Top 14:
Brive's Riki Flutey signs
for Munster; Shane Williams confirms Toulon interest
21 February 2010
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Au revoir: Riki Flutey is leaving
Brive for Irish side Munster
Photo: Michael Paler |
England
centre Riki Flutey is leaving Brive to take up
a two-year contract with Irish province Munster.
The
30-year-old has been lined up to help fill the void created
by the imminent departures of South Africa's Jean de
Villiers and New Zealand's Doug Howlett, according to media
reports in France.
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Flutey
has played just four matches for Brive since joining in the
summer, with a shoulder injury and international calls
severely curtailing his input. The player is said to be
unhappy about the recent departure of English fly-half
Andy Goode -
who signed a loan contract with Natal
Sharks last week - and his departure would also
help reduce the club's heavy wage bill.
The
ambitious Limousin club will have a 20% reduced budget next
season, and head coach Ugo Mola is known to favour a more
French orientated squad after a plethora of recent overseas
signings.
In
addition to Flutey and Goode, Brive also has the likes of
Steve Thompson, Shaun Perry, Jamie Noon, Damien Browne,
Craig Short and Alix Popham on its books, as well as a
gaggle of South Africans, Argentines and other
nationalities. It has led to some dubbing it 'Little
England' or 'Brive-on-Thames', although most of those
players are well settled and happily integrated into the
town's rugby dominated community.
Top 14 Transfers 2010/11
But
while Brive appear willing to trim some of their well paid
'etrangers' from their squad, Toulon continue heading
in the other direction. Sale Sharks captain Dean Schofield
and
London Wasps winger Paul Sackey
have both already been snaffled from the Guinness
Premiership, and this weekend Ospreys' Welsh star Shane
Williams has confirmed interest from the big-spending
Cote d'Azur club.
"Whenever someone looks at me and says they want you in
their squad, you have got to be flattered," Williams told
Wales Online. "Toulon are a big club with a big heritage
and, I think, are doing very well in the French league," he
added.
Williams
said he had yet t make up his mind about the possible switch
to Top 14. "I've really not had time to think about it. I
have had people talk to me about it and almost answer the
question for me, but no, like I said, I'm happy at the
moment with the Ospreys. I just want to do well in the Six
Nations," he added.
Toulon's multi-millionaire president Mourad
Boudjellal is determined to give head coach Philippe
Saint-André all the financial backing he can afford as the
former Sale boss continues to build a star-studded squad.
Jonny Wilkinson was the most high profile of last season's
transfer coups, but the cosmopolitan squad also features the
likes of Rory Lamont, Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Joe Van Niekerk,
Tim May, Sonny Bill Williams, Felipe Contepomi and Pierre
Mignoni.
On
Saturday they confirmed their continuing emergence as one of
France's top sides
by winning 6-3 away to Stade
Toulousain, thus completing a memorable league
double over the 17-time French champions.
Another
former England international in the news in France is
Biarritz flanker Magnus Lund, who has agreed a new
two-year deal with the Basques. Lund was being courted by
new Super 15 franchise Melbourne Rebels, but has opted
instead to remain in France, where he will reportedly be
joined by brother (and Leeds captain) Erik Lund next
season.
The
Rebels had more luck with signing England starlet Danny
Cipriani, who spurned a more lucrative offer from Stade
Francais to relocate to Australia for two years.
Stade
Toulousain, meanwhile, have been linked with SCA Albi winger
Pierre-Gilles Lakafia, with the 22-year-old expected
to confirm his departure shortly after holding talks with
the south-west giants last week.
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