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Wallaby Lachlan Swinton set to leave Australian rugby for Europe – report
By Finn Morton
In the wake of the Wallabies’ disasterclass at the Rugby World Cup and the resignation of former Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan, another wave of bad rugby news is reportedly on its way Down Under.
NSW Waratahs enforcer Lachlan Swinton is set to say au revoir to Australian rugby after inking a deal with French club Bordeaux, according to a report out of Australia.
The Roar understands that the hard-hitting blindside flanker will leave Australia after Super Rugby Pacific 2024 after signing a lucrative deal with Top 14 club Bordeaux.
It’s been reported that the Wallaby was “offered an extended deal” with both the Tahs and Rugby Australia, but Swinton turned it down in favour of a deal worth more than $500,000 in France.
Swinton’s departure to France would be a tough blow for Australian rugby amidst reports that other rising stars are being targeted by NRL clubs.
Wing Mark Nawaqanitawase, who has risen to superstar status after debuting on last year’s end-of-season tour, reportedly met with the Sydney Roosters last week.
Nawaqanitawase, 23, is considering a stunning code switch after signing a short-term deal with Rugby Australia and the Waratahs earlier this year.
“I would have liked more,” Nawaqanitawase told The Sydney Morning Herald. “I’d love to stay here as long as I can.
“With certain circumstances, we had to agree on something. The one-year (contract extension) was the best thing at the time.
“Hopefully (I can) win a Super Rugby title with the Tahs and hopefully win a World Cup.
“In a perfect world, I’d like to stay (in rugby) but there’s always a but. There’s obviously other things out there that might interest me.”
Rising star Max Jorgensen, who was included in Eddie Jones’ World Cup squad but failed to take the field, has also been mentioned in a report as the ARLC commission considers a radical salary cap exemption for NRL clubs going after athletes from other codes.
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Even with absences we still had the cattle to make the playoffs. As it was, we nearly stumbled our way into the top 8. Which shows just how easy it was to get there. And still we failed. As for Razor, there are many instances of him patching up the Crusaders roster. Numerous. Several players I'd never heard of. Also, using AB legend John Afoa was a classic.
But, some of the games we were losing were from schoolboy errors, or downright confusion. Either the players were really dumb (they weren’t) or they were poorly coached. Given the repetitive nature of errors, brain fades, poor decision making, & loose structures, this all lands with the coaching group.
With only six playoff spots now in SR, & Aussie franchises now consolidated to four, 2025 looks like a tight one. I'm picking we'll have to tough it out under Penney & hope for the best.
Go to commentsAgree we need a 10, 12, 13 refresh. ASAP. Well, next season now lol. Reiko should be put back on the wing. He'll be an absolute menace there. Imagine 11 Reiko 14 Clarke 15 Jordan as the backfield unit.
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