It’s official: South African fly-half Handre Pollard is leaving Leicester Tigers at the end of the season. He may not have hit the heights many hoped he would when he arrived from Montpellier, but a flop? That feels like a stretch when you compare the Springbok No 10 to these other signings who failed to make a mark in England...
Jeremy Paul (Gloucester)
Gloucester signed the World Cup-winning hooker on a three-year contract. Arriving late after the 2007 tournament in France, Paul only made six appearances before leaving the following summer, just one year into his deal. When Gloucester announced the move, Dean Ryan, their director of rugby, described Paul as “a major signing” who would “bring huge experience and leadership qualities” and was “a key part of the jigsaw”. It never worked out.
Nemani Nadolo (Exeter)
A very good player for a long part of his career with the Crusaders, Montpellier and Leicester – plus of course Fiji – Nadolo’s time with Exeter at the start of his career went less well. He left the club after only four appearances by mutual consent. A month beforehand he had been mistakenly included as part of Exeter’s squad for a game against Leeds, giving Exeter too many overseas players in their squad. That led to the club receiving a two-point deduction and a £5,000 fine.
Napolioni Nalaga (London Irish)
The Exiles swung for the fences plenty of times with their recruitment and missed – Pieter Roussouw, CJ van der Linde, Andy Goode – but Nalaga might have been the most disappointing. Joining the club at the age of 31, the brilliant Clermont wing had just scored 21 tries in 32 games for Lyon when he arrived in the Premiership. After a run of injuries he left the club having made three appearances in two seasons.
Stephen Donald (Bath)
Fresh off his incredible cameo to help New Zealand end their Rugby World Cup drought, famously cutting short his fishing holiday, Donald signed for Bath and joined at the end of 2011. He made 31 appearances and then left for Japan with a year to go on his contract, having lost his starting spot to Tom Heathcote.
Richie Gray (Sale)
Signing the Scotland lock on a three-year deal was viewed as a coup back in 2012, but after one season in Manchester he left to join Castres in the Top 14 after exercising a break clause in his contract.
Craig Quinnell (Saracens)
Never a good sign when a club opts to put you up for sale six months into a four-year contract worth half a million, is it? Saracens invested heavily back in 2002 to acquire Quinnell from Cardiff but the Wales lock was not there for long after falling foul of Wayne Shelford, joining Worcester and then Cardiff Blues.
Sam Burgess (Bath)
This is an indictment of everyone involved, not jus Burgess. He joined on a three-year contract fresh from guiding the South Sydney Rabbitohs to glory and was never really given enough time to hone his game in union. Having arrived at Bath in November 2014 he was back in rugby league by the following December, partly due to being scapegoated for England’s 2015 World Cup exit following his rushed inclusion. It still feels like a colossal waste of potential.
Epi Taione (Sale)
Living up to the club’s name, Taione left Sale Sharks in 2006 after receiving an 18-game ban for biting Munster’s Denis Leamy. He made only one start in three appearances during his only season at the club.
Waisea Nayacalevu (Sale)
The most recent addition, but Nayacalevu looked like an excellent bit of business for Sale to add to their midfield when he arrived last summer. Now the Fiji captain, who joined on a one-year deal with an option for another season, has joined Ospreys after only seven matches.
Chris Jack (Saracens)
The All Blacks lock hardly set the world on fire during his two seasons in the Premiership and was strangely used a lot at six by Saracens (coached by a certain Eddie Jones). Then on his way out, Jack claimed that “if I wanted to play easy rugby I would have stayed up in the northern hemisphere”. If he did find it that easy, it never looked like it.
