Scarlets' achievement 'should not be overshadowed'
Scarlets skipper Josh Macleod says their achievement of reaching the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs for the first time in seven years should not be overshadowed by Welsh rugby's off-field crisis.The Welsh region finished eighth at the end of the regular season, despite defeat in their final game at Sharks in Durban, to set up a quarter-final away to top side Leinster on Saturday, 31 May.But while the players and coaches were celebrating in South Africa, so another saga was unfolding back home.Scarlets and Ospreys have not signed up to the Welsh Rugby Union's (WRU) new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) and have been served notice on their current deal which expires in 2027.It means they will both receive smaller budgets compared to Cardiff and Dragons - who have signed - as a result of a new two-tier funding system.The WRU has also neither confirmed or denied it intends to cut a region.
"We were obviously out in South Africa, come back and headlines have broke," Macleod told the Scrum V podcast."There's obviously a couple of conversations that go on in camp, but from my perspective, as captain, we've just been focused on one, the games out in South Africa and two, a massive opportunity in a quarter-final."Scarlets' play-off qualification was boosted by consecutive bonus-point wins against Ospreys, Dragons, Leinster and Lions."We haven't been involved in this stage of the competition since 2018, which is a fair old stint, as a squad. Where we've come from in comparison to last season, the growth that we've shown, I think that's something that needs to be recognised as a massive achievement," said Macleod.
Scarlets travel to Dublin having stunned Leinster in their 35-22 victory in Llanelli just a few weeks ago.Leinster had rested a raft of front-line stars for their Champions Cup semi-final and Macleod knows they will be a different animal come the quarter-final."It's going to be interesting, they're probably going to have a slightly stronger squad than previously," said the back row, "but who knows?"Reflecting on the season as a whole, Macleod added: "At the start we set out as a team to compete in every facet in every game and for large parts we've done that. We've been there or thereabouts throughout the season and something has obviously clicked towards the tail end."Can I put a finger on it? No. Is it luck? I don't know. Is it a lot of hard work? Most definitely. "We've got a tough group at the moment that are willing to fight for each other and you can't really go too wrong with that."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
Lewis Ferguson says Scotland ‘shouldn't panic' after Iceland defeat
Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson stressed there was no need to panic after Friday's defeat by Iceland – but he admits they need a win in Liechtenstein to restore some confidence. Scotland travelled to Vaduz after a 3-1 Hampden loss, which left them with only one win in their last nine home matches. Losing goalkeeper Angus Gunn in the early stages did not help matters, but Steve Clarke's side struggled to find a rhythm to their attacking play and did not look like overhauling their two-goal deficit. Scotland's form picked up in the latter half of their UEFA Nations League campaign after a difficult 12 months but a 3-0 play-off home defeat by Greece in March consigned them to relegation to League B. Fans are now looking for something to encourage them ahead of the World Cup qualifying campaign in the autumn, with Scotland up against Denmark, Greece and Belarus for a place in North America next summer. Liechtenstein have started their qualification campaign with three defeats without netting a goal, the latest a 3-0 loss against Wales. There are only three professionals in their squad and they are ranked 205th in the world, and were on the end of San Marino's first win for 20 years in November. But Scotland laboured to a 1-0 win on their previous trip to Vaduz and Ferguson stressed a big performance was needed on Monday night. 'We need to win our next game,' the Bologna midfielder said. 'We need to go and put on a performance, a good performance and a winning performance. 'That's the only thing that breeds confidence, winning games, so we need to get back to that. 'There shouldn't be any panic. We've got a really strong squad, good players, good quality, loads of experience in the team, so there should be no panic. 'But we do need to get back to winning ways and get back to performing at the levels that we've set ourselves.' Other than injured goalkeepers Gunn and Robby McCrorie, who withdrew over the weekend, Clarke has not had any call-offs since naming his squad, despite the obvious difficulty for some players to maintain sharpness after a long season with their clubs. Ferguson stressed the timing of the double header should not be a major issue in finding a performance. He said: 'It's our job, we're here to go and perform, we're here to play for our country. It's a privilege, so that shouldn't be a problem. And I don't think that's a problem with this squad.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
