Latest news with #PlanetRugby
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as legend makes grovelling public apology to Jac Morgan
Tonight's rugby news as legend makes grovelling public apology to Jac Morgan The latest headlines from Wales and around the world Morgan has received a public apology from a Wallabies legend (Image:) These are your evening rugby headlines on Friday, July 4. Legend makes public apology to Jac Morgan Australia legend David Campese has issued a grovelling public apology to British & Irish Lions star Jac Morgan after the Welshman made him eat his words with a superb performance against Queensland Reds. Wallabies icon Campese had previously torn into the Osprey flanker's performance in the Lions' pre-tour match against Argentina last month, criticising him for what he judged to be an "anonymous" showing that saw him "fail to execute the basics". "I had to check to be sure Jac Morgan was even playing, such was his lack of impact," he said after the Pumas clash in Dublin. "Yes, he grabbed one good turnover, but when your openside spends 55 minutes on the pitch, makes four carries for six metres, and manages six tackles (one every nine minutes!) you wonder why he's failing to execute the basic roles of his position." However, Morgan responded in style with an outstanding player-of-the-match performance against the Reds on Wednesday, getting on the scoresheet as Andy Farrell's side secured a 52-12 victory in Brisbane. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia. In addition to his try, the 25-year-old also finished the match as the top tackler with 21, while he also enjoyed the most metres carried (49m) of any Lions forward and picked up three jackal turnovers too. Article continues below Morgan's performance drew widespread praise from pundits as well as his coaches and team-mates, and Campese has now admitted that he owes the Wales star an apology - and a pint - after being proven wrong. "In the back-row, I'll take my hat off to Jac Morgan after his response to criticism – and I'll buy him a beer in Brisbane!," said Campese as he reviewed the match against the Reds in his Planet Rugby column. "He was, as I said, pretty anonymous against Argentina – maybe a bit of fatigue, maybe learning the systems. But against the Reds, he was absolutely compelling, and I'm happy to eat my words after a performance like that. "Whilst the Lions have great choices at seven, eight and six are headscratchers for them still. Conan makes hard yards and takes others with him, but 12 carries for 36m isn't setting the world alight," he added. "He tackled well though, but I do believe Ben Earl is equally good through contact, better at the breakdown and a little more dynamic, but doesn't offer the lineout option that Tadhg Beirne does. "Given how well both Joe McCarthy and Ollie Chessum have performed, I just wonder if Beirne will move to the back-row, something he's done often for Ireland? That means that the Lions could stack the bench with real impact from Earl and Pollock, leaving the others to do the heavy lifting at the start." Campese also slammed head coach Farrell's decision to call his son Owen into the squad, labelling it as a "weak pick by daddy" and claiming that the England fly-half's arrival could cause a major disruption in camp. 'For the life of me, I cannot fathom why Andy Farrell would call up an ageing fly-half-cum-centre to replace a classy back-three player,' said the 62-year-old. 'Yes, Owen Farrell has been a world-class 10 in his time. Yes, he's been an outstanding British and Irish Lion. Yes, he's been a champion of Europe, a World Cup finalist and a Premiership legend. But the ever-present word there is 'has'. 'Owen's form since quitting England and Saracens for Racing 92 has been – well, I'm not sure there's been any form whatsoever. "He's struggled with the pace of French rugby and the standard of the Top 14, he's not been able to get any sort of purchase into a style of game that's run by a production line of world-class nines and he's left Paris with his tail between his legs and a reputation that's suffered as a result. 'I also have to question judgment here. I have always been respectful of the Farrell name. This is a weak pick by daddy – and weak isn't what I'd expect from them. 'It also puts huge pressure on Owen, who can't have a bagful of confidence after the Racing 92 experience, and that sort of thing can also disrupt camp... what message is this sending out to the likes of Marcus and Fin Smith?' Top coach leaves after player revolt Jake White has left the Bulls by mutual agreement after a reported player revolt at the United Rugby Championship side. The former South Africa head coach led his team to last month's URC final against Leinster, but a heavy defeat to the Irish side saw him complain in his post-match press conference that the players available to him were not on the same level to their opponents. Those comments reportedly led to a player revolt led by captain Ruan Nortje and Marcell Coetzee, who are said to have been unhappy with White's management style. There were also rumours that White had fallen out with his assistant coaches Chris Rossouw and Andries Bekker, according to South African media. Now, his five-year stint in Pretoria - which saw him win the Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup titles - has come to an end, with the coach saying it is "time for a new chapter". 'I have made the decision to move on," White said in a statement released by the Bulls. "With many years' coaching experience, I felt it would be difficult to get the squad to perform to the next level. "Therefore, in the best interest of both myself and the Bulls I feel it's time for a new chapter. It's time for this group to have a new voice. 'I have enjoyed my time in Pretoria. I met some wonderful friends. I believe that rugby is like life – you win some you lose some. You learn as you grow. You need to be strong and courageous and, most importantly, it isn't always fair. 