LIST | Revisiting the biggest transfers that never happened
Rugby NewsThursday, 12 November 2020 at 20:48
There are always a few rugby tales of the big transfers that were tipped to take place and change the landscape of the rugby world forever but never materialised.
Here are a few of the biggest transfers that almost happened, but didn’t.
1. David Pocock to Wasps
Hot on the heels of landing fly half Danny Cipriani for next season, Wasps reportedly made an audacious attempt to bring David Pocock to the Premiership in a potential deal that would make the Australia flanker the highest paid rugby player in the world. According to would offer him a package in excess of the £1.4 million. This would have been one of the biggest transfers ever.
2. Jonny Wilkinson to Wasps
The 2003 World Cup hero was linked with a move to the then London club in 2008 with his contract with Newcastle Falcons set to expire. However, due to his struggles with injury and the emergence of Danny Cipriani, Wasps backed out after being outbid by French side Toulon.
Wilkinson went onto become a club legend in the south of France, , where he won two Heineken Cups and one Top 14 championship in five seasons.
3. Jonah Lomu to Leeds Tykes
According to the Telegraph, the Yorkshire club were ready to make a third bid to attract All Blacks giant Jonah Lomu to England in 2001 - and offer him the chance to star in Super League and for Leeds Tykes in the Zurich Premiership. They were considering a deal which would see 6ft 5ins Lomu play both rugby codes. A £250,000 a year offer was reportedly on the table but this deal never happened.
4. Danny Cipriani to Toulon
This deal almost looked guaranteed to happen before the opportunity to rejoin the England fold returned. He instead joined Gloucester and starred for them in his debut season, scooping multiple awards.
5. Manu Tuilagi to Racing 92
Leicester Tigers’ stalwart Manu Tuilagi looked set to leave Welford Road at the end of the season, having reportedly signed a lucrative contract that will see him play his rugby in the Top 14, according to RugbyPass. However, despite having a tour of the Paris training ground, the powerhouse centre eventually penned a new deal to stay at Tigers.
6. Thierry Dusautoir
The then France captain snubbed a move to Leicester and signed a two-year contract extension with Toulouse in 2015. Tigers chief executive Simon Cohen revealed the East Midlands club were in talks with the back-row, but he decided to remain in the Top 14.
7. Sergio Parisse to Gloucester
Gloucester were linked with Italy star Sergio Parisse back in 2017 when Stade Francais faced an uncertain future due to the possible merger with Racing 92. The Rugby Paper reported that he is on Gloucester's radar but the deal never happened. He's once again been linked with a move to Kingsholm ahead of the 2020/21 Premiership season.
8. Martin Johnson to Newcastle Falcons
The England and Leicester Tigers legend revealed on the 'Building Jerusalem' documentary that he was called by Newcastle Falcons and Richmond when the game went professional in 1996. Despite their big-money offer, the second-row was settled where he was.
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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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