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Wales Online
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Wales' Japan tour can finally end two directionless years in the position the country loves most
Wales' Japan tour can finally end two directionless years in the position the country loves most Wales have spent two years muddling about with their fly-halves amid a 17-Test losing run, but could this summer change that? A silhouetted Sam Costelow in Brisbane on last year's tour of Australia (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd ) Fly-half has always been a position that Welsh rugby has struggled to get to grips with. As the late Eddie Butler once said: 'Wales and the No. 10 shirt have an almost unhealthily close relationship. The vulnerability of little facing big, the chance to strut: it's Wales all over.' It's a position that we adore, one that - perhaps more than any other - has contributed to the wider culture in Wales over the years, but that brings a unique pressure with it, too. Many are called, but few are chosen. Those who have worn the jersey know that only too well. Barry John walked away from the spotlight at 27, while Phil Bennett was dropped by the Big Five. Gareth Davies was left out for 'A. N. Other', while Jonathan Davies went north after growing frustrated with Welsh rugby. Countless others have had their battles with the slings and arrows in the years since, be it Neil Jenkins, Stephen Jones, James Hook or Dan Biggar. Never is the path of a Welsh fly-half a smooth one. Article continues below Two years ago, Biggar decided his own time in the jersey was at an end. Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow was anointed his successor, both with Biggar's beloved laundry duty, but also as Wales' next fly-half moving forward. All the talk towards the end of the 2023 World Cup was how Costelow - having been a eye-catching talent both with the U20s and as part of the Scarlets' run to the Challenge Cup semi-finals that year - would be Wales' long-term 10 following Biggar's emotional farewell. That farewell came sooner than they'd hoped, with a quarter-final defeat to Argentina brutally ending Biggar's Test career. A late intercept from Costelow only served to knock his confidence ahead of taking on the starting jersey full-time. Since then, it's felt like Costelow has always been on the back-foot. His first start AB - After Biggar - saw Wales get their tactics all wrong against Scotland in the 2024 Six Nations opener. While the coaches insisted privately the mindset was to play running rugby, they ended up falling into conservative patterns as they fell to a 27-0 deficit at half-time. Costelow was replaced by Ioan Lloyd and Wales nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback. One game into the Costelow era and already the jersey was no longer his, with Lloyd starting the next game at Twickenham. Costelow won it back for the remaining games against Ireland, France and Italy, before starting the summer Test against South Africa in London. However, once in Australia, Ben Thomas - despite playing the vast majority of his rugby for Cardiff in midfield - was Warren Gatland's 10. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Then, in the autumn, Gareth Anscombe was the man in possession of the jersey, with Costelow handed a start at the end of the campaign - when Wales were already starting down the barrel of a winless calendar year - against the world champions, South Africa. As a first full year in Test rugby goes, it was tough on the young Scarlet. Injury kept him out of the Six Nations - perhaps a blessing in disguise as Wales slumped to another successive wooden spoon - but now he travels to Japan this summer as one of two fly-halves. The other, Ospreys playmaker Dan Edwards, has been on the Test scene for a considerably shorter period of time than Costelow, but has his own frustrating experiences too. Named in the Six Nations squad, he was called from the bench in the final throes of Gatland's miserable second stint - being asked to turn the tide against France and Italy away from home. The likes of John, Bennett and Jiffy would have struggled in those circumstances. When Gatland left and was replaced by Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt, Anscombe was handed a recall along with Jarrod Evans - meaning Edwards didn't see another minute of action in the Six Nations. All of which leads us onto this summer. The fact that the pair are Wales' only out-and-out 10s - not forgetting Thomas can cover the position - means minutes are essentially guaranteed for both. After two years of experimenting and wandering around without direction with the fly-half position, this tour of Japan could be the time where Wales take a meaningful step forward. Sherratt - once again in interim charge for the summer - spoke last week of wanting to leave the next Wales head coach with something to build upon. With no senior fly-half in the squad, there'll at least be some meaningful answers when it comes to the fly-half position. For two years, Costelow has been slowly drained of his confidence, with the ailing fortunes of the men's national team occasionally laid at his door. Injuries haven't helped, either. And yet, as you look at the Scarlets' late-season ascent into the United Rugby Championship play-offs, Dwayne Peel's side are undeniably a better side when it is Costelow pulling the strings. That doesn't necessarily mean the transition can be made to becoming a reliable presence on the Test scene, but the truth is - even when detractors want to make the judgement off a half of rugby here or there - is that he's not had enough time in the saddle to decide that fact. Japan this summer, with its early morning UK kick-off times that are already competing with the Lions tour, doesn't bring the same glare that Costelow's other appearances have brought. He can get on with two Tests against the Brave Blossoms, just trying to stamp his mark on the Test game. Judgements can come later on whether Costelow is Wales' next fly-half, but just getting his confidence back at that level is what you hope this summer will bring. As for Edwards, there's a natural swagger to the 22-year-old. What he needs is game time. Article continues below That should come this July in Kitakyushu and Kobe. It could just be that, in the months ahead, both of Wales' fly-halves get exactly what they need from the trip to Japan.
