Sowden-Taylor Poached by Newport Gwent Dragons
Robin Sowden-Taylor is close to completing a move to the Newport Gwent Dragons after heavy speculation linking him with a move to Sale.
It's thought that the player pulled out of a proposed move to the Premiership side, Sale, late on because he wanted to stay in Wales. This increases his chances of getting back in to the national team.
This is not the first case in rugby where a player has been heading off in one direction and then taken a huge detour right at the very last moment. He appears to just be doing what is best for him and there are no personal suggestions that it's something against Sale.
The positives of him staying in Wales, where up until now he has played with the Cardiff Blues, are numerous and many have already said that it was always the better decision. However, this will not eradicate the bitter feeling there may now be from players and fans at Sale who are in the process of transforming the club.
Positives
The main positive of the flanker staying in Wales is that he will not have to do a great deal differently. He may have to make a geographical move but he will be used to the way that Welsh rugby works and is set-up.
He stands a much better chance of playing every week for the Dragons. A lot of players have been brought through the door at Sale and there was no guarantee that he would have started each week. However, Sowden-Taylor will be one of the better players at the Dragons.
As already stated, the player will have a better chance of getting back in to the Wales team. Warren Gatland will watch a lot more Welsh rugby than he will Premiership rugby and this means that the player will be more in his line of vision if he stayed in Wales.
The player said: "I'm really glad to have signed with the Dragons, it has taken a fair bit of time but I felt I needed that and now I'm just happy to be here. The main reason for my move was to get regular rugby. That is something I have struggled with a bit with Cardiff and I don't think I have been able to reach my full potential."
Bitterness
There will now be some bitterness between Sale, the player and the Dragons. This is because Sale may have been preparing for an official deal and if the player changes his mind at the last moment then it makes a lot of hard work pointless.
The player would not want anyone in the rugby community to be annoyed with him. It could now mean that if the Dragons come up against an English team at some point in the near future then there could be a small amount of hostility. However, this should not be a huge problem.
He added: "With a World Cup coming up I really think I can push for an opportunity. I feel that if I am on top of my game I am more than capable - I thought the Dragons had a really good season last year and I'm looking forward to being part of the side. There is a good group of players here and hopefully we can push for silverware."
Betting Advice
The Dragons have an outside shot of winning the domestic league and any other competitions next year because the nucleus of their squad is quite small. Sowden-Taylor could score a few tries and is well worth a punt to be the club's top scorer by the end of the season.
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