Robinson Joins Agen
Welsh international Jamie Robinson has completed a move to Agen from Toulon as he looks ahead to the start of the new season.
Robinson was a fairly popular player in France but he did not get the first team chances that he needed in order to keep his international career alive. This move should ignite his international chances and also gives him the chance to move to another competitive French club.
Agen fought off a number of other clubs for the signature of Robinson. They may have intensified their attempts to sign him after they missed out on his Wales teammate, Andy Powell, who eventually went on to sign for London Wasps.
Robinson has a number of playing attributes that will make him an important figure at his new side. However, some have questioned whether a move back to the United Kingdom may have been a better option for him if he does still have international ambition.
Attributes
Robinson is very quick for a player who plays in the middle of the pitch all the time. He can use his pace to help out with tackling in the middle of the field or to get the ball shifted out wide quickly.
His versatility is something that he has been praised for although he does lack a little bit of size and weight, which would make him efficient in prop and back positions.
His passing is as good as anyone else's in the game and this will make him a very important player for Agen. He can pass the ball the length of the pitch accurately and if this means one try per season for Agen then it would have all been worth it.
He's built up a great level of knowledge in France and seems to have tackled the language barrier well and very quickly. This should help him make the switch to Agen with very few problems as so much of what he needs will already be in place.
Closer to Home
Some have suggested that a move closer to home may have been a better option for Robinson if he wants to stay in the vision of Welsh coaches all the time.
Playing in France does not mean he is geographically thousands of miles away from home but the point is that Welsh coaches are going to be watching more UK domestic rugby than French.
However, the reason that Robinson got into the Wales team in the first place was because of the productive way that he had started playing for Toulon. If he replicates this impressive form at Agen then it won't be too long until he gets another phone call asking him to pull on the red shirt of Wales.
Betting Advice
Agen look like a very unpredictable unit ahead of the new domestic French rugby season. Robinson is one of the very few players that they have brought into the club during the close season and it seems a bit strange why he would leave the security of Toulon.
Avoid putting any bets on Agen as a team because you will need to know a little bit more about how the team plays and how they operate as a unit. Don't be afraid to have a little punt on them during individual matches if you like what you see from their first few games.
Be wary of laying down a lot of money on Robinson to score tries and points at his new club. It is not very likely that he will get into many attacking positions because playing in the middle will stop him from doing this.
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