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BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Ospreys agree St Helen's lease as Bridgend host 2025-26 games
Ospreys have agreed to finalise a long-term lease at St Helen's in Swansea with home games for the upcoming season being played in July 2024, Ospreys announced they would move from the Stadium to the smaller St Helen's ground during the 2025–26 Swansea rugby venue needs redevelopment and the initial plan was to play the first home game at St Helen's in December have now decided to play 11 scheduled home matches at the Brewery Field in Bridgend for the new season, with the first game staged in Swansea at the start of the 2026-27 announcement comes as the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) is considering cutting the number of professional sides from four to two. Temporary home Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley says the decision to move games to Bridgend for one season is because of a change in St Helen's redevelopment plans and a new permanent stand rather than Welsh rugby stresses fans should be reassured St Helen's remains the region's new permanent home and that they will start the 2026-27 season in Swansea."We have agreed to finalise the lease at St Helen's, which means we can move there in September," said Bradley."We plan to be there for the foreseeable future. Our plan is to still start the redevelopment in September and people will be able to see work is going on."We wouldn't start that work if we weren't confident we were going to be playing there."Bradley outlined why the original plan had altered."We've looked at the [St Helens] redevelopment and plans have changed as we've been doing them, principally around the permanent south stand," said Bradley."When we looked at the timing of how long that would take, it's six to eight months."We had a choice of being in for December with a partly finished ground or leaving it for the beginning of the following season. We have opted to do that second option."You get one chance to make a first impression. Our first impression will now be two stands, a terrace with a roof and permanent south stand with fantastic facilities."Bradley explained why they were relocating home games to Bridgend for the season rather than playing matches in Swansea."We looked at staying at the Stadium but unfortunately about half of our fixtures clash with Swansea City," said Bradley."Even if we had wanted to do that, it would have meant playing half our games there and half somewhere else."We have taken the decision it's better to have certainty of playing them in one place and Bridgend have been fantastically accommodating." Hoping for backing of Ospreys fans Bradley hopes Ospreys supporters back the decision for one season in Bridgend with season tickets now available."I hope there won't be a backlash and fans understand what we are trying to do is create a fantastic experience for them when they come to St Helen's," said Bradley."It's going to be two thirds of a season later than we had hoped, but hopefully it will make up for that by being so good when they arrive."Before that, we hope fans get behind us and support us at the Brewery Field."Bridgend have previously hosted individual Ospreys matches rather than a full campaign and facilities will need to be upgraded with more seating and disabled provisions improved."There's a big difference between one-off games and planning to be there for the whole season," said Bradley."We've had conversations with the Bridgend management and what we want to do is leave a legacy. "Rather than just pay rent, we'd like to help improve the facilities for rugby in Bridgend for the foreseeable future." Swansea support Plans to redevelop St Helen's were officially approved earlier this month when Swansea council's planning committee voted unanimously in one includes a new 3G pitch, fan zone and stands to accommodate up to 8,000 spectators, while phase two will add a training facility and says Swansea Council have backed the decision to delay their first game at St Helen's and are aware Welsh rugby's situation, with about £4m needed to redevelop the ground."They have been amazing and their support has made this possible," said Bradley."The council have made it clear we are talking about public money and there are safeguards you have to have in place."We agree and have had those conversations with them but the conversations we have been focusing on is the St Helen's redevelopment and bright future we hope we have got here. "It's an incredible place and every time you come here you can feel the history of the place. We feel humbled to be taking a leading role in the next part." 'Confident of Ospreys future' Ospreys and Scarlets have both announced ambitious plans at a time when there are major questions over their future existence. Ospreys' proposals for their new ground was followed by Scarlets revealing new investors. The WRU will provide their "optimal solution" in the next week which will be followed by a six-week consultation before a final decision which is expected in October."We will be working with them [WRU] to try and work out what the best way forward for Welsh rugby is," said Bradley."That's the big priority and our priority is what is best for Ospreys."Ospreys and Scarlets could be battling to be the west Wales side in the new order with Bradley remaining upbeat about the future. "We are the most successful region and our investment in St Helen's is a statement of genuine intent," said Bradley."It's one of the things that is always the case, people running clubs always know a little bit more about what is going on."I'm not implying I know what the answer is going to be, but I do feel confident about our future."Having professional rugby continuing in Swansea is our plan."Scarlets fans and local politicians objected to Swansea council passing the St Helen's plans despite the matter being in a different local authority. When asked whether it was a fight for survival between Ospreys and Scarlets, Bradley responded: "We try to control the controllables."My job is to make the Ospreys as good as I can and put us in the best possible position for a long-term future at St Helen's in Swansea."WRU chief executive Abi Tierney suggested if an Ospreys and Scarlets merger could not be agreed, the decision could be put out to tender."There are two key things for us, and we have to bear in mind the eye on the prize is making Welsh rugby better," said Bradley."How you achieve that with a team in the west of Wales, if that's what it ends up being, is slightly secondary to doing what is best for national and club teams."The means by which it happens isn't as important as the end result. As long as it's us, of course!"
