Transported

Blackburn Rovers' Irish under-18 international Ben Burgess has moved on loan to Australian club Northern Spirit for a year, one…

Blackburn Rovers' Irish under-18 international Ben Burgess has moved on loan to Australian club Northern Spirit for a year, one of the odder loan deals we've heard of. Brian Kerr thought it was a bit peculiar too: "I can't see Graeme Souness travelling over to Australia on a Tuesday night to see his progress in the Northern Spirit reserves or first team." Indeed. Anyway, best of luck to Ben, and here's hoping he can keep a straight face when he's introduced to one of his new team-mates, the superbly named Elvis Olic.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • What’s making headlines in the rugby world? Listen to The Counter Ruck podcast with Nathan Johns

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered to your phone

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times