Every day seems to bring another unexpected move from one Premier 15s club to another.
‘I am/we are excited to announce…’
But the innocent public is left to guess who made the first move, the player, the club, or maybe the agent?
As of 23 July, I have collected the following transfers, (not in chronological or alphabetical order)
| FROM | TO | |
| Megan Davies | Exeter | Bristol Bears |
| Maud Muir | Wasps | Gloucester-Hartpury |
| Gwenillian Pyrs | Sale Sharks | Bristol Bears |
| Alex Matthews | Worcester Warriors | Gloucester-Hartpury |
| Siwan Lillicrap | Bristol Bears | Gloucester-Hartpury |
| Claire Molloy | Wasps | Bristol Bears |
| Christiana Balogun | Wasps | Bristol Bears |
| Beth Stafford | Sale Sharks | Bristol Bears |
| Olivia Jones | Exeter | Gloucester-Hartpury |
| Lark Davies | Loughborough | Bristol Bears |
| Leanne Infante | Bristol Bears | Saracens |
| Lizzie Goulden | Loughborough | Gloucester-Hartpury |
| Claudia Macdonald | Wasps | Exeter |
| Cliodhna Moloney | Wasps | Exeter |
| Charli Jacoby | Loughborough | Exeter |
| Silvia Turani | Colorno | Exeter |
| Liv McGoverne | NZ | Exeter |
| Hailey Derera | Brumbies | Exeter |
| Taryn Schutzler | Ulster | Saracens |
| Grace Moore | Railway Union | Saracens |
| Natalia John | Bristol Bears | Worcester |
| Sam Monaghan | Wasps | ? |
| Jess Breach | Quins | Saracens |
| Louise McMillan | Hillshead-Jordanhill | Saracens |
| Lowri Norkett | Ospreys | Worcester |
| Laura Delgado | Exeter | Gloucester-Hartpury |
Six on this list are contracted Red Roses.
No doubt the question-mark will be filled in ere long; and the list will go on lengthening.
Exeter Chiefs take the prize for the largest number of signings in one announcement, 6. That is in keeping with their business-like approach. They have released 15 players.
At the other end of the scale come Wasps, about whom I tried to read the runes recently. They have been shedding players like sheep-shearing time, and they don’t have a head coach present to take control.
Jess Breach’s switch to Saracens only adds to the certainty that they will win next season’s league yet again. Her move comes as a big surprise, though it allows her at last to play alongside her best mate, Zoe Harrison. And she must have the happiest memories of what used to be Allianz Park: it was there she scored her scorching six on debut for England against a very callow Canada outfit in 2017. The signing of Leanne Infante only shortens the odds, but it reduces Ella Wyrwas’s chances of catching the selectors’ eye. Sarries now boast England’s first-choice half-back pairing to exploit the strongest back-row in the country – possibly in the world.
Whether such a concentration of England’s top talent in one club is good for the elite league is highly doubtful.
We heard of Ellie Boatman’s move to Quins before the Breach news. But presumably people already knew what was in the pipeline, so it becomes a simple exchange: winger for winger.
Except that Boatman leaves Wasps.
Forecasts
So yet another season will start with less chance of an upset in the finishing order; Saracens will win yet another trophy.
I don’t see any of the RFU’s plans for the next ten years sorting out the gaping disparities in club wealth.
Below Sarries the competition hots up.
Quins may struggle to regain the trophy they won two seasons ago.
Exeter have to mould their new influx into unfamiliar patterns, but should make the knock-outs with some ease.
Bristol have gained and lost over the summer thus far, but there is huge expectation in the bear-pit. Dave Ward has signed on for another three years.
Gloucester-Hartpury must be delighted with their intake. The addition of Siwan Lillicrap, Alex Matthews and Maud Muir to the pack will make them a formidable foe up front. Their back-play has long been their strong suit.
It’s hard to imagine any other club displacing these five.
Wasps, Loughborough, Sale and DMPDS have not announced any signings yet.