South Wales Argus
4 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Wales wing Harry Rees-Weldon out of World U20 Championships
The loss of the 20-year-old for the tournament in Italy is a hammer blow for Wales, who will miss his power running. Rees-Weldon starred with a try-scoring performance in the Six Nation upset of Grand Slam-chasing England in Cardiff. The speedster then crossed on his Dragons debut against the Ospreys and started in the games in South Africa against the Stormers and Bulls. However, Rees-Weldon suffered a leg injury on his return to training with the Welsh youngsters ahead of the world cup and has been ruled out. It is not serious and the promising prospect, who has developed with Ebbw Vale in the Premiership and Super Rygbi Cymru, will target a pre-season return. PROMISING: Dragons wing Harry Rees-Weldon has been ruled out of Wales' World Rugby U20 Championship campaign (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency) 'Harry is out after an injury in training,' confirmed Wales head coach Richard Whiffin. 'It's such a shame because he was brilliant at the back end of the Six Nations. 'He then showed that he can step up to the next level with the Dragons in the United Rugby Championship but sadly he won't make the plane. 'Harry is in rehab already and now it's up to others to step up in what is a strong area for us, with Tom Bowen to come back into the mix [after missing the warm-up defeat to England]. One guy's misfortune is another's opportunity.' Rees-Weldon will not feature in the championship but 10 Dragons are in the mix for the final squad, which will now be named after Friday's second tune-up against Italy. The initial plan was to announce those who have made the cut before that friendly at Cardiff Arms Park but that has changed due to a number of injury doubts. TOWERING: Dragons lock Nick Thomas will add physicality to the Wales pack (Image: Richard Sellers) One of those is Dragons lock Nick Thomas, who is making good progress in his return from an ankle injury suffered in the Six Nations opener against France. The 19-year-old, who caught the eye against Newcastle, Cardiff and the Scarlets last season, is set for a return to competitive action. 'Nick has trained with us and hopefully will get some game time against Italy,' said Whiffin. 'He is tracking well to hopefully get the opportunity [at the championship].' The Dragons in the extended squad are winger Ioan Duggan, fly-half Harri Ford, scrum-half Logan Franklin, props George Tuckley and Owain James, lock Thomas and back row forwards Harry Beddall, Evan Minto, Ryan Jones and Cerrig Smith.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Is Belgium vs Wales on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch World Cup qualifier
Wales travel to Brussels on Monday evening hoping to extend their lead at the top of Group J when they take on Belgium in what could be a defining clash in World Cup qualifying. Belgium are the highest ranked team in the group but drew 1-1 with North Macedonia on Friday in the first of their qualifying matches. In contrast, Wales defeated Liechtenstein 3-0 thanks to goals from Joe Rodon, Harry Wilson, and Kieffer Moore which put them on top of the group with seven points from three games. Craig Bellamy has yet to taste defeat since taking over from Rob Page as Wales manager but faces his biggest test away from home against a Belgium side with something to prove. Here's everything you need to know: When is Belgium vs Wales? The game between Belgium and Wales kicks off at 7.45pm at the King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels. How can I watch it? Viewers in Wales can watch the match on BBC One Wales, with television coverage also available on BBC Three and S4C. Coverage begins at 7.30pm and a live stream will be available via the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer. Belgium v Wales team news Rudi Garcia has plenty of options to choose from for Belgium and is likely to start a slightly stronger team than the one fielded against North Macedonia. Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans should come into the XI alongside Kevin De Bruyne while they may also be changes in defence. Wales are without Neco Williams who was carried off the pitch during the win over Liechtenstein with an knock and confirmed on social media that he will be absent. Daniel James missed the last match with illness and is being monitored while Aaron Ramsey remains sidelined. Cardiff defender Dylan Lawlor has been called in as cover for Williams. Odds Belgium win 4/11 Draw 11/4 Wales win 6/1 The Independent vets betting sites free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.
