Our latest rugby transfers update focuses on England and Ireland with a talented Italian switching to the PREM, a PREM coach moving to the URC and an ex-Springbok taking up another Irish grassroots challenge.
Saints dip into Italian market
Phil Dowson has added to the Northampton firepower out wide by snapping up Malik Faissal, a 20-year-old winger from Zebre Parma. The youngster has only seven first-team appearances to his name so far. However, he needed just 24 minutes on debut versus Montauban in the Challenge Cup to score his first try and he can’t wait to now test himself at PREM Rugby level.
“I’m excited about the chance to be a part of Northampton Saints. It’s a club full of talented young players and a fantastic coaching staff that has a clear ambition,” he said. “Moving to England and getting to play in a competitive league like the PREM is going to be a real challenge, but it’s a great opportunity for me to grow as a rugby player and as a person.
“I’ve already had some good conversations with the coaches about my development and where they can help me learn. That coaching was one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Saints, to play amongst a squad that is at the top of its game and learn from them.
“But Saints was also a good choice for me to develop on a human level. I want to learn off the field, improve my English, create new friendships. I won’t be completely without friends in Northampton, though. I played with Edoardo (Todaro) in last season’s U20 Six Nations and I know Danilo (Fischetti) too. Both of them have already made me feel so welcome.”
The winger took his tally of U20 appearances to 10 in this year’s second Six Nations, with his three tries at that level all coming against England. Those exploits caught the attention of Saints boss Dowson. “Malik first came to our attention when he was playing for Italy Under-20s. He’s got speed and the ability to win the ball in the air, which in today’s game is a vital skill.
“We have been impressed with his intent, too, how hard he works to get into the right places on the field. Sam (Vesty) loved his breakdown elements and how he hits in defence as well. In our first chat, it was obvious that he’s a very intelligent and bright player and someone who is ambitious – Malik asked us some good questions.
“We spoke about what his ambitions were, what he wants to get out of his career and what his thoughts were about coming to England. Malik’s really academically driven outside of his rugby, too. He has ambitions of becoming a vet, and his English is very good. He’s an impressive young man and we’re looking forward to getting him into our set-up.”
Former England star claims it would be ‘greedy’ to switch allegiances ahead of 2027 World Cup
PREM coach goes home to Ireland
Stuart Lancaster’s 10-week search for a backs coach to replace the soon-to-depart Australian Rob Seib has resulted in Connacht raiding Harlequins and bringing an end to Gerard Mullen’s six-year stint with the Londoners. The Kildare native spent six years at Loughborough University before switching to Harlequins and guiding their women’s team to an Allianz Premier 15s title in his debut season as head coach in 2021.
He then moved to become the lead attack and backs coach in the academy and transition space before joining the senior coaching team in 2023.
Lancaster said: “We are delighted to welcome Gerard to join our team for next season.
“I’m certain he will bring a huge amount of quality and enthusiasm to the role. In what was a really competitive interview process, he proved his ability to show great alignment with the vision we have for the team moving forward. He has a great balance of knowledge of the Irish system and also broad experiences outside of Ireland, which I am sure will benefit all the players in our squad next season.”
Mullen added: “Connacht is a club I’ve always admired. You can clearly see from the outside that there is a real sense of togetherness between the team, the staff, and the community here in the west – that makes it special, and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to experience this first-hand.
“The club is in a great position right now. Exciting squad, staff, new facilities, and I can’t wait to roll my sleeves up and give everything I have to help Connacht keep moving forward. I’m coming in hungry, ready to work extremely hard, and do everything I can to contribute positively to the environment and the team.”
Ex-Springbok switches Irish grassroots clubs
Former Springboks scrum-half Dan van Zyl has decided to move up the ladder on the Irish grassroots scene, taking charge of All-Ireland League Division 2BN club Navan following six seasons at the helm of Leinster junior outfit Wicklow.
The Rugby Ireland academy director, who played Super Rugby for the Stormers and first-class cricket with Northern Transvaal and Boland, earned his one Springbok Test cap on their 2000 northern hemisphere tour and an offer to play in the All-Ireland League for County Carlow resulted in him making a life in his adopted country.
After he finished playing, he coached a myriad of teams, including Ireland U18 clubs, Ireland students and Leinster women, and was also a Leinster coach development officer. Navan will be his latest port of call.
“I am really excited to be joining Navan and to be coaching in the All-Ireland League again. I have gained a lot of experience and achieved success both coaching and playing in the AIL. Navan is a club I have always wanted to be involved with, as it has great mini, youth and U20 sections,” he said.
“In addition, the women’s game in Navan is going from strength to strength. The club has a great tradition, facilities and people. I hope to build on everything the club has achieved to date and to bring further success to Navan.”
Another representative level rugby scrum-half with a cricketing background, Neil Doak, has been unveiled as head coach at Banbridge, the Ulster club who will also be part of the revamped 2BN league. The 1999 European Cup winner was most recently the Ireland U20 coach in 2025.
Banbridge director of rugby Marc Eadie said: “We are absolutely delighted to bring in Neil. His experience at the top level of the game speaks for itself, but what really stood out throughout the process was his passion for developing players and building a strong club environment. We believe he is the perfect person to lead our squad forward into the next chapter.”