Wales Online
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Welsh rugby's winners and losers as outside-half reminds everyone just how good he can be
Welsh rugby's winners and losers as outside-half reminds everyone just how good he can be It was another entertaining weekend of Welsh rugby Sam Costelow of Scarlets was superb (Image: 2025 Getty Images ) It was another entertaining weekend of Welsh rugby which leaves us with a clearer picture of who is likely to reach the United Rugby Championship play-offs. The Scarlets are the story of the weekend as they claimed a memorable victory in South Africa over the Lions but the Rainbow Nation was not a happy hunting ground for the other three Welsh clubs who all lost. Back in Wales there were two enthralling Super Rygbi Cymru semi-finals with Ebbw Vale and Newport RFC coming out on top. Here are your winners and losers. Winners Sam Costelow The 24-year-old has endured a rough few months after breaking his collarbone in January but he was outstanding in just his second game back. Costelow controlled the game, which the Welsh team won 32-19, and had his foot on the Lions throat throughout the Scarlets' emphatic victory in Johannesburg. The Wales outside-half kicked 12 points, including a long range drop goal and a penalty from 45 metres on the angle. His attacking game was excellent with his passing, peripheral vision and ability to change the point of attack getting the best out of his outside backs. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Article continues below Costelow's defensive game was also a sight to behold, putting his body on the line to make nine tackles. Costelow will almost certainly be on the plane to Japan this summer after missing out on the Six Nations and seemingly falling down the pecking order. His battle with Ospreys rival Dan Edwards should serve Wales well for years to come. After a difficult year or so, it was great to see the young man in such fine form. Dwayne Peel and Scarlets The former Wales scrum-half has had it tough during his four years in charge of the Scarlets. This time last season there were many people calling for Peel's head after a nightmare season which included a home defeat to Georgian outfit Black Lion. But the Scarlets board have backed Peel and it looks like they were right to do so. After a solid summer of recruitment where the pack got strengthened the Scarlets have been significantly more competitive this season. There have been times where things haven't gone their way and during the first half of the season they fell on the wrong side of some tight games. But things have clicked in recent weeks, with an eye-catching victory over Leinster and a stunning victory over the Lions at Ellis Park yesterday moving the west Walians to within touching distance of the URC play-offs. Peel is a good man who demands high standards and has a reputation as an innovative backs coach. All the best coaches go through periods where they struggle, particularly early on in their careers, but it is how they bounce back which matters. Peel seems to have grown into his role and if he can lead the Scarlets into the play-offs and back into the Investec Champions Cup then this season will have been a success for the Llanelli-based club. Ebbw Vale and Newport The Super Rygbi Cymru semi-finals were two enthralling affairs, particularly Ebbw Vale's triumph over Llandovery at Eugene Cross Park. The Steelmen were staring into the abyss at half-time as free-flowing Llandovery held what looked like an unassailable 21-5 lead. But Ebbw Vale launched the best comeback of the season to overturn a 16-point lead to fire themselves into the final with a 29-28 win. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free Ebbw Vale will meet Newport in the final after the Black & Ambers beat Cardiff 35-20 in their own backyard with a tremendous performance. Their reward is an appearance in the first ever SRC final which will be played at Eugene Cross Park. Taine Plumtree and Vaea Fifita The 25-year-old Plumtree got left out of Wales' Six Nations squad, with his discipline one of the key factors in his omission. But the Scarlets backrower seems to have taken any feedback given on board and was outstanding for the Scarlets in their victory over the Lions, as he was against Leinster a fortnight back. Plumtree was extremely physical throughout a high octane encounter played at high altitude in Johannesburg. He finished the game as top tackler with 17 and scored a crucial try early in the second-half. There have been numerous discussions in recent weeks about the merit of overseas players in Wales but signing the right ones can be worth their weight in gold. The Scarlets' former All Blacks backrower Vaea Fifita had a standout game at Ellis Park and it was his break and offload which led to the match-winning try for Johnny Williams. Jac Morgan The Wales captain got aptly rewarded for his outstanding performances this season with a place on this summer's British & Irish Lions tour of Australia. While it wasn't to be the Ospreys' night in Durban, Morgan was one of the best players on the pitch. The 25-year-old was a menace at the breakdown throughout his time on the field and finished the game as the top tackler with 19, while three of them were dominant. Morgan also won three turnovers at the breakdown and stood out like a beacon in what was a disappointing evening for the Ospreys. Losers Dragons RFC It's official. This is now the Dragons' worst ever season since their inception in 2003. The Dragons have lost 16 games on the bounce and have only won once in the URC this season at home against the Ospreys on the opening weekend of the season, with the only other victory coming against Newcastle Falcons in the Challenge Cup. To their credit there was plenty of fight in their performance in Cape Town but it was not enough to prevent themselves falling to a comprehensive 48-12 defeat to the Stormers. The Dragons will have a new-look squad next season and it goes without saying there will be a huge onus on head coach Filo Tiatia to turn things around. Nobody is expecting them to turn into play-off contenders overnight but another horror season like this one would be unacceptable. Ospreys The Ospreys' season has fizzled out in disappointing fashion and it looks as if that home Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat to Lyon last month knocked the stuffing out of them Mark Jones' side had plenty of quality and a strong pack but they were unable to stop the Sharks from claiming a comfortable 29-10 win in Durban on Friday night. This defeat means the Ospreys are mathematically out of the race to reach the URC play-offs with one round of the regular season remaining. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. It is disappointing to see how what looked at one stage like a promising end of the season came to nothing. But the Ospreys should be better next season having recruited well up-front with the signing of Queensland Reds captain Ryan Smith and former Wales backrower Ross Moriarty from Brive, while Jones will have had a full pre-season as head coach. Cardiff Cardiff's hopes of reaching the URC play-offs are hanging on by a thread after they endured a heavy 45-21 defeat to the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday. Article continues below The Welsh club could not cope with the explosive physicality of the South African outfit and crucially Cardiff did not succeed in bagging a fourth try which would have given Matt Sherratt's side a losing bonus point. Cardiff must now realistically beat the Stormers in Cape Town if they are to stand any chance of reaching the URC play-offs. The Welsh club have the attacking game to cause the Stormers problems and score tries but the big question surrounds whether they can cope with the South African sides physicality up-front.
Wales Online
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Scarlets pull off stunning victory over Lions to give play-off hopes huge boost
The Scarlets moved to within touching distance of the URC play-offs with a stunning 32-19 bonus-point victory over the Lions in Johannesburg. Dwayne Peel's side move to sixth place in the table with just one round of the regular season to go and look well placed to finish in the top eight. This was an excellent performance by the Welsh club who defied the odds to claim a first ever URC victory in South Africa. Wales outside-half Sam Costelow was outstanding while Vaea Fifita, Taine Plumtree and Blair Murray were also standout performers. Tries from Murray (twice), Plumtree and Johnny Williams along with nine points from Costelow's boot were enough to secure a famous win. Nico Steyn and David Kriel (twice) touched down for the Lions. It wasn't the best of starts for the Scarlets after Sam Lousi got sent to the sin bin for a high tackle. But they put it behind them to claim the game's first try and it came off the back of their forwards making metres with their carries in the Lions' 22. Gareth Davies then spun the ball wide and after a nice touch from Johnny Williams a lovely pass from Costelow put Murray over from the opening try. The Scarlets were forced to defend in their own 22 but their defence held firm with the Lions getting held up over the line. But the west Walians extended their lead with a second try for Murray. The Scarlets won their own lineout before Costelow changed the point of contact before going to Gareth Davies on the inside. The Wales scrum-half offloaded to Ellis Mee who raced clear before getting brought down just short of the line but they recycled quickly before Costelow's pass put Murray over again. But the Lions hit back with a period of sustained pressure which resulted in Steyn powering over from short range for a try he converted. The Scarlets turned around with a 17-7 lead at the interval after Costelow knocked over a long-range drop goal. Peel's side began the second half like a house on fire with a lovely break by Costelow who offloaded to Murray. The Wales full-back powered into the Lions' 22 before getting tackled short but Plumtree soon powered over from short-range for their third try. But this game was far from over and the Lions soon claimed a try of their own as Kriel finished at the corner after some nice handling from the Lions backs. As the second half wore on the altitude became a factor with the Scarlets players looking knackered at times but they showed tremendous resilience. The Scarlets brushed off any fatigue to set up a well-worked driving lineout in the Lions' 22 which edged towards the line before getting brought down by Jac Pretorious who got shown a yellow card for his actions. Peel's side lay siege to the Lions' line but were repelled time and time again before Lousi spilled the ball forward with the try line at his mercy. At one stage it looked as if this wouldn't be the Scarlets' day as they butchered a couple of gilt-edged try-scoring opportunities. On one occasion Joe Roberts sliced through the Lions defence before racing into the Lions 22. The Wales centre had two players unmarked