Easson on 'smooth transition', French test & Scotland confidence
Scotland head coach Bryan Easson has been talking to the media before the Women's Six Nations match away to France this weekend.Here are the key points:Jade Konkel replaces Evie Gallagher - who serves a one-match ban after her red card last weekend - in a "smooth transition in the back row" for Scotland's only change from the opening win over Wales.Easson pointed to a longer-term emphasis on basing everything on performance as being key to a run of 13 wins from their past 17 fixtures as they head into a tough environment in front of 17,000 fans in La Rochelle."I believe it's sold out," he said. "The whole town will come out and be out early. They'll be there for warm-up and we have made it very clear to the group of players who have not been in France before what to expect because it's important they understand. France is a good side. So it will be tough. We've been very, very clear on that, but we're going there with confidence."The head coach said the opportunity to play in that setting against one of the top sides is "why we play rugby" and Scotland are looking forward to "putting in another strong performance."For his side to compete, Easson says they have to "put it together for 80 minutes", adding they've been working hard on that and it is essential to put France under pressure."
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South Wales Argus
11 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
England beat Wales 47-14 in World Rugby U20 Championship warm-up
A sizeable crowd, both in the ground and watching on from the grass bank outside the fencing, was treated to an entertaining if loose encounter in Torfaen. Wales led 14-7 at the break thanks to tries in the first quarter through centre Elijah Evans – despite not grounding the ball – and flanker Caio James, with openside Reggie Hammick crossing for England. The world champions responded with a dominant second-half showing, scoring tries through blindside George Timmins, Hammick, wing Tyler Offiah, flanker Jonny Weimann and The game went from 14-14 to a hammering in the blink of the eye as English pace and power told in the final quarter. It was, of course, only a warm-up fixture with with no anthems, some lenient refereeing to try and let things flow, no penalties kicked at goal and plenty of subs. Both sides will have learnt plenty and will hope that the inevitable casualties soon get the all clear from the medics. Wales dashed English Grand Slam dreams at Cardiff Arms Park in March with a 23-13 victory earned by going toe-to-toe with the world champions and rattling them. That meant that this tune-up was sure to have its spicey moments, and that's exactly what both sets of coaches wanted in the build up to the tournament in Italy. The two teams were drastically different to that Six Nations encounter with five starters retained in the home XV and three in the English selection – opportunity knocked for spots in the final squad. Wales were captained by Dragons number eight Evan Minto in his hometown and he was one of five starters who played for Pontypool in Super Rygbi Cymru last season, with flanker Ryan Jones, tighthead Owain James, fly-half Harri Ford and wing Ioan Duggan the others. Pooler and Cardiff Met hooker Evan Wood was on the bench along with Dragons scrum-half Logan Franklin and influential openside Harry Beddall, who moves to Rodney Parade from Leicester this summer. FORTUNATE: Wales got the opener despite Elijah Evans knocking on (Image: Mark Lewis/Huw Evans Agency) There was, understandably, an element of scrappiness to the opening exchanges and that was how the opener was scored after eight minutes. Scrum-half Sion Davies hacked the ball on and Cardiff teammate Evans won the foot race, although he didn't ground the ball and was lucky that referee Ben Breakspear awarded him a try that Ford converted rather than a knock on. Wales were bossing matters with play almost exclusively in the English half, and it was 14-0 after 18 minutes with Gloucester flanker Caio James at the bottom of a driving lineout. The visitors, to the frustration of their coaching team, had barely fired a shot and were second best in all facets of the game but were on the scoreboard in the 25th minute. Fly-half Josh Bellamy followed a line break with a calm assist for openside Hammick to show a serious turn of speed to finish from 30 metres, with Bellamy adding the extras. Wales were causing problems with their variety of kicks and one dab through earned a chance from a five-metre scrum as half-time approached, only for England to get over the ball