Reports from France indicate that Racing 92 has decided to abandon their pursuit of Marcus Smith, the talented England and Harlequins rugby star, for the upcoming season.
It appears that the deal to sign Smith has fallen through, and he will fulfill the remaining year of his contract with Harlequins.
Initially, Racing 92 had shifted their focus towards acquiring Smith by buying him out of his final year at Harlequins, aiming to bring him on board after the Rugby World Cup for the 2023/24 season.
We reported yesterday that an agreement was reached between Racing 92 and Smith, following his visit to the club’s facilities. Smith even communicated his excitement about joining his potential new teammates through messages.
However, as negotiations progressed and the finer details were discussed, the deal encountered complications, leading to its collapse.
The three parties involved could not come to an agreement on certain aspects, resulting in frustration for Racing 92 officials.
Consequently, Racing 92 has now decided to end their pursuit of Smith and will explore alternative options in Wales and England.
Danny Care and Joe Marler retained in England squad
Steve Borthwick has selected a 36-player squad for England’s third Rugby World Cup training camp, which once again includes Danny Care and Joe Marler..
The squad does not include players from Premiership finalists Sale Sharks and Saracens.
“I’m pleased with the progress that’s been made over the last two weeks and we look forward to another productive training camp at the Lensbury,” said Borthwick.
“There’s still a long way to go until we are ready for a World Cup, but each day we take another step forward.”
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TRAINING SQUAD
Forwards
Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Tom Dunn (Bath Rugby)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Ted Hill (Bath Rugby)
Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints)
Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
Zach Mercer (Montpellier Hérault Rugby)
Tom Pearson (London Irish)
Val Rapava-Ruskin (Gloucester Rugby)
David Ribbans (Northampton Saints)
Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)