Freddie Burns to start football-style transfer merry-go-round by moving from ...

Burns’s decision to leave Kingsholm will force Gloucester to seek a new

fly-half, as they have played England centre Billy Twelvetrees out of

position in the No 10 shirt in their past two Premiership matches.

Rhys Priestland, the Wales

fly-half, is now likely to become a target. He is out of contract with the

Scarlets at the end of the season and had also been in talks with Leicester.

Wasps are also believed to be keen on recruiting him, but Nigel Davies,

Gloucester’s director of rugby, previously coached Priestland at the

Scarlets.

The uncertainty surrounding the future of the Welsh regions, who are

considering splitting from the Welsh Rugby Union in the ongoing dispute over

the structure of the Heineken Cup, is likely to lead to other cross-border

moves.

Richard Hibbard, the Wales and Lions

hooker, has signed for Gloucester, who have also recruited John Afoa, the

former All Blacks tighthead, from Ulster. Bradley Davies, the Wales lock, is

set to move to Wasps, who have also been linked with Sale’s England Saxons

flanker James Gaskell and London Irish’s England wing Marland Yarde, who has

yet to commit himself to a new contract with the Exiles.

Sale are also set to lose England tighthead prop Henry Thomas to Bath, where

he played his formative rugby.

In recent years the Greene King IPA Championship has proved fertile recruiting

ground for Premiership clubs who, until this season, had to wait until

players from England’s second-tier competition were in the last three months

of a contract before they could talk to them.

But a change of regulations means that out-of-contract Championship players

can now be approached from tomorrow, with Bedford centre Mark Atkinson being

tracked by Gloucester and Rotherham No 8 Laurence Pearce attracting

Leicester’s interest. Leicester have two former England No 8s, Thomas

Waldrom and Jordan Crane, out of contract at the end of the season.

One move that has already taken place is the departure of Fiji flanker Akapusi

Qera from Gloucester to Toulouse for the rest of the season.

Five players who could be on the move

Freddie Burns

England’s third choice fly-half is expected to reject Gloucester’s attempts

to keep him at Kingsholm and sign for Leicester.

Henry Thomas

The tighthead prop is expected to swap Sale for Bath, his hometown club.

Toby Flood

The fly-half has turned down the chance to stay with Leicester and is now

sorting out a move to France, probably to Toulouse.

Marland Yarde

The London Irish wing has yet to sign a contract extension and he has been

linked with Harlequins and Wasps.

James Gaskell

The Saxons flanker is out of contract with Sale in the summer. Wasps are keen

to procure him.

Freddie Burns to start football-style transfer merry-go-round by moving from ...