Friday Round-Up

Door open for Lydiate: French Top 14 outfit Racing Metro have confirmed they are open to allowing Welsh international back rower Dan Lydiate leave the club in the coming weeks or months. Lydiate, who joined the Parisian outfit two seasons ago from the Newport Gwent Dragons, has struggled to cement his place in the Racing pack, often used as a ball-carrying 7 rather than the defensive operator he has earned his reputation globally as. According to reports in French newspaper L’Equipe, Lydiate is not the only Welsh player keen on leaving the club, with both Jamie Roberts and scrum half Mike Phillips also among those named as wanting out of the Jacky Lorenzetti funded outfit. However, with two years left on all their contracts, head coach Laurent Labit and backs coach Laurent Travers have confirmed they have had no contact from clubs inquiring about the players’ services, claiming much of the noise is coming from the press in Wales. The Welsh trio of Phillips, Roberts and second row Luke CHarteris, were all named in the Racing squad set to take on Northampton this weekend.

Quins on the hunt: Harlequins head coach Conor O”Shea is desperately on the hunt for a replacement flyhalf, after news emerged that New Zealander Ben Botica will be sidelined for the coming three monhts. Having dislocated his collar bone last weekend, Botica is expected to be out of action for between ten and twelve weeks, leaving the London outfit short of options at flyhalf until the beginning of 2015. Understudy to Nick Evans for much of the season, Botica’s absence leaves O’Shea in a spot of bother, specifically for this weekend’s Champions Cup clash with French outfit Castres, with one of either Danny Care or Karl Dickson potentially being asked to cover flyhalf from the replacements bench. While no names have been mentioned as yet, Quins will need a quality back up ten if they are to compete on both fronts in the coming winter months.

Ryan Sheady