Waratahs 2025
- Thread starter RugbyReg
- Start date
Strewthcobber
Michael Lynagh (62)
What's Lancaster's contract status? Isn't this just Potter in, Lancaster out, with no net impact on the cap?
Wilson
John Eales (66)
Lancaster is off contract, but he was on the last year of his rebels deal so likely would've been (somewhat) outside of the cap this year. I'd also think that going forward there's no way he's earning a contract close to what Potter is.
Nuggetyflyhalf
Chris McKivat (8)
Aus as a whole need to develop more tight 5 forwards of quality. Been a problem for 20 plus years.
Tomthumb
Ken Catchpole (46)
I'd imagine Potter would be on more coin than Lancaster was
Nuggetyflyhalf
Chris McKivat (8)
I think overall Potter is an excellent signing from the Tahs, I think Lancaster is going to have to work harder or he gets a chance at the force.
Any update on Thor? I assume he’s no chance of being at the Tahs?
Strewthcobber
Michael Lynagh (62)
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KOB1987
John Eales (66)
Someone needs to do one of those Rugby Reg style front pages for the Waratahs 2026 thread opener so we can see where we are at re personnel. I'd do it but have neither the time nor knowledge of the current situation. Any volunteers in corporate land that need something to do to kill some time?
Strewthcobber
Michael Lynagh (62)
Super Rugby Pacific transfers for 2026 - All.Rugby https://all.rugby/transfers/super-rugby
Pretty good starting point for the keen volunteer
Tomthumb
Ken Catchpole (46)
Spending money on a winger when you have no good Tight head props or first fives isn't a strategy employed by many winning teams
Especially when you need to jettison a test winger to have the cap space to sign a new test winger
This is the crux of it.
I don't think there is much to this beyond Harry Potter wanting to move back to the east coast.
If the choice is signing Potter who wants to move to your team or re-signing Lancaster surely you take Potter every day of the week. He's very likely to feature in the test team this year whereas Lancaster is a long way away.
It wouldn't be a lot though because there aren't huge differences between the top Super Rugby contracts and the bottom ones. The test players get a lot of their remuneration directly from Rugby Australia.
Strewthcobber
Michael Lynagh (62)
It's June, not February. No team has signed anyone yet. Expecting the Tahs to sign no-one else until a non-existent "good" tight head prop is found would be a bizarre way to build a team. You take who you can when you can.
The last line is just a very strange way of saying that the Tahs have improved their team for next year. I'd take Potter over Lancaster every day of the week.
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Hopefully he gets an Australian contract somewhere. As you said, he has the size and pace you can't teach and he's only 22.
Plenty of future upside.
Wilson
John Eales (66)
That's the big unknown here, particularly because the way the salary cap is actually applied is pretty opaque. From the numbers I've seen thrown around previously (not these contracts), I'd be expecting a gap of something like 200k, but maybe narrowing in subsequent years. That's not insignificant for mine. Whether or not it's a misspend won't really be clear until the squad is settled and even then it'll be hard to see from the outside, but the reactionary nature of this doesn't necessarily inspire confidence for mine, much the same way the Rebels had Tupou fall into their lap when they didn't really need tight heads, and then went into a season without a reliable goal kicker or lineout throwing hooker. It's not at that scale, but the inefficiencies are still there.
The other part is the time it'll take to integrate him into the tahs environment and build the connections. It's less of an issue for a winger and he'll be helped by time in the Wallabies with Sua'ali'i, Kellaway and Jorgenson, but it still won't be immediate. If this is a 3 year deal it's probably fine, 4 would be better, but 2 will be a huge gamble from the tahs perspective - given his age profile Potter will be looking at his last big contract next time he signs one and of he's not a nailed on wallaby starter then he'll have to go overseas for that.
I think the upper end of Super Rugby contracts is around $200k.
The average full time contract is somewhere between $140-$150k.
He's replacing a guy who wasn't in the matchday 23 when everyone was healthy. They're hardly losing a lot of continuity there.
I don't really get the pushback on this. The Tahs have a current Wallaby wanting to sign with them but seemingly should have rejected that advance and re-signed Lancaster to save maybe $60k a season because they have weaknesses in other areas.
Given these will be Harry Potter's age 28 and 29 seasons this should probably be his peak.
Strewthcobber
Michael Lynagh (62)
Maybe a little bit more than that.
Donaldson left the Tahs because they wouldn't pay him the min $220k which makes a player eligible for a Wallaby top-up
Tomthumb
Ken Catchpole (46)
When you're in a salary capped league, I think you should be a bit more prudent around the key positions and maximizing the whole team. They already had and all wallaby back 3. Personally I'd target positions of weakness (of which there are a few)
Would you have re-signed Lancaster instead of Potter if the saving was $80k a year?
Personally, I wouldn't. This is a huge upgrade.
I also don't think you sign neither and think you're filling that spot in the squad with an $80k a year rookie.
In terms of positions of need, that's very true but I'm also not sure that salary cap space is the only issue. Assuming Tupou leaves it's not like there's a bunch of tight head prop options available regardless of how much you prioritize it.