Josh Strauss signs 3 year deal at Glasgow

Just heard Josh Strauss has signed for Glasgow from the Lions. Impressive signing!

pioden gorllewin wrote:Just heard Josh Strauss has signed for Glasgow from the Lions. Impressive signing!

Yes, signed on a three year deal. New signing and fellow Number 8 Ma'auf has had his contract terminated, by mutual consent.

http://www.lionsrugby.co.za/index.php/all-rugby/super-14/player-profiles/983-joshua-strauss

rate this player,was hoping the scarlets could have signed him as they were working close with his agent. do you know whether he's been signed as a project player?

pioden gorllewin wrote:http://www.lionsrugby.co.za/index.php/all-rugby/super-14/player-profiles/983-joshua-strauss

rate this player,was hoping the scarlets could have signed him as they were working close with his agent. do you know whether he's been signed as a project player?

Three year deal and the fact he will still only be 28 when he "qualifies" suggests that it might well be. Very good signing for us, an already proven talent at the top (club) level and at not an age when he is just coming for a pension top up.

"This is an exciting move for Josh and the timing is perfect as it potentially opens up the opportunity for representing Scotland at the next World Cup," said Strauss' agent Dane Galley.

Well, Meyer keeps picking Spies, and Strauss for some reason hasn't made an impression on any of the other Franchises.

He may have decided to leave becuase of the Lions losing their Super rugby spot.

But a good signing for the club, though, Biltong, no?

Think talk of RWC 2015 is a bit optimistic. Its scheduled to start on 18 September, so assuming he flies to Glasgow this week he will only just have made the 3 year qualification. Or am I missing something?

Good signing though. All the best to him in Glasgow.

This looks like a cracking signing. Marketable beard too

http://www.espnscrum.com/rabodirect-pro12-2012-13/rugby/story/169690.html

George Carlin wrote:But a good signing for the club, though, Biltong, no?

Yeah mate, he is a quality player. He reminds me a lot of Ernst joubert at Saracens.

Never saw this coming. Ryan Wilson will have his work cut out trying to keep his jersey. Good for competition within the team.

On a side note, if we were able to sign the former Lions captain, could we not also sign the Lions former head coach John Mitchell too

Wow - incredible signing for Glasgow and slightly dodgy circumstances surrounding Ma'auf's departure. Don't think we'll ever hear exactly what happened as the Glasgow statement made it very clear that they weren't gonna tell anyone!

Will be a big addition to the Glasgow pack - the back 5 of the pack is very lightweight just now and will add a lot more grunt.

And I very much suspect he's a project signing - mid 20s, 3 year deal, has project signing written allover it!

I though he was 28, means when qualified will be 31, which while still fine for that position doesn't leave many years in a Scotland shirt

Come on Kingshu - the glass is most definitely half-full here.

Never heard of him or seen him play but by most accounts this guy will be an asset. Ryan Wilson not setting the heather on fire at the moment and he needs competition.

Would love to hear the Ma'afu back story. Perhaps he gave Townsend an honest and robust assessment of his coaching record and achievements thus far.....

Kingshu DOB 23/10/86. That makes him 25, 26 next month so a good few years left yet assuming he has no major injury problems.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Never heard of him or seen him play but by most accounts this guy will be an asset. Ryan Wilson not setting the heather on fire at the moment and he needs competition.

Would love to hear the Ma'afu back story. Perhaps he gave Townsend an honest and robust assessment of his coaching record and achievements thus far.....

More likely he saw the Glasgow weather and thought 'If this is summer I'm off'

funnyExiledScot wrote:Never heard of him or seen him play but by most accounts this guy will be an asset. Ryan Wilson not setting the heather on fire at the moment and he needs competition.

Would love to hear the Ma'afu back story. Perhaps he gave Townsend an honest and robust assessment of his coaching record and achievements thus far.....

He captained the Lions for the past two season as well, so he has a lot of leadership qualities as well. Can play 7 or 8. Now you just nee dto sign his teammate Derrick Minnie, he is a very good pilferer.

Ooft, I didn't see this one coming. Although in saying that there has been some indication on twitter that Ma'afu wasn't entirely happy.

Anyway, great to see that the SRU have acted quickly and decisively. I have always been impressed watching him, and arguably he is a better signing than Ma'afu in the first place. He is exactly what Glasgow need, and going by the start of the season, boy do they need him!

EST wrote:Anyway, great to see that the SRU have acted quickly and decisively.

Perhaps the most staggering aspect of this whole story.

Dare I suggest that Lineen had a hand in this? Isn't his new role basically to identity new signings for the pro teams. This smacks of his sort of pragmatic competence.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

EST wrote:Anyway, great to see that the SRU have acted quickly and decisively.

Perhaps the most staggering aspect of this whole story.

Dare I suggest that Lineen had a hand in this? Isn't his new role basically to identity new signings for the pro teams. This smacks of his sort of pragmatic competence.

Well to be fair, you needn't be a rocket scientist to see the opportunity to sign up 30 Lions players without a Super XV contract next year, I suspect more will follow.

justified sinner wrote:Kingshu DOB 23/10/86. That makes him 25, 26 next month so a good few years left yet assuming he has no major injury problems.

sorry yeah, my mistake, Scotland will have an extra 2/3 years out of him, its just with that beard, puts years on him

Whats Doppies la Grange like, seen as Terviso got him?

I think he is a very good player, but with the National coaches hanging onto players such as J de Villiers, Jaque Fourie, Wynand Olivier etc, he never got a call up.

