Former England and Wasps second-row Joe Launchbury is set to move overseas after failing to find a Gallagher Premiership club.
The Rugby Paper reports today that the only club willing to match his £420,000 per season salary is Toyota Verblitz.
He’ll join the Japanese side on a short-term deal to the end of the season, but would still be able to play for England due to the ‘special dispensation’ to play for England.
Players will notably no longer remain eligible for England selection once the 2023 Rugby World Cup has concluded, suggesting any England hopefuls would only move abroad on deals until the end of the season
England have previously shunned selecting players plying their trade overseas, although there have been exceptions when players had previously signed future contracts to join Premiership clubs following summer tours, as was the case with Ben Te’o, Piers Francis and Brad Shields.
According to RUCK sources, similar to Jack Willis, the former captain is keen to rejoin Wasps in the summer if the club is successfully taken over.
Joe Launchbury facts:
- His nickname in the England set up is “Launchers”
- After Harlequins failed to offer him a professional contract aged 18, he left the club and joined then National League 2 South side Worthing for the 2009–10 season
- Launchbury is married to Mallory Bourn and they have two children, Blythe and Hayden, with another on the way
- His first England cap came off the bench in an autumn international against Fiji at Twickenham in 2012.
5 rugby stars who had normal jobs before becoming professional
Sometimes we should take time to appreciate those International rugby stars who plied their trade elsewhere before hitting the jackpot in the game we all love.
In an era where you only make it if you dedicate your life to it, it’s rare to find players who just months prior to their professional career were grinding the 9-5.
With that in mind, here are five international rugby stars who worked hard before making it big…
#1. Sam Underhill (England) – Painter/Decorator
Before securing a professional contract, the future England superstar served an apprenticeship under his Granddad as a painter and decorator. The 24-year-old, who likes keeping busy, hasn’t ruled out a return to the trade when his rugby days are done.
