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Bristol Rugby set to announce 9 signings today
By Ian Cameron
Bristol Rugby will reveal no less than nine signings for the 2018/19 season at 12 noon today in what the club are calling 'Signed Up Saturday'.
Head coach Pat Lam is building his squad ahead for what is likely to be the club's immediate bounce back up into the Premiership.
We have live updates of the announcements as they come here.
A number of the nine are already known and include former All Black prop John Afoa, who will join from Gloucester; Harry Thacker who joins from Leicester Tigers, loose forward Jake Heenan from Connacht and Nic Stirzaker from the Melbourne Rebels.
The bonanza of announcements kicks off at 12 midday on Saturday.
The team building is already well underway, with Steven Luatua, Ian Madigan and Luke Morahan already calling the Bristol home, as well as the likes of Tom Varndell and Tusi Pisi who stayed with Bristol despite relegation.
The eve of the announcements went well for the club, who ran in ten tries against a Cardiff Blues Premiership Select XV, nilling them 68-0 in the final pool match of the British and Irish Cup.
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Latest Comments
Yet Ethan Blackadder was one of our best against the World Champion Springbok. When he came back to the Crusaders later in the season , he made a huge difference, ( a long with others like Codie Taylor), we nearly made the Play Off's. Ethan has plenty of rugby left in him. His family , Dad Todd Blackadder must be very [proud of him. Todd Blackadder was a 3 time champion captain of the Crusaders, '98, '99 and 2000.An icon in this area. Also twice captain of Canterbury , '97 and 2001 when we won the NPC and Ranfurly Shield winning captain in 2000.
Go to commentsIt's the same criticism of Dmac and Mo'unga as well. Sadly the way the game has been heading recently it's the only way to break down a defence, and a player of Lawrences nature would have a very limited chance at doing that because he's too one dimensional.
Noah Lolesio is your sort of player and that worked OK, but only because his team is far more creative than Englands for example. The highly organized Irish attack was also another that didn't require much from the 10, but that is now changing with Prendergast who is in that league mold like the most new age 10's.
So it is in fact your two which would require even more change to make the most of than Marcus Smith.
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