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IRFU broker deal for Djougang to play professionally in France
By Kim Ekin
Transfers by Ireland men's Test level players abroad are regularly frowned upon by the IRFU. Just ask Simon Zebo, the recent Munster re-signing who wasn't capped at Test level by either Joe Schmidt or Andy Farrell after it was announced in October 2017 that he was leaving the Irish province for Top 14 side Racing.
However, the approach is different when it comes to the women's game. Ireland have often included players who play in the league in England, the likes of Claire Molloy and Leah Lyons, and the situation has now taken a further step with the IRFU confirming they actively brokered a deal that will take Linda Djougang to France for the 2021/22 season.
Djougang had been working as a nurse during the pandemic but she will now take a sabbatical from that profession after a deal was agreed that will see the prop join the full-time set-up at Romagnat, the current French women's champions.
An IRFU statement explained: "A deal has been brokered for Ireland women's international prop Linda Djougang to join current French champions ASM Romagnat Rugby for the 2021/22 season. Romagnat are affiliated with Top 14 side Clermont and are three-time champions of the Elite 1 league in France with current French internationals Jessy Tremouliere, Elise Pignot and Caroline Thomas in their squad.
"Djougang, who has twelve caps for Ireland and is a fluent French speaker, made her international debut against England in the 2019 Six Nations. The 25-year-old will join Romagnat following the completion of the Women’s Rugby World Cup Qualifying tournament in September."
Anthony Eddy, the IRFU director of women's and sevens rugby, added: "This is a really positive move for Linda as she will be able to train full-time in a professional environment and test herself regularly against some of the best players in the world. We have established a strong connection with the coaches in Romagnat which will allow us to collaborate on Linda’s ongoing development. Linda will remain available for all Ireland camps and matches."
Djougang said: "I'm determined to be the best player I can be and working with the coaches at Romagnat and being in their environment will help accelerate my development. Playing in the French league week in week out will be incredible and I am really looking forward to committing everything to this opportunity. David (Nucifora) and Anthony have put in a lot of work to make sure this move would be a good fit for me."
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Latest Comments
SA will be per say, I think URC is founded in Dublin? Yes indeed re football, most powerful or most corrupt. Football is even in more of a predicament than French rugby. As I alluded to in another comment, FIFA brought in the FFP but the EPL is so many times more rich than the LNR is compared to it's governing bodies that it's taking years to do anything about the breaches (and at huge cost no doubt) of teams like Manchester City.
Never the less they are things that are being done. It just needs good people to play nice and it certainly looks like both parties (FFR and LNR) having been trying hard in recent years, and it's not as bad as you make it sound.
Haha I like that phrase! Yes certainly different perspectives as NZ has already thrown out their rugby culture (in regards to the topic of competitions) but I can understand wanting to hold on (as I do to the former NZ setup). One of those things is that it's not as easy to say everyone wants to see Dupont every game either, is it. You want to see some of future too, but I see that Dupont has only been involved in a third of this years Top 14 games. Has he been injured, it's even less that he normally plays.
You depict a league accepting change and looking for the right fit, I'm sure it will get there. Nick doesn't reckon SA and at the same level yet but I'm sure I read an article confirming the SAn posters on this site saying the no longer pay wages (might still be closer to a English model/balance than French though), but I can't find it now. Will have to dbl check that one but remember FIFA do hold power, you only need to look at the amount of international football to realise that. LNR can easily be made to bend if push comes to shove through how tightly it's players are tied to international rugby (large forieign contingent).
Go to commentsDon't you mean a lot better, 50% compared to 70% and played better teams than Foster, and played in the South Africa and Northern hemisphere, compared to Foster who was able to base his team across the ditch.
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