Dan Carter and Sam Burgess included on list of rugby's biggest transfer flops
Rugby NewsThursday, 11 April 2024 at 19:27
Here at RUCK, we've never shied away from discussing rugby's notable letdowns, from Andy Goode's brief stint at London Irish to Sam Burgess's ill-fated venture into rugby union.
Renowned rugby transfer expert , currently contributing to Rugby Pass, has compiled a list of the 15 most significant transfer flops. Surprisingly, even legendary fly-half Dan Carter has found his place among them.
Rugby transfers can go awry for various reasons, be it the wrong club at the wrong time or enduring injury setbacks. Some transfers even fall through altogether, leaving a lasting dent in players' reputations.
Fissler's list lacks a specific order, but it includes some prominent names whose transfers didn't meet expectations.
Sam Burgess – South Sydney Rabbitohs to Bath 2014
Dan Carter – Crusaders to Perpignan (loan) 2008
He wrote: "The greatest player in the modern era got the rock star treatment when he arrived in the Languedoc-Roussillon to take up a €700,000 six-month deal, but it didn’t work as intended after Carter played just five games before partially tearing his Achilles tendon in a draw with Stade Francais."
Willie Mason – Free agent to Toulon 2011
RG Snyman – Bulls – Munster 2020
Chris Jack – Crusaders – Saracens 2007
Justin Marshall – Crusaders to Leeds Tykes 2005
Mathieu Bastareaud – Toulon to Rugby United New York 2020
Chiliboy Ralepelle – Bulls to Toulouse 2013
Nico Matawalu – Bath to Exeter Chiefs 2016
Waisake Naholo – Highlanders to London Irish 2019
Christian Cullen – Hurricanes to Munster 2003
Marika Vunibaka – Fiji to Leicester Tigers 1997
Gavin Henson – Ospreys to Saracens 2010
Chris Ashton – Harlequins to Worcester Warriors 2021
Jason Jones-Hughes – Newport to Munster 2003
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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