and win a penalty to release the pressure. A fair few players were blowing – what the fixture was designed for – and glad to hear the half-time whistle with the hosts 14-7 to the good as the coaches passed on some pearls of wisdom. There were some changes at the break and one of the new boys, Luke Evans, was swiftly shown yellow after some overexuberance. England were dominant against 14-man Wales but failed to take chances to level due to a lack of composure in the 22. However, the pressure eventually told right at the end of the sin-bin period with a close range try by blindside Timmins after a scrum against the head, Bellamy levelling the scores with a simple conversion. England should have been in front after 56 minutes after some lovely handling released Offiah but the son of Martin dropped the ball over the line after trying to bump off last-man Jack Woods, his Bath teammate from Abercarn. It was getting manic, which led to a comical Welsh 'try' just past the hour and, ultimately, a turning point. Wing Aidan Boshoff went down with cramp and got treatment and was retreating back to the defensive line when he claimed an England cross-kick and raced away. Mr Breakspear eventually went back to penalise the Bristol speedster for being offside, England kicked to the corner and then won a penalty try. The visitors were 21-14 up when it looked like they could have been down by the same scoreline, then reaped the rewards of daring to play from a loose kick and iffy chase to work space for Hammick to race away. England were running wild and Offiah picked off a pass to scorch down the right, Weimann went over down the left and another interception led to Nic Allison breaking away. Wales scorers: tries – E Evans, C James; conversions – H Ford (2). England scorers: tries – R Hammick (2), G Timmins, penalty, T Offiah, J Weimann, N Allison; conversions – J Bellamy (2), B Coen (3). Wales U20 : Lewis Edwards (Ospreys); Ioan Duggan (Dragons), Elijah Evans (Cardiff Rugby), Elis Price (Scarlets), Aidan Boshoff (Bristol Bears); Harri Ford (Dragons), Sion Davies (Cardiff Rugby); Cam Tyler-Grocott (Cardiff Rugby), Saul Hurley (Aberavon), Owain James (Dragons), Dan Gemine (Ospreys), Kenzie Jenkins (Bristol Bears), Ryan Jones (Dragons), Caio James (Gloucester), Evan Minto (Dragons, captain). Replacements: Evan Wood (Pontypool/Cardiff Met), Louie Trevett (Bristol Bears), Jac Pritchard (Scarlets), Tom Cottle (RGC), Luke Evans (Exeter Chiefs), Deain Gwynne (Gloucester), Harry Beddall (Dragons), Logan Franklin (Dragons), Lloyd Lucas (Cardiff Rugby), Dylan Scott (Cardiff Met), Steffan Emanuel (Cardiff Rugby), Osian Darwin-Lewis (Cardiff Rugby), Jack Woods (Bath Rugby), Dylan Alford (Scarlets). Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales).
Wales Online
16 hours ago
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as Wales collapse against England and Farrell sweats on injured Lions stars
Tonight's rugby news as Wales collapse against England and Farrell sweats on injured Lions stars The latest rugby news stories from Wales and beyond Sion Davies of Wales is tackled by Connor Treacey and Ben Redshaw of England (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency ) Here are the latest rugby headlines on Friday, June 6. Wales in late collapse against England Wales U20s conceded five tries in the final 13 minutes as England U20s ran out 47-14 winners in a World Cup warm-up at Pontypool Park. There were only five survivors from the side which beat England U20s in the final game of the U20s Six Nations, but Richard Whiffin's team held a 14-7 lead at the interval. Outside centre Elijah Evans opened the scoring before openside flanker Caio James powered over from short-range, with Harri Ford converting both tries. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. But England hit back in the 25th minute when backrower Reggie Hammick barged his way over the line with Josh Bellamy adding the extras. Whiffin made mass substitutions after the break and second-row Luke Evans got sent to the sin bin for a technical offence. England's pack began to gain the upper hand, with flanker George Timmins smashing his way over the line. Article continues below Wales wing Aidan Boshoff was then cruelly denied a try from 45 metres because he was deemed to be offside when he received the ball. The hosts fell apart after that and England extended their lead through a penalty try which also saw Wales tighthead prop Jac Pritchard sent to the sin bin for illegally collapsing the maul. Hammick then claimed his second try for England, with Bellamy adding the extras. England piled on the misery as Tyler