Did he shave off his beard because he know he had a job interview with Glasgow?

Good signing.............

funnyExiledScot wrote:

EST wrote:Anyway, great to see that the SRU have acted quickly and decisively.

Perhaps the most staggering aspect of this whole story.

Dare I suggest that Lineen had a hand in this? Isn't his new role basically to identity new signings for the pro teams. This smacks of his sort of pragmatic competence.

I agree, a couple of years ago we would have just had to make do, but the new crowd are really putting the money on the table. I'm sure it is a Lineen number - can't wait to start see him play!

Thanks Biltong, entresting on how Terviso build towards improvment.

Intresting how they have maybe the only Japense player in Europe ( at the top level) Christian Loamanu.

But more intresting for me is their NIQ players are SA, Aus, and NZ. rather than Fiji, Samoa etc etc. not sure what this means mind.

Biltong wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:

EST wrote:Anyway, great to see that the SRU have acted quickly and decisively.

Perhaps the most staggering aspect of this whole story.

Dare I suggest that Lineen had a hand in this? Isn't his new role basically to identity new signings for the pro teams. This smacks of his sort of pragmatic competence.

Well to be fair, you needn't be a rocket scientist to see the opportunity to sign up 30 Lions players without a Super XV contract next year, I suspect more will follow.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to achieve many things in rugby administration, but that hasn't stopped the SRU from making a royal hash of just about every major decision previously!

I'd say Lineen is closing to being a rocket scientist than most of the SRU administrators. In fact, in comparison to them, he is a rocket scientist!

6. Harley/MacDonald
7. Barclay/Fozzy
8. Strauss/Wilson

Now that's a bit more like it. I also smell Lineen's work.

doctor_grey wrote:Did he shave off his beard because he know he had a job interview with Glasgow?

Good signing.............

No Doc, last year he said he won't shave his beard until he was reunited with his girlfriend, not sure where she studied.

So he shaved it after they got back together again, then he started groing it again and then shaved it ff a few months back.

justified sinner wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:Never heard of him or seen him play but by most accounts this guy will be an asset. Ryan Wilson not setting the heather on fire at the moment and he needs competition.

Would love to hear the Ma'afu back story. Perhaps he gave Townsend an honest and robust assessment of his coaching record and achievements thus far.....

More likely he saw the Glasgow weather and thought 'If this is summer I'm off'

Interesting he is the second Tongan to have parted with their side under a bit of a mystery (Viliami Iongi left the Scarlets, totally off the radar).

Maybe the Tonga's are up to something?

Seriously though it's prob the weather, it depresses them, when Jimi (Timoci Nagusa) was at Ulster he complained about the weather alot, was a great player though at the time, think they would prefer South of France, New Zealanders, SA, and Aus don't seam to mind the Weather as much

Biltong wrote:

doctor_grey wrote:Did he shave off his beard because he know he had a job interview with Glasgow?

Good signing.............

No Doc, last year he said he won't shave his beard until he was reunited with his girlfriend, not sure where she studied.

So he shaved it after they got back together again, then he started groing it again and then shaved it ff a few months back.

Unless she is studying in Glasgow or Edinburgh his beard is going to be monsterous this season then

Coaches were not impressed with Ma'afu.

Is that some inside knowledge DM?

http://www.worldartists.co.za/page/clients/651385-Josh-Strauss

Here is a link to a couple of show reels, bit of a beast.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Is that some inside knowledge DM?

Had heard last week that this was likely to happen (him leaving, had no idea about Strauss coming in). From what was getting said, he was not in the coaches plans and he had be overlooked from every match-day squad, including the Exeter Friendly, despite contrary to reports him having a "bit of an ankle knock"

Bit of a shambolic start to the season to be honest, especially with Matawalu still not in the Country!

EST wrote:http://www.worldartists.co.za/page/clients/651385-Josh-Strauss

Here is a link to a couple of show reels, bit of a beast.

What a wrecking ball.

Well Strauss should be good for Glasgow. Appears a good leader from the Lions matches I saw. Always in the think of it, which i like. Beard or no beard, he will help Glasgow.

I did wonder why I hadn't seen him yet.

Who is going to carry the can for signing him then? Someone must have recommended him. Surely they would have had to have paid compensation if they terminated his contract?

Mutual consent apparently. May be some notional payment, but doubt it would be much.

Who was this guy anyway? Who had he played for? I think everyone just assumed he'd be good cause he was Tongan!

Judging by the show reels he was used a bit at 7 by the Lions.

nickj wrote:Judging by the show reels he was used a bit at 7 by the Lions.

A 7 in South Africa is a Blindside with the 6 normally the lighter weight Openside.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Who was this guy anyway? Who had he played for? I think everyone just assumed he'd be good cause he was Tongan!

He had a decent world cup and one good season for the blues, I think. Before that he was a provincial player in NZ.

Oops. Thanks CP. I wondered whether it was a case of a different numbering system.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Who was this guy anyway? Who had he played for? I think everyone just assumed he'd be good cause he was Tongan!

He played for the Blues one season and had a cracking year but he couldn't get a spot because the NZRU wanted a New Zealander in there. Played plenty of NPC before that. He then went to Japan. He played for Tonga at the world cup and was somewhat of a standout in a Tonga side that did especially well and was one of the top players in the win against France.

Surely they can't have been disappointed with his abilities then? Maybe an attitude problem?

It's the weather I tell you.

In his first season Talei threw the teddy out of the pram after being asked to train in snow. So not unknown for PI players.