EDINBURGH'S planning for the rest of this season and beyond has been dealt a serious blow with the departure of David Denton to Bath after the English Premiership club agreed to buy out the final six months of his contract.
He announced his exit to his shocked Edinburgh team-mates yesterday morning before heading south to complete the deal with a routine medical. Since Bath have already registered Sam Burgess for their European Champions Cup squad and he has now returned to Australia, Denton is likely to take his place and could feature for his new club this weekend, though he is more likely to be held back to play against Bordeaux-Begles the following week.
"I’ve had an incredible six years at Edinburgh," Denton said. “It’s been the hardest decision I’ve ever made, as I am going to miss the club, but I am really looking forward to an opportunity to play at one of the premier clubs in Europe.”
Bath made the sudden move for Denton after their approach for Taulupe Faletau, the Wales No.8, was rejected by the Wales coach Warren Gatland, who insisted he sees out his contract with the Welsh Rugby Union and Newport Gwent Dragons, and they suddenly had extra money when Burgess returned to rugby league in Australia with the South Sydney Rabbitohs buying out the rest of his contract.
They were clearly desperate for another big, ball-carrying back row and Denton, who is 6ft 5ins and nearly 19 stone, fits the bill perfectly while his stock has never been higher after an impressive World Cup where he finished as the leading ball carrier.
"We’ve been looking to bolster our back row for some time now so we’re very excited that David is joining us,” said Mike Ford, the Bath head coach. “He had an excellent World Cup, especially in the quarter-final when he managed to outshine one of the best Australian back rows I’ve seen for a long time. He’s going to fit in very well with the team and the way we play here.”
The surprise was that the Scottish authorities were prepared to release him early: "This move represents an excellent opportunity for David to gain new experience in another playing environment," explained Mark Dodson, the union chief executive. “It came out of the blue, and while it wasn’t an easy decision, we weren’t going to stand in the way."
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