Ofiah - son of rugby league legend Martin Offiah, ran in an interception try from 70 metres out. There were further tries for Jonny Weimann and Nic Allinson. Farrell sweats on Lions Leinster have lost two more of their British and Irish Lions call-ups to injury, with both Josh van der Flier and Hugo Keenan missing for the United Rugby Championship semi-final against Glasgow Warriors. They join fellow tourists Tadhg Furlong and Garry Ringrose on the sidelines just two weeks before the Lions' first match, as Leinster continue their bid to avoid a fourth successive season without silverware. Ireland international Robbie Henshaw is also missing through injury. Keenan and van der Flier both picked up injuries in their BKT United Rugby Championship play-off quarter-final victory over the Scarlets last Saturday, which could well have Lions coach Andy Farrell concerned ahead of the tour of Australia. The Lions travel down under later this month, ahead of their three Test series against the Wallabies in July and August. Back-row van der Flier was forced off after 30 minutes against the Scarlets, with the former World Rugby player of the year failing to recover from a hamstring injury. Full-back Keenan misses out due to a calf injury. The Lions take on Argentina in Dublin on June 20 - a week after the URC final - before playing their first game on Australian soil against the Western Force in Perth on June 28. URC Player and Coach of the Year announced Leinster and Springboks second row RG Snyman has been crowned United Rugby Championship Players' Player of the Season. The award is voted for by the captain and vice-captains of the 16 URC teams, with the 30-year-old following in the footsteps of Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan and Munster fly-half Jack Crowley by winning it. He joined Leinster from rivals Munster last summer and has been a huge presence as the Irish giants topped the regular season table and beat the Scarlets to earn a place in the URC semi-finals. Zebre's Massimo Brunello is the surprise winner of the Coach of the Year award after guiding the Italian side to five wins and a draw this season CEO of BKT Europe Lucia Salmaso said: 'Massimo has done a wonderful job this season with Zebre Parma, guiding them to some famous wins against tough opposition. 'He has demonstrated excellent leadership in his first season at the helm, creating history with Zebre's first away win in four years. In creating a custom ring for him as the BKT Coach of the Season, we want this achievement to live long in the memory. 'Congratulations to Massimo on his fantastic work this season, and we wish him all the best in the future.' Wales' Ioan Lloyd won the Golden Boot award, while Cardiff's Harri Millard was top try scorer and Cam Winnett took the Ironman prize for the most appearances. Full list of URC Awards Winners 2024-25 Gilbert Golden Boot: Ioan Lloyd (Scarlets) OFX Top Try Scorer: Harri Millard (Cardiff Rugby) Tackle Machine: Ruben van Heerden (DHL Stormers) Ironman: Cam Winnett (Cardiff Rugby) Playmaker: Tom Farrell (Munster Rugby) Elite XV: Jamie Osborne (Leinster Rugby), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby), Tom Farrell (Munster Rugby), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Blair Murray (Scarlets), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Craig Casey (Munster Rugby), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster Rugby), Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby), Jac Morgan (Ospreys), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) Next-Gen Player of the Season: Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls) Innovation Award: Hollywoodbets Sharks Try of the Season Powered by Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers) South African Vodacom URC Player of the Season: Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) BKT Coach of the Season: Massimo Brunello (Zebre Parma) Players' Player of the Season: RG Snyman (Leinster Rugby) Huw Jones to miss out again as Warriors face Leinster in URC semi-finals By PA Sport Staff Glasgow centre Huw Jones will again miss out as Warriors travel to Dublin to face Leinster in the BKT United Rugby Championship semi-finals. Jones has been missing for several weeks with an Achilles problem and has failed to make the 23-man squad for the Aviva Stadium encounter despite some optimism over his fitness from Scotstoun earlier in the week. Forwards Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Zander Fagerson all miss out again as expected but were progressing well in their recoveries earlier in the week. Head coach Franco Smith has made just two personnel changes following the 36-18 triumph over Stormers last weekend, which took the defending champions into the final four of the competition. Former Scotland Under-20 international Fin Richardson comes into the starting line-up at tighthead prop as Murphy Walker drops out of the 23. Adam Hastings is recalled at fly-half to spark a reshuffle in the back division. Tom Jordan moves to inside centre, where he will partner Sione Tuipulotu. Stafford McDowall drops to the bench. Warriors are making their third trip to Dublin inside two months and will need to make further improvement. Glasgow were thrashed 52-0 by Leinster in April in the Champions Cup and lost 13-5 in the Irish capital in the final match of the regular URC season. Article continues below Smith told 'Leinster are the standard setters in this competition. They finished top of the standings for a reason, and have consistently out-performed teams across the course of this season while showing their strength in depth. 'It is a challenge that we know we will need to be at our best to meet, and the players are focused on the task at hand. 'Training this week has been sharp and competitive, with every player working hard for each other to put this squad in the best possible position.'
Wales Online
18 hours ago
- Wales Online
Dying dad denied treatment that will give him more time with kids
Dying dad denied treatment that will give him more time with kids Former Welsh Rugby Union commercial director Craig Maxwell was first diagnosed with incurable lung cancer in September 2022 and has raised £1.6m for charity since Craig Maxwell with his children Zach and Isla after rowing 72 miles from Tenby to Cardiff (Image: Mark Lewis ) A terminally ill former Welsh Rugby Union commercial director has had his request for a potentially life-extending drug turned down in the midst of his latest fundraising efforts. Craig Maxwell, who was diagnosed with incurable and inoperable lung cancer back in September 2022, has been undergoing chemotherapy alongside using amivantamab - a drug not yet approved in the UK, but one that Maxwell says could give him an extra "invaluable" six months with his family. Having previously been turned down for funding, Maxwell had to pay for the first quarter of his treatment himself - recently telling WalesOnline it cost him nearly £22,000. The treatment is approved in the US and some parts of Europe but is not yet freely available in the UK - with it currently going through the NHS approval process. Prior to applying to a Individual Patient Funding Request panel, Maxwell said that the costs of continuing on the drug would be around £100,000. Since his diagnosis, Maxwell, who also previously worked for the Six Nations, has completed the London Marathon, cycled from Cardiff to Paris and, last year, he walked the entire 780-mile Wales Coastal Path in just 26 days, delivering the match ball ahead of Wales' Six Nations clash with France. In doing so, he has raised around £1.6m for charities and will not use any of that money for his own treatment. Article continues below Most recently, he rowed from Tenby to Cardiff ahead of the Champions Cup final at the Principality Stadium. It was during this latest challenge when he discovered his request for funding had not been successful, despite the fact that his latest results show that his cancer is "stable and has stopped growing". "They feel it's not making a considerable benefit to my quality of life versus the cost," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast. "I've found that hard to accept, because in my position, six to nine months is invaluable. "There's no cost you can put on that, to have six or nine months with my family." Maxwell told the BBC that some private donors had offered help, but, as he faces having to continue paying for the drug himself, he is planning to go through the appeals process to overturn the decision. "The IPFR panel exists to support patients like me in Wales," he added. "I understand the drug is very expensive. "But it is the best thing for me at the moment and it was recommended to me by multiple professionals." He added that his his family are trying to enjoy their time together, as he recognises that "staying close is important". "There have been some amazing moments and experiences throughout this journey and I have to savour them," he said. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board told the BBC it had "worked extensively" with Maxwell to raise awareness of his condition. Article continues below "We are unable to comment further on individual patient cases," the health board added.
