Two Englishman ranked among the worst Top 14 signings this season

January 18, 2021
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Ultimate Rugby

The 2020/21 TOP 14 season has reached the midway point in the competition and as they do every season, Rugby Rama has allowed fans to vote for the best and worst signings of the season with the popular TOPS and FLOPS.

Two Englishman make the Top 10 FLOPS with Alex Lozowski, who is on loan at Montpellier from Saracens, ranking third while Agen winger Gabriel Ibitoye taking the unwanted top spot.

Lozowski has played multiple positions for Montpellier this season with the club facing possible relegation. Montpellier have won just three of their 13 games so far this season with the Saracens' loanee featuring in 11 of those 13 games.

Former Harlequins' winger Gabriel Ibitoye has played just five of Agen's 14 games this season and has scored two tries. The 22-year-old looks set to leave the club already despite signing a two-year deal with the TOP14 club who are yet to win a single game so far in the competition. Ibitoye has left Agen to join Montpellier as injury cover for the rest of the season with the winger set to leave the club permanently at the end of the season.

Former Cheetahs hooker Joseph Dweba (Bordeaux) ranks the 10th worst signing of the season according to the fans with Izaia Perese (Bayonne) and Florian Verhaeghe (Montpellier) following in 9th and 8th place respectively.

French capped hooker Adrien Pelissie features in 7th having made the move from Bordeaux to Clermont while Toulon feature on the list just once with their signing of Thomas Jolmes from La Rochelle in sixth place.

Alex Bales' move from La Rochelle to Toulouse ranks in fifth place with Pau's signing of Hugo Bonneval in fourth. French International Vincent Rattez also features on the list in second place following his departure from La Rochelle.

10 TOP14 FLOPS:

Gabriel Ibitoye (Harlequins to Agen)
Vincent Rattez (La Rochelle to Montpellier)
Alex Lozowski (Saracens to Montpellier on loan)
Hugo Bonneval (Toulon to Pau)
Alexi Bales (La Rochelle to Toulouse)
Thomas Jolmes (La Rochelle to Toulon)
Adrien Pelissie (Bordeaux to Clermont)
Florian Verhaeghe (Toulouse to Montpellier)
Izaia Perese (Queensland Reds to Bayonne)
Joseph Dweba (Cheetahs to Bordeaux)

Three players who left La Rochelle feature in the worst signings of the season but my contrast the side lead by Jono Gibbes and Ronan O'Gara have made some clever signings, two of which feature in the top signings of the season.

Former Wallaby Will Skelton comes in at no.4 following his move from Saracens to the TOP14 while the top spot goes to Brice Dulin who joined La Rochelle after he was deemed as surplus at Racing 92.

Former All Black sevens star Joe Ravouvou features at 10th place having start his first full season in the TOP14 with six tries in the opening 10 games in the competition. Castres hooker Gaetan Barlot comes in at 9th place having joined from PROD2 side Colomiers.

Another former Wallaby also features on the list with Kurtley Beale coming in at 8th place and is joined on the list by fellow club mate Donovan Taofifenua in fifth place after he made the move from Clermont.

Former Hurricanes winger Ben Lam comes in at no.7 having touched down twice for Bordeaux in his first 11 TOP14 games with Bayonne featuring once again with another signing from the PROD2 in former Grenoble fullback Gaetan Germain at no.6.

Clermont complete the top five with the signing of Toulouse scrum-half Sebastien Bezy in at no.3 and the signing of Japanese International Kotaro Matsushima at no2.

TOP 10 TOP14 SIGNINGS: