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Gerard Ellis joins London Irish

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haydn_davies View Drop Down
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    Posted: 02 July 2012 at 2:28pm
Played a few games for the Drovers last season, was captain of Llandovery College.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/18673535
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Wil Chips View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wil Chips Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 July 2012 at 2:24pm
Very highly rated...not clear if he was Wales qualified...or how the regions missed him?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote haydn_davies Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 July 2012 at 2:27pm
Originally posted by Wil Chips Wil Chips wrote:

Very highly rated...not clear if he was Wales qualified...or how the regions missed him?

I heard that Iestyn Thomas rated him as highly as Alyn Wyn Jones and George North.

3 appearances and 1 try for the Drovers last season.

Blindside I believe.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wil Chips Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 July 2012 at 2:39pm
Aye def back row...is that our Iestyn ?
Isn't there anothr Iestyn tied in with Llandivery coll...used to be with Wasps or Quins I think?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote haydn_davies Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 July 2012 at 2:43pm
Originally posted by Wil Chips Wil Chips wrote:

Aye def back row...is that our Iestyn ?
Isn't there anothr Iestyn tied in with Llandivery coll...used to be with Wasps or Quins I think?

Our Iestyn I thought.

But you could well be right Will.

EDIT: Llandovery College 1st XV rugby team is coached by a Iestyn Thomas. Can't have been our Iestyn. He must have been with the college a while to compare Gerard Ellis to AWJ and George!!

Edited by haydn_davies - 03 July 2012 at 2:50pm
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PE SA View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote PE SA Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 July 2012 at 5:44pm

unfortunatly we cant keep everyone. back row is a big strength of ours with the eldest one being only 26 in rob gog or is jon eds a little older? we have mccusker, turnbull, shingler, edwards, dan thomas, nic cudd, craig price, kieran murphy plus a few i have probably missed.

not a case of not wanting him, is he better than what we have. i trust the coaches judgement...but no doubt they will have one or two wrong, but they will keep the best ones imo.
 
with a young squad and a constant belt of youngsters, some will have to leave.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote omri jones Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 July 2012 at 9:12pm
Was he in our U18 squad or Academy? I don't think so. He scored a lot of tries and had some excellent write-ups for Llandovery Coll but wasn't in the Welsh U18 development squad picked to tour S.Africa, although our back-row Sion Bennett was chosen and Daniel Thomas would have joined him if he was not being rested after returning from the U20s World Cup. He has probably decided that he's Irish. Maybe having Gerrard as a first name may be a clue. Or he may of course not want to be confused with Kieran Murphy.
Llandovery Coll has produced some excellent players in its time and much as I dislike private schools I hope this one doesn't go bust.
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Wil Chips View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wil Chips Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 July 2012 at 5:56am
Oddly he did play RL U18 for Wales I read somewhere...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LLANDRE Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 July 2012 at 6:43pm
Iestyn Thomas has coached Llandovery, London Welsh and Harelequins and been at Llanovery College on and off for over twenty years. He coached the Drovers when they won the Swalec Cup
West is Best (Fin gwybod)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wil Chips Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 July 2012 at 4:34am
Diolch Llandre.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ginge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2012 at 9:52am
I'm a friend of Gerard's. From what I understand Gerard was offered a 5 yr academy contract with scarlets something he was heavily advised against. As this would keep him contracted until the age of 24. He is making the transition from back row to Hooker now at London Irish, he was part of there system before moving to Llandovery and when the opportunity to move back arose he took it. Hope this clears some things up/
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote omri jones Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2012 at 10:50am
I was under the impression that only those still involved in education could be awarded Academy contracts, so unless Gerard was thinking of studying medicine or some other extended course in the region a 5 year contract would have been far too long and unlikely to have been offered.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dan the Drover Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2012 at 11:58am
Jeez guys, let's not crucify ourselves over an opportunity that might not have been there in the first place.  Gerard Ellis, if he can maintain his standard relative to his peers, is going to be a phenomenal rugby player.   He was already way too good for schools rugby, and the sooner he tests himself at the senior level the better.  But he is English, lives (as far as I know) in England, and just happens to have been at a boarding school in Wales which is renowned for its rugby.  He's easily good enough already to make a living in the English premiership, and is obviously England qualified, which is increasingly a requirement.  Let's wish him luck.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wil Chips Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2012 at 1:04pm
Originally posted by Ginge Ginge wrote:

I'm a friend of Gerard's. From what I understand Gerard was offered a 5 yr academy contract with scarlets something he was heavily advised against. As this would keep him contracted until the age of 24. He is making the transition from back row to Hooker now at London Irish, he was part of there system before moving to Llandovery and when the opportunity to move back arose he took it. Hope this clears some things up/


Thanks for updateing us...could that be a Development contract (not an academy one)?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ginge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2012 at 1:25pm

5 years was offered as they said it would take 2 years to succesfully move him to Hooker, the pay would rise incrementally as would his status with in the club. Going from an academy to development to first team contract. He wants to push on with Rugby but also has the desire to read accounting and finance at Uni. Resulting in him choosing London Irish as there offer was more suited to reaching these goals. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote omri jones Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 July 2012 at 2:30pm
Did the Scarlets also want to convert him to hooker then? I'd have thought we were more in need of a ball-carrying back-rower.
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