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Jac Morgan's pivotal Lions moment reignites jackling debate in rugby
Another Lions tour added to the annals, and everyone is more or less happy. The British & Irish Lions take a series win, just about, and Australia have a pivotal moment at the end of the second Test to whinge about, or console themselves over, depending on your viewpoint. Certainly, these days, it is difficult to know what disciplinary outcome may pertain to each incident in the cut and thrust of elite rugby. Most people with eyes can appreciate there was no head contact when Jac Morgan tried to clear out the jackling Carlo Tizzano in the buildup to Hugo Keenan's winning try, but there is no doubt, either, that Tizzano was in an exposed position, just as that particular split-second represented an impossible situation for Morgan. Had he gone any lower he would have made contact with the head, higher and he would have missed the clearout altogether. Beyond the noise of yet more grownups who should know better carrying on as if they were the first to find themselves on the wrong side of a contentious decision, a wider question has bubbled up again – and this one has been brewing for a while – about whether the time has come to put the jackal to sleep once and for all. Indeed, lexically, World Rugby has tried to do just that. In the latest amendment to its law book, all mentions of 'the jackal' and its variations have been replaced by 'the stealer'. This may be because of the conjugation of a verb that did not exist in the English language until rugby came along. Before it removed them altogether, World Rugby chose to spell the inflections of the verb 'to jackal' so that they matched those of the verb 'to tackle', rather than 'to pedal', causing mayhem in editorial offices across the world. Some people consider the jackal sacrosanct, the ultimate embodiment of the contest for the ball that distinguishes rugby union from various other collision sports. Once upon a time it tended to be the preserve of the openside flanker. Nowadays, with hundreds of tackles a match, a team need multiple players proficient at the skill. But once upon a time really is not very long ago in this case. The jackal is a phenomenon of the professional era. A few years ago, in the Welford Road press room, discussing it were a couple of former internationals; one who retired just before the game turned pro, the other whose career started just after. When they were asked who first became renowned for their jackling, there was a moment's silence. The international from the amateur era looked blank. The one from the pro era, after some thought, offered Josh Kronfeld, the All Blacks openside of the late 1990s. Which feels about right. This is not to say no one ever went for the ball after a tackle in the amateur era, but there was not a name for the practice, and the window of opportunity was brief, with 'hands off' called the moment an opponent bound on to form a ruck. There are two main arguments for querying the jackal's pervasiveness in the modern game. The first is a safety matter, although why we should pick on that area above any other is not obvious. Rugby is a dangerous game. The sooner the authorities recognise that by reserving their sanctions for deliberate acts of recklessness, the fewer impossible disciplinary quandaries there will be to resolve. Jacklers, though, do place themselves in vulnerable positions – and it is not just the head that is exposed. A team doctor in the Premiership mused about 15 years ago that there was a new injury in rugby, which had been seen previously only in surfing, when the surfer is hit by a wave while crouched on the board. That injury, a serious one, is called an avulsion, when the hamstring is torn from the bone, and it is the jackler who suffers it if hit hard enough by a clearout. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion So much for the safety. There is also a compelling argument on rugby grounds. The great poser these days is how to get players back into the ruck. The game has never been more vibrant and entertaining on the field, but insofar as there are bad games, which of course there are, they usually play out to the relentless thud of hit-up after hit-up as defenders fan across the field. The main reason they can do that is that they need to send only one player in at every tackle to jackal, who in turn invites two or three of the attacking side to clear out, thus tilting the balance beyond the ruck in favour of the defending side. Make it illegal to use hands after the tackle, so the theory goes, and the ruck will become the primary contest for the ball at each tackle. A turnover can be won when the first defender steps over the ball. Thus teams will need to resource the rucks if they want to maintain possession or win it back. That should create space elsewhere. It sounds reasonable, but there will almost certainly be downsides, as there always are in rugby's eternal quest for the perfect set of laws. A personal view is that