni as Lyon boss may be a more significant factor in determining Armitage’s final destination.

Like most of their Top 14 rivals, Lyon also have a huge playing budget, and are not operating under any salary cap constraints. This may mean Boudjellal’s prospects of generating a big fee for Armitage from them are better than from Wasps, in which case regardless of the player’s personal preference, Toulon’s owner is likely to be more amenable in shaping a deal with a club who are not realistic rivals for Top 14 or European Cup honours.

Since the flanker turns 31 in September, if he is to have an international career of any significance and play in a World Cup, it is surely a case of now or never.

The ever-increasing profile of young bucks such as Gloucester’s Matt Kvesic, Saints’ Teimana Harrison, Quins’ Jack Clifford and Sam Underhill, who like Armitage is currently in international limbo with the Ospreys, will otherwise surely see him remembered as being one of the first professional era rugby players whose career was defined by considerations other than the quest for international caps.

Rugby writer Paul Smith identifies the top No.7’s operating outside the Premiership, who would therefore be eligible as ‘marquee signings’ were they interested in a move to England.

David Pocock (Aus) Probably most people’s World XV incumbent No.7 after a superb World Cup. The Brumbies captain was rumoured to be considering a spell in Europe, but much to the ARU’s relief this now seems less likely. The Zimbabwean-born flanker is very much his own man, but will probably remain in Australia until after the 2019 World Cup, when he will be 31.

Michael Hooper (Aus) Another outstanding Aussie openside, Hooper currently plays alongside Wasps target Kurtley Beale at Waratahs. He also captains the Sydney-based Super Rugby franchise, and is fiercely committed to the club he joined in 2013.

Sam Cane (NZ) The heir-apparent to the All Black No.7 shirt recently vacated by the great Richie McCaw, and possibly also his captain’s armband. The 24-year-old has already won 31 New Zealand caps, and given the NZRU’s rigid application of a non-selection policy for foreign-based players, he is likely to be a fixture in the Waikato Chiefs’ back row for many years to come.

Sam Warburton (Wales) The 2013 British & Irish Lions skipper also has 64 Wales caps despite still being only 27. Warburton has played for the Cardiff Blues since 2009, and since 2014 has been one of a small number of Welsh players who are part-funded by WRU. It is inconceivable that he will leave Wales, despite originally being signed by Dai Young when he was director of rugby at Cardiff.

Justin Tipuric (Wales) Most of the rest of the world would kill for Tipuric, but although he has won 43 Wales caps, he has suffered from Warburton’s presence in Warren Gatland’s back row. Tipuric’s club rugby is played at the Ospreys, where the 26-year-old signed a contract that takes him to 2018 last December, despite reported interest from Leicester and Toulouse.

Yannick Nyanga (Fra) Racing 92’s 32-year-old spent ten years at Toulouse, where he won 42 French caps in addition to a Heineken Cup. He is currently preparing to face Saracens in this year’s European Cup final having missed the semi-final through injury.

Sean O’Brien (Ire) Leinster’s 29-year-old British & Irish Lion has won 42 Ireland caps despite suffering a number of serious injuries. Ireland’s four provincial clubs are centrally funded by IRU, and therefore in recent times it has been rare for players to pursue careers abroad.

Schalk Burger (SA) The 33-year-old World Cup winner from 2007 has 86 South African caps. He has played most of his career in Cape Town with the Stormers, and has recently agreed to spend the next two seasons with Saracens.

John Hardie (Sco) Edinburgh’s 27-year-old openside arrived in Scotland from New Zealand last year having spent five seasons in Super Rugby with the Higlanders. Hardie qualifies for Scotland through his Grandmother, and has signed a two-year central contract with SRU that expires in 2017.

Steffon Armitage (Eng) Although Armitage is contracted to Toulon until 2017, the club’s maverick owner Mourad Boudjellal is suddenly rumoured to prefer younger, cheaper French talent. There is also the ongoing thought that Armitage at his best (and playing in England) would almost certainly feature in Eddie Jones’ plans, which at nearly 31 may just be enough to tempt him back across the Channel.

Sam Underhill (Eng) A wildcard choice - Underhill is not 20 until July - but the Ospreys openside has attracted rave reviews this season. He is a former England U18 captain, who is currently studying Economics at Cardiff University, and seems destined for a glittering career.