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Former England international Steffon Armitage to join Biarritz
By Alex Shaw
After former Toulon and Pau back rower Steffon Armitage was found guilty of sexual assault last month, San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby announced that they were releasing the 34-year-old.
Armitage had agreed to join the US franchise, although in the wake of his criminal conviction, the club stated that the player's conduct was not reflective of the Legion and that the team would be going in a different direction for the 2020 season.
The back rower was given a six-month suspended sentence and a fine of €5,000 after pleading guilty to the charges at the Pau Criminal Court, which date back to 2018.
Despite San Diego Legion deciding to move on from Armitage, the former England international has been given another opportunity to play professionally, with Biarritz in the Pro D2 securing his signing.
The former giants of European rugby have been playing in the second tier of the French league since 2014, as they have struggled to live financially with the big-spending clubs in the Top 14. They are currently 7th in the Pro D2, having picked up three wins from their opening six games of the season.
Armitage will be competing with the likes of Georgian starlet Tornike Jalagonia and former Bath stalwart Leroy Houston in the Biarritz back row, with the club currently just five points behind Grenoble at the summit of the table.
During his time at Toulon, Armitage was considered one of the best back rows in world rugby and his exclusion from England's 2015 Rugby World Cup squad, due to the RFU's policy of not selecting foreign-based players, was criticised heavily by fans and the media alike. He had been linked with a return to England after that Rugby World Cup, although the former Saracens academy product ended up signing a contract with Pau and has not added to the five England caps he won whilst at London Irish between 2006 and 2011.
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Latest Comments
No just because the personal is much better than last year. I've shown no antagonism of Crusader players, you must be confusing me with someone else.
I have critized Razor for picking players he knows occasionally?
I said I'm not surprised because of his style, he's more a grinder player like Cane, not going to show up on peoples radar until you see how bad the other choices are. This year players like Clarke have been on fire and just show a bit more.
Are you one of those posters continually taking it easy on Razor because he doesn't have his Crusaders stars available? Do you think the rugby world is going to up to him suddenly once Mo'unga returns? lol
Go to commentsJohn you have been beating this drum for a couple of years, if you get proven right get back to us.
The last recent and decent Aussie coach was Ewen McKenzie, he was undermined and forced out by a couple of slimy Aussie players who were given a free pass when they should have been disciplined.
So our history since McQueen is very checkered and it seems to make little difference whether we have an Aussie coach or a Kiwi coach. The players have been entitled for a long time and we had to hit bottom to get them back into reality and to stop thinking it is all about them.
Cheika was an OK coach but his 'go our and destroy the opposition' tactic worked for a while and then didn't.
Please give me a list of great Aussie coaches that I have missed.
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