on his inside but opted to go for the outside man but the pass swerved forward. This game soon turned on its head when Kriel claimed a second try out wide as the Scarlets began to fall off tackles. But the west Walians refused to throw in the towel and should have put the result beyond any doubt when Murray danced his way past three defenders before reaching the Lions 22, but his pass got intercepted. Holding onto a slender three-point lead the west Walians looked out on their feet but a brilliant break from Fifita and a sumptuous offload put Williams over for a try which Costelow converted from the touchline. The Scarlets looked home and dry but Costelow put the result beyond any doubt by knocking over an outstanding penalty from 45 metres on the angle. Lions: Quan Horn; Richard Kriel, Henco van Wyk, Bronson Mills, Edwill van der Merwe, Kade Wolhuter; Nico Steyn, Morgan Naude; Jaco Visagie (capt), Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruan Venter, Ruan Delport, JC Pretorius, Renzo du Plessis, Jarod Cairns. Replacements: PJ Botha, SJ Kotze, RF Schoeman, Darrien Landsberg, Sibabalo Qoma, Layton Horn, Lubabalo Dobela, Rynhardt Jonker. Scarlets: Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Joe Roberts, Johnny Williams, Ellis Mee; Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies; Alec Hepburn, Marnus van der Merwe, Henry Thomas, Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Vaea Fifita, Josh Macleod (capt), Taine Plumtree. Replacements: Ryan Elias, Kemsley Mathias, Sam Wainwright, Dan Davis, Jarrod Taylor, Archie Hughes, Ioan Lloyd, Macs Page. Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU) Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (SARU), Stephan Geldenhuys (SARU) TMO: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wales fly-half Costelow signs new Scarlets deal
Wales fly-half Sam Costelow has signed a new deal with Scarlets. The 24-year-old has played 67 matches and scored 420 points for the Llanelli side since arriving from Leicester Tigers in 2020. He has also been capped 18 times for Wales, but missed this year's Six Nations due to a shoulder injury. "I am really grateful to the Scarlets for giving me this chance," Costelow said. "We have a good group here, we're ticking along nicely and it is a place where I want to be right now. We have had a lot of learnings this season, but it has been a good year." Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said: "We all know his quality, he is still only 24, but he has a lot of experience already, both for us and at international level. "He is going to have a big part to play in this side over the coming seasons." Wales' Mathias set to return for Scarlets at Lions Scrum-half Blacker 'excited' to return to Scarlets Costelow made his long-awaited return from injury in Scarlets' victory over United Rugby Championship leaders Leinster, which has put the region in the play-off spots with two games to play. "It is never nice to get injured, you want to play as much rugby as you can, but being back out there with my mates against Leinster, playing in front of the fans again, it was awesome," said Costelow. Scarlets face Lions in Johannesburg on Sunday before moving on to Durban to take on Sharks in the final round six days later. "We are under no illusion how tough these games are going to be, but we have spoken this week, we have a chance to write our own history and really kick on as a side," added Costelow.
The Irish Sun
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Scarlets stun under-strength Leinster to keep URC play-off hopes alive
AN under-strength Leinster were beaten for just the second time this season as Scarlets clocked up a first win over the province since December 2018. The victory for the hosts in Wales — their first over any Irish side since 2021 — maintains their URC play-off hopes, with Leinster eyes firmly fixed on their Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton. 2 Leinster suffered only their second defeat of the season in the URC against The Scarlets 2 The win was the first win for Scarlets against Irish opposition in six years Jamie Osborne, Diarmuid Mangan and James Culhane scored Leinster's tries with Ross Byrne converting two and adding a penalty. But that was not enough for even a bonus point, something Scarlets did get as Tom Rogers, Joe Roberts, Gareth Davies and Taine Plumtree all dotted down. They took the lead when a powerful burst from Plumtree broke the defence for the supporting Davies to race in under the posts. read more on rugby Sam Costelow converted and added a penalty before Leinster lost lock Brian Deeny with a leg injury. After Byrne got Leo Cullen's side off the mark with a three-pointer, Rogers responded with a stylish try. But from the restart, Costelow's clearance was charged down by replacement Mangan, with Osborne pouncing on the loose ball to score. Plumtree, after a Leinster error, and Mangan, from close range, traded further tries as the Blues trailed 22-15 at the interval — a deficit made worse early on in the second half as Blair Murray set up Roberts for Scarlets' fourth. Most read in Uncategorized Culhane pulled another try back for Leinster but the league leaders were then held scoreless for the final half-hour. Ronan O'Gara bizarrely ends press conference after 23 SECONDS amid La Rochelle's continued poor form SCORERS — Scarlets: Tries, G Davies, T Rogers, Plumtree, Roberts; cons, Costelow 3; pens, Costelow, Lloyd 2. Leinster: Tries, J Osborne, Mangan, Culhane; cons, R Byrne 2; pen, R Byrne
