Tonight's rugby news as Welsh club coach linked with job and Sam Warburton says Welsh rugby 'can only dream'
Tonight's rugby news as Welsh club coach linked with job and Sam Warburton says Welsh rugby 'can only dream'
The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond.
Jared Payne (right) could be leaving west Wales.
(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency )
Your rugby evening headlines on Saturday, May 31.
Warburton: Welsh rugby can only dream
Wales legend Sam Warburton says Welsh rugby "can only dream" after drawing comparisons with the English game.
This weekend, the top four places of the English Premiership were decided in the final round of regular season fixtures, with Warburton's comments coming prior to these final games.
Going into the final weekend, there was still some jeopardy involved, with Bristol Bears just two points ahead of Gloucester in fourth place, with Saracens level on points with the Cherry and Whites.
Warburton said Welsh clubs can only imagine the sorts of crowds and jeopardy on show across the bridge at present.
Speaking about this in his Times column, Warburton, who is a TNT Sports pundit and commentator, said: "I'll be at Bristol on Saturday for the Bears match against Harlequins and qualification for the top four is in their hands, so, while it may not be a rip-roaring conclusion, at least there is enough on this last round of regular matches to see the argument for the play-offs and a climax to a thrilling season.
"I hear some English fans complaining a little and touting their plans for improvement and I just think: 'You should try living in Wales and see the problems we have there!'. In Wales, we can only dream at the moment of our regions having the games that the English clubs have, and especially the crowds they attract so regularly." Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Welsh club coach favourite for top job
Scarlets coach Jared Payne is favourite to land the head coach position at Connacht, reports RugbyPass.
The former British & Irish Lions tourist is currently assistant coach under Dwayne Peel in west Wales, but could now be switching United Rugby Championships clubs.
Payne has been with Scarlets since June 2023 and has helped the side reach the URC play-offs this season alongside his colleagues, with the Parc y Scarlets outfit facing Leinster on Saturday afternoon.
Despite being born in New Zealand, Payne represented Ireland at international level and a move to Galway would see him coach in the country for the first time since 2022, where he left Ulster to join up with Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14.
Of course, Payne moved into coaching back in 2018 after sustaining a head injury on the Lions tour to New Zealand in 2017. Recurring headaches had forced him into retirement, but a career in coaching awaited him.
IRFU performance director David Humphreys is reportedly a big fan of Payne.
Premiership play-offs decided
The English Premiership top four was settled on Saturday in the final round of action.
Bristol Bears' fate was in their hands in round 18, and they got that all-important victory over Harlequins at Ashton Gate - quite convincingly too - 52-26.
The West Country outfit scored a stunning seven tries against Quins, with a total of 11 scores on the day. The results confirmed a place in the semi-finals for Bears, who'll be joining Leicester Tigers, Sale Sharks and Bath in the play-offs.
Saracens picked up a tidy result at the StoneX Stadium, beating league leaders Bath 36-26, although it was very much a second string Bath team. However, it's a mid-table finish for Nick Tompkins' team.
Wales international Gareth Anscombe played his final game for Gloucester, who defeated Northampton Saints 41-26. The 34-year-old fly-half was substituted on the 64th-minute mark, and will be heading to France next season to link up with Bayonne.
Christian Wade, who is leaving rugby union again to pursue a career in league, scored in the final minute of the game, in a fitting send-off for one of the league's most prolific try-scorers.
As was confirmed prior to the weekend's action, after disappointing seasons, Exeter Chiefs and Newcastle Falcons will be playing EPCR Challenge Cup rugby next term, having finished outside the top eight.
Gloucester, Saracens, Quins and Saints all miss out on the play-offs but qualify for Champions Cup rugby next season.
Franco Smith: I'm not surprised my players shone
By Anthony Brown, PA
Franco Smith claimed he was not surprised to see champions Glasgow turn on the style in their United Rugby Championship quarter-final victory over Stormers because he was always confident they would bounce back from their recent dip.
Warriors romped to a five-try 36-18 triumph over their South African visitors on Friday night to set up a semi-final showdown with the winner of Saturday's clash between Leinster and Scarlets in next weekend's semi-final.
Much of the pre-match talk had surrounded the fact Glasgow had lost four of their previous five matches, including a shock 33-7 defeat away to Benetton.
Smith argued that some form of drop-off was inevitable amid such a gruelling schedule, and he is hopeful that his team are back on song at just the right time to defend their title.
'It's a long season, 18 rounds, nine Test matches (four autumn Tests and five Six Nations fixtures), and you have six or seven European Cup games,' said the head coach. 'It's high-priority games every week.
'Our squad is that big, we've rotated it, we've brought some new players in.
'But to be on the mental edge the whole time is sometimes inhuman, if I can put it that way.
'All the sides that finished in the top eight had a bad period somewhere. Ours might have been evident against Benetton. Not even against the Bulls, who were actually very good that evening.
Article continues below
'If I keep perspective and don't form a perception, I have a good chance of staying true to the cause. I'm not surprised about our performance against Stormers."
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