far too much latitude has been extended to the jackler, who is now granted rights to handle the ball, if the first one there, long after any ruck has formed. At the very least, rugby might consider a return to what used to be lore: that all hands come off the moment a ruck is formed. A happy side-effect might be to calm the ardour of the clearout, where players almost panic at the sight of a jackler and charge in desperation. Any situation that permits a defender to put the attacking side in an impossible situation needs reviewing. The jackler is a prime example. Coming to a law trial near you … This is an extract taken from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To sign up, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Daniel Ricciardo breaks his silence on the struggles he's experienced since being axed from F1 - as he reveals why he looks NOTHING like this anymore
has opened up on the struggles he has experienced since leaving Formula One, admitting that he has been doing some soul searching in the wake of his shock sacking, to understand more about who he is 'other than this race car driver'. The former Formula One star also admitted that he was trying to become a more 'selfless' person as he adapted to life away from the glitz and glamour of Formula One. But before the beloved Aussie superstar delved into the serious talk, in true Ricciardo fashion, the 36-year-old cracked a joke about why he was now sporting a thick beard. 'Well, I haven't been shaving my face,' the usually clean-shaven Aussie said during Ray White's Connect Conference on Monday after being pressed by Mel McLaughlin about how he's been keeping since leaving the premier racing circuit. 'The beard is my comfort right now,' he added. 'I had a fallout with my barber and then I lost my razor. It's been a tough six months.' Ricciardo enjoyed a glittering 13-year career in Formula One. Nicknamed 'the Honey Badger', the affable Aussie raced for Red Bull, HRT, Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren and AlphaTauri, before he was axed following an indifferent run of form. While his legion of fans around the world knew the end was coming for the Aussie cult hero, many were left shattered by Red Bull's decision to axe him. The 36-year-old was shown the door after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, with Red Bull's advisor Helmut Marko explaining that the Aussie was no longer showing the 'killer instinct' he had displayed earlier in his racing career. He bid farewell to what he described as a 'wild and wonderful' 13-year career, having picked up eight wins and 32 podiums across 258 race entries. But like many athletes, stepping away from the fast-paced, rock and roll lifestyle that is professional sport, Ricciardo explained he struggled to adjust to life away from the glitz and glamour of Formula One. 'I've lived this crazy, high-speed life for so long, and I just sat into a little bit of stillness,' Ricciardo explained. 'I suddenly wasn't always surrounded by a ton of people giving their opinions and thoughts.' After the rigours of being a professional racing driver had encompassed his life for so long, Ricciardo explained he was now doing a bit of soul searching in order to understand who he truly was, while also admitting he was learning to become more magnanimous. Ricciardo explained he had been looking to become more 'selfless' and had 'come to appreciate the little things more' following his time in Formula One 'I've had a lot of time, I've done some hiking. I was in Alaska a few weeks ago and didn't get mauled by a grizzly which was a bonus. 'I've been trying to figure out who I am other than this race car driver. 'I've come to appreciate the little things more and the meaning of the importance of family and friends. 'I've always been driven, and that sometimes leads you to being selfish, so I'm trying to learn to be a bit more selfless and become a better listener.' Ricciardo cut a philosophical figure as the Australian also delved into his sacking. As yet, Ricciardo has not opened up on his plans for the future. Speculation has arisen in the years following his departure from AlphaTauri that he may step back into racing in some capacity. However, it appears he is resigned to the fact that his time in Formula One has ended. While he never got to become a world champion, the ever-humble Australian spoke of his pride at his achievements in the sport. 'I never thought I would have this career. I never thought I'd be here, you know? That's the truth,' he explained. Ricciardo cut a philosophical figure as the Australian also delved into his sacking, explaiing he was grateful for the career he has had Ricciardo was recently pictured at Wimbledon soaking up the atmosphere at the tennis 'Yes, my dream was to be world champion, and there were years along the way where I genuinely felt like it was gonna happen. 'I got close, that's OK. 'If I were a world champion sitting here today, would it change how I feel or how I view myself, or anything like that? I don't think so.
