EXCLUSIVE
Big-spending Ealing Trailfinders have come to the rescue of Tom Collins who had been left high and dry by the collapse of London Irish.
Irish announced the signing for the former Northampton Saints fans’ favourite at the end of April but the 28-year-old electric winger was forced to look elsewhere for employment once the club went into administration earlier this month.
Collins had chosen to leave his hometown club Northampton due to a lack of opportunities after spending all his career there, scoring 48 tries in 144 appearances for the Saints.
His form as injury cover towards the end of last season put the former England U20 international back in the shop window and London Irish needed a prolific try-scorer with Ollie Hassell-Collins off to Leicester.
Sadly, the move never happened and instead of continuing his career in the Premiership, Collins will be part of an Ealing squad that wouldn’t look out of place in the top flight.
DoR Ben Ward’s backthree options now include Collins, Wales international Jonah Holmes and ex-Newcastle, Saracens and Harlequins player Nathan Earle.
Collins is not the only member of the Exiles’ squad to be heading to Vallis Way with prop Will Goodrick-Clarke being another signing that The Rugby Paper can reveal.
Goodrick-Clarke, 27, earned a reputation as one of the best looseheads in the Championship during his time with Richmond and was named in the 2018/19 Championship Dream Team.
He joined London Irish ahead of the 2019/20 season and made over 60 appearances for the club as well as appearing for an England XV in a non-capped match against the Barbarians.
With Collins and Goodrick-Clarke now on board, Ealing have recruited 10 players from either the United Rugby Championship or the Gallagher Premiership in a busy summer of recruitment, in addition to the Melbourne Rebels’ standout performer in Super Rugby Pacific, Richard Hardwick.
Hardwick is the opposition’s worst nightmare at the breakdown, having won 19 turnovers from just nine appearances in the season just gone.
The openside won two caps for Australia in 2017 and was capped by the country of his birth, Namibia, against Canada in November last year.
Now a dual international, Hardwick has been named in Namibia’s wider World Cup squad so wouldn’t be available to Ealing until October.
With Jordy Reid returning to Vallis Way after a successful spell at Gloucester and club stalwart, Rayn Smid, and the irrepressible Simon Uzokwe retained for another season, Ealing have an enviable array of backrow options.
Reid is part of a four-strong cohort of Gloucester players who’ve switched to Ealing this summer with former England playmaker and 2013 British & Irish Lions tourist Billy Twelvetrees, left, the headline signing.
Twelvetrees made over 270 appearances for the Cherry & Whites over an 11-year period having previously won the Premiership with Leicester.
Hooker Henry Walker and lock Andrew Davison have also signed from Gloucester, while the flow of players from the west also includes loose-head prop Lewis Boyce (Bath) and Cardiff Rugby’s Brad Thyer (loose-head prop), Rhys Anstey (lock) and Lloyd Williams (scrumhalf).
As well as players, director of rugby Ben Ward’s coaching team has been strengthened with the arrival of Neil Fowkes (ex-Wasps and Nottingham) as forwards coach.
One potential target that Ealing have missed out on though is loose forward Josh Caulfield. Caulfield has been on the market since London Irish’s demise but Bristol have won the race for the former Cornish Pirates’ signature.
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