News In Brief
Sale swoop for Gloucester's Satala
Dai Flanagan (left) has agreed to join the Cardiff Blues' regional rivals, the Ospreys
© Getty Images
- Sale Sharks have announced the signing of Fiji international Apolosi Satala from Guinness Premiership rivals Gloucester.
The 31-year-old back has signed a one-year deal with Sale and will arrive at Edgeley Park at the end of the current campaign. Sharks director of rugby Kingsley Jones believes that Satala will prove a valuable addition to his squad.
"Apo is a quality player who can play any position in the back row and has also played centre and wing," he said. "He is a very physical player, a strong defender with great ball skills and has the ability to carry the ball across the gain line. Apo is also a very accomplished Sevens player."
- Cardiff Blues fly-half Dai Flanagan has signed a three-year contract with the Ospreys. The 24-year-old fly-half, who has represented Wales at U16, U19 and U21 level, will move to the Liberty Stadium in the summer and is looking forward to the challenge of competing with Dan Biggar and James hook for the Opsreys No.10 jersey.
"I realise there are some excellent fly-half at the region, but I'm coming to the Ospreys to prove myself," he said. "I've been with the Blues since 2004 so it's going to be a bit strange, it's a big change for me, but I wouldn't have signed if I thought that I'm just be going to make up the numbers and wouldn't get any game time.
"It's a long season, and with the international commitments that the Ospreys have then there's plenty of opportunities for me to show what I can do. I believe in myself and the ability I have, but I really feel that with the set-up there then I can progress as a player over the next few years."
- The Brumbies have confirmed that Colby Faingaa has put pen to paper on a one-year rookie contract with the franchise. The 18-year-old back-row, who is the younger brother of Reds duo Saia and Anthony, revealed that he had been the recipient of offers from rival Super 14 outfits but insisted that he never seriously entertained the idea of leaving Canberra.
"It's really nice to be able to stay at home at the Brumbies," he said. "There was some interest from elsewhere but I really only wanted to stay at the Brumbies. The Brumbies program is known as the best in the world and I feel like everything's starting to come together so I wanted to stay to keep developing my game.
"I'm really looking forward to completing this season well, getting a good pre-season under my belt and put myself in a position to push for selection week in, week out next year. It's been great playing Super 14 rugby this year; it's been something I've wanted to do since I was young and now that I'm there, I want to do everything I can to stay at this level."
- The ERC has confirmed the dates and kick-off times for this season's European Challenge Cup semi-finals. Irish province Connacht will welcome Jonny Wilkinson's Toulon to the Sportsground in Galway on Friday, April 30, with the game scheduled to get underway at 19.45. Meanwhile, the other last four encounter, which pits London Wasps against Cardiff Blues, will kick off at 18:00 at Adams Park the following evening.