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Highlanders recruit Burns eager to play alongside 'some of the world's best'

(Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)

Highlanders recruit Freddie Burns is looking forward to playing alongside some of the “world’s best players” in Super Rugby Pacific this year.

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The former England flyhalf signed from Leicester Tigers, and will be available for his new club in time for the opening round of the new campaign.

While the Highlanders’ decision to sign Burns may have raised a few eyebrows in the Southern Hemisphere, there’s no doubting the experience he’ll bring to the team.

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Burns played more than 110 games for Leicester over the course of his career, which included a last-minute drop goal against Saracens in last year’s Premiership final.

The 32-year-old is set to run out alongside the likes of Aaron Smith, Vilimoni Koroi and Jona Nareki this season.

“It’s a five a month contract so I’m just going to get there, literally jump in headfirst into the culture, into the rugby, and just see where it gets me,” Burns told RugbyPass Offload.

“I’m lucky as well because obviously preseason games start next weekend so I’ll literally land and it’ll be straight into games so I’ve not got that preseason to go through.

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“Hop in, jump in, give it my all, play with some of the world’s best players.

“They’ve got such an exciting, young backline. It’s going to be exciting to be a part of.”

Super Rugby Pacific is set to get underway in just a few weeks, with a New Zealand derby between the champion Crusaders and Chiefs opening the season.

As for Burns’ Highlanders, they’ll begin their campaign on February 25 against the Blues at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium.

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Railroad Bill 881 days ago

All the best.

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NB 19 minutes ago
Can Les Bleus avoid a Black-wash in New Zealand?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/c8xg59e0rq8o


From this article at least, it sounds more like ‘in addition to’ rather than ‘in place of’…. Which if true would be disturbing.

40 Go to comments
E
Ed the Duck 1 hour ago
Can Les Bleus avoid a Black-wash in New Zealand?

Florian Grill, President FFR 20.5.2025


https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360695274/french-rugby-boss-says-les-bleus-stars-could-tour-they-target-series-win-against-all-blacks


“French rugby is indeed based on a unique model, built around the Top 14 - a championship of exceptional intensity - and an ambitious national team, This demanding model places a significant physical and mental toll on players throughout the season. We therefore have a major responsibility: to look after their physical and mental health and to ensure they have essential rest periods. In this context, the selection for the July tour is based on two clear principles. First, an in-depth analysis conducted by the French team staff evaluates the players’ physical integrity, fatigue level, and current performance level in order to build a squad that is both strong and mindful of the players’ balance. Second, the formation of the group also respects a regulatory framework, jointly defined by the FFR and the LNR, which notably states that players who participate in the Top 14 final are not eligible for selection for a summer tour. However, exceptions are possible and are currently being discussed with the LNR.”


So there’s a few things to take from that where it’s clear that the Top 14 fixtures are at the core of the issue. It appears that the 2000 minutes or 25 games parameters are likely to be part of the “regulatory framework, jointly defined by the FFR and the LNR” but it’s also clear that this has been considered alongside a bespoke analysis of each players situation, for the purposes of NZ tour selection, and NOT applied in a rigid and homogenous style. Factors including the level/intensity of matches played, timing of match load across the season, injury profile and date of season end will all have been reviewed, alongside many others no doubt.


The comparison with Englands experience is particularly relevant since it also highlights the current difference between the two countries’ league relationship with their union. The RFU have reached an (expensive) agreement with the GP that has taken many years to evolve and, critically, hands full season playing control of a designated group of 25 Test players to the England coach. The French agreements do not operate in the same way, where playing control sits with the clubs outside of the Test windows and this is key to the issues.


The difficulty for France however is that the Top 14 needs the weekend numbers that it needs and it’s not immediately clear how they can reduce them. The extension of their final has happened in conjunction with reducing 6N/AI overlap but they still haven’t managed to fully eliminate this. While it’s not clear how these issues can be easily or quickly resolved, it is very clear that the problem can not be simply defined as France disrespecting international rugby.

40 Go to comments
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