Cannon and Walker in the group of nine players released by Ealing
Ex-Wasps stalwart James Cannon and former Harlequins winger Charlie Walker are among the group of nine players leaving Championship champions Ealing Trailfinders this summer ahead of the 2022/23 season in the English second tier.
A club statement on Tuesday afternoon read: “Ealing can confirm that Shane Buckley, James Cannon, Matt Gordon, Bill Johnston, Stephen Kerins, Len Massyn, Gary Porter, Harry Seward and Charlie Walker will leave the club in the summer ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. The Trailfinders would like to thank all departing players and we wish them all the best for the future.
“The club would like to give a special mention to James Cannon who has been with us since 2019 and made 42 appearances in green and white. Over the last three seasons in West London, he has won three trophies with Trailfinders, The Championship title and Championship Cup in 2021/22, as well the Trailfinders Challenge Cup in 2021.”
Ealing director of rugby Ben Ward added: “Everyone at Ealing Trailfinders would like to thank this year’s leavers for their hard work and contribution to the club. We have had an outstanding season and it’s been a pleasure working with all the players. I wish them every success for the future, on and off the field.”
Commenting on Cannon, Ward said, “It’s especially sad to see James Cannon leaving after three years at Trailfinders Sports Club. He has made a significant impact since joining us back in 2019, always giving his all when representing the shirt. I wish him all the very best and hope he enjoys his retirement from rugby.”
The confirmation of the nine players who are leaving came on the same day that Ealing announced the signing of Dan Lancaster, the son of ex-England boss Stuart, from Leicester Tigers. The 21-year-old achieved five appearances for Tigers this season, earning selection in Leicester’s Premiership Cup fixtures. He has also spent time on loan at Nottingham over the past year, gaining some valuable Championship experience.
Departing Ealing players:
Shane Buckley
James Cannon
Matt Gordon
Bill Johnston
Stephen Kerins
Len Massyn
Gary Porter
Harry Seward
Charlie Walker
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I’m all for speeding up the game. But can we be certain that the slowness of the game contributed to fans walking out? I’m not so sure. Super rugby largely suffered from most fans only being able to, really, follow the games played in their own time zone. So at least a third of the fan base wasn’t engaged at any point in time. As a Saffer following SA teams in the URC - I now watch virtually every European game played on the weekend. In SR, I wouldn’t be bothered to follow the games being played on the other side of the world, at weird hours, if my team wasn’t playing. I now follow the whole tournament and not just the games in my time zone. Second, with New Zealand teams always winning. It’s like formula one. When one team dominates, people lose interest. After COVID, with SA leaving and Australia dipping in form, SR became an even greater one horse race. Thats why I think Japan’s league needs to get in the mix. The international flavor of those teams could make for a great spectacle. But surely if we believe that shaving seconds off lost time events in rugby is going to draw fans back, we should be shown some figures that supports this idea before we draw any major conclusions. Where are the stats that shows these changes have made that sort of impact? We’ve measured down to the average no. Of seconds per game. Where the measurement of the impact on the fanbase? Does a rugby “fan” who lost interest because of ball in play time suddenly have a revived interest because we’ve saved or brought back into play a matter of seconds or a few minutes each game? I doubt it. I don’t thinks it’s even a noticeable difference to be impactful. The 20 min red card idea. Agreed. Let’s give it a go. But I think it’s fairer that the player sent off is substituted and plays no further part in the game as a consequence.
Go to commentsThose are pretty good draws for the two top Aussie teams. I certainly wouldn't want my Chiefs to have a quarter final in Brisbane. None of the top teams will want the Crusaders.
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