Adam Thomson signs on with Reds for 2015

[Pitythefool]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/s...-Reds-for-2015


The Queensland Reds have secured an important boost to their forward pack by signing former All Blacks back-rower Adam Thomson for the 2015 Super Rugby season.

Capped 29 times for New Zealand, the rangy Thompson was a member of the All Blacks 2011 World Cup-winning squad before moving to play in Japan for the past two seasons.

The 32-year-old veteran of seven Super Rugby seasons with the Highlanders is currently leading the try-scoring in the Japanese Top League while playing for Canon Eagles.

Reds coach Richard Graham said Thomson would provide experience to the pack and leadership for the young back-rowers in the squad, including up-and-comers Curtis Browning and Lolo Fakaosilea.

At 196cm and 112kg, he is capable of playing all three back-row positions.

''It was evident Adam is still genuinely craving the competitive nature of Super Rugby,'' said Graham.

''As an All Black and World Cup winner, his influence on the Super Rugby competition has been enormous. He was at the heart of everything the Highlanders did.''

''Adam rounds out a highly competitive back row and he brings an outstanding skill set to the way that we want to play the game.

Along with Jake (Schatz) I believe Adam is one of the best aerial forwards in the modern game.''

Thomson isn't the first All Blacks loose forward to feature for the Reds in Super Rugby. Daniel Braid played 19 games for Queensland in the 2009 and 20010 season between lengthy spells with the Blues.



How the Farc can they afford all of these high profile players?

[UnionThug]

How the Farc can they afford all of these high profile players?

Probably because the ARU are paying the majority of KHunt's salary? Or was this a rhetorical question...

[GIGS20]

Great signing for the Reds, but seriously, it's tinfoil hat time.

Who else is getting the ground fees?

[jargan83]

No tin foil hat or ground fees required as UnionThug has hit the nail on the head.

The Reds are playing within the "rules" at the moment and those rules include the ARU top up which comes outside of the salary cap. The money Qld save by the ARU funding a chunk of Karmichael Hunt's salary (probably a large chunk) they can spend on recruiting other players.

Unfortunately to get rid of the ARU top up system I think the ARU will have to get RUPA on side and I can't see that happening.

The players are just as much to blame for the system as the ARU.

[Invictus]

RUPA has a lot to answer for.

I think we need a RUFA (Rubgy Union Fans association) to counterbalance their influence.

[AndyS]

I think you are probably all making something out of nothing. It has nothing to do with top-ups or how much money they have - Thomson was an All Black, so he will be their marquee player. They only count for something like $150k under the salary cap, just like ours.

[jargan83]

I think you are probably all making something out of nothing. It has nothing to do with top-ups or how much money they have - Thomson was an All Black, so he will be their marquee player. They only count for something like $150k under the salary cap, just like ours.

Cheers Andy, I wasn't 100% sure where Marquee players fit under the cap.

[chibi]

Makes me wonder if we're barking up the wrong tree with player payments in this country. I mean, when the Force was using the "Firepower money" and we got in trouble for "rorting the system" we had a bunch of players that only Toulon can afford now. Maybe the ARU should look at legalizing/regulating/organizing this "rorty system" of third-party payments for all the Super Rugby teams, so that we can keep all of the best players in Australia, and maybe even steal some high-profile foreign ones to lift the profile of the game in Australia.

In order to even it up, the ARU can have a hand in making sure that all five of their Super Rugby franchises are looked after, rather than just one or two.

Could we not develop a model similar to this here? I think we'd have to raise the game's profile back to way it was in Perth back in 2005, and apply it to the whole country, but why not see if a plan can be put into place?

[Herbasimplex]

Thompson is a great player, but he is in the higginbotham mold and is not much different to Quirk IMHO. The reds pack needs a big bopper who does the hard stuff in close who can smash bodies and win collisions.

In any event I hope he does well at the reds.