'I would like to thank all the loyal supporters, the Bulls staff that worked tirelessly, and to the players for their hard work and dedication," he added. "I wish BBRU president Willem Strauss and the amateur game lots of success in the future. 'To the shareholders, I will always be grateful for all the support and financial backing they gave, far and beyond any other club. Thank you for the privilege. To the Board for their support and CEO, Edgar Rathbone, coaches and management, it was great to be part of this winning culture. "To be part of Bulls rugby history has been an absolute honour. I wish Bulls rugby all the best.' Bulls club president Willem Strauss added: 'On behalf of the club, the supporters, the staff and all our shareholders, I would like to thank Jake for the work he has done, the love and passion he has shown to our players, people and community during his time with us. 'His leadership has left a fantastic mark on our club, and the way he fought to get us up when we needed it the most will make him a hero of ours for a long time to come. He leaves the club in a better place than when he arrived. 'During his rugby directorship, he helped elevate our grassroots game in the manner that he devised our integration strategy between the high-performance environment and our club ecosystem.' Wales and Sherratt 'double down' By PA Staff Interim head coach Matt Sherratt says he has 'doubled down on the basics' to give Wales the best chance of ending their record losing streak. Wales are in Japan for a two-Test series against Eddie Jones' Brave Blossoms and attempting to end a run of 17 successive Test defeats – a record for a Tier One nation. Cardiff boss Sherratt has overseen the last three of those losses after replacing Warren Gatland during the Six Nations Championship in February. Sherratt initiated improvement in losing narrowly to Ireland in his opening game, but Wales were well beaten in Scotland before producing a late fightback and then hammered 68-14 at home by England on one of Welsh rugby's darkest days. 'I learned a lot during the Six Nations,' Sherratt said ahead of Saturday's opener in Kitakyushu with Wales targeting a first Test win since beating Georgia at the last World Cup in October 2023. 'What we've really focused on for this tour is going back to basics. Over time the way I like to play is multiple passes and for my teams to be brave, but at the moment it's laying the foundations for Welsh rugby. 'So we've really doubled down on the basics and gone back to the foundations of the game – kicking, defence, contact area. We can build on that in time, but those basics are the platform for everything else and the foundation for any team.' Skipper Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams were unavailable after being selected for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia. There are only four survivors from the side humbled by England in March – number eight Taulupe Faletau, prop Nicky Smith, centre Ben Thomas and full-back Blair Murray. Faletau makes his 109th appearance and winger Josh Adams (61), Smith (54) and scrum-half Kieran Hardy (23) are the only others with more than 20 caps in the starting line-up. Asked what winning would mean for Wales, Sherratt said: 'It's massive. I spoke to the players before we came away and wondered what their motivation was, and why they were coming here. 'The short answer was that they want to win for Wales. For the future this tour is probably the end of something. Let's hope it's the also start of something and they start on a level playing field (under the new head coach).' Jones has been his usual bullish self ahead of the series, which concludes in Kobe next week, saying he is hoping for a 'nice hot day and we can really run Wales off their feet'. The former Australia and England boss refused to budge from the 2pm local kick-off time when the temperature is expected to be above 30 degrees Celsius with high humidity. Article continues below Sherratt said: 'Both countries are in a very similar situation as lots of experience has come to an end at the same time. The key to the win will be who controls the key moments. 'With the wet ball (due to the humidity) field position will be very important and, with that, who takes the chances.'
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
David Campese labels Owen Farrell's Lions call-up ‘a weak pick by daddy'
WALLABY legend David Campese is stirring it up again down under, labelling the decisions by the British and Irish Lions to call up Owen Farrell as 'a weak pick by daddy'. Less than 24 hours after head coach Andy Farrell urged supporters to cut out the 'nonsense' negativity around his son's call-up, Campese claimed that Owen Farrell's selection is 'weak', that it could disrupt the Lions camp, and that the 'ageing' fly-half 'left Paris with his tail between his legs'. 'For the life of me, I cannot fathom why Andy Farrell would call up an ageing fly-half-cum-centre to replace a classy back-three player,' Campese wrote in a column for Planet Rugby. 'Yes, Owen Farrell has been a world-class 10 in his time. Yes, he's been an outstanding British and Irish Lion. Yes, he's been a champion of Europe, a World Cup finalist and a Premiership legend. But the ever-present word there is 'has'. 'Owen's form since quitting England and Saracens for Racing 92 has been – well, I'm not sure there's been any form whatsoever. He's struggled with the pace of French rugby and the standard of the Top 14, he's not been able to get any sort of purchase into a style of game that's run by a production line of world-class nines and he's left Paris with his tail between his legs and a reputation that's suffered as a result. 'I also have to question judgment here. I have always been respectful of the Farrell name. This is a weak pick by daddy – and weak isn't what I'd expect from them. 'It also puts huge pressure on Owen, who can't have a bagful of confidence after the Racing 92 experience, and that sort of thing can also disrupt camp... what message is this sending out to the likes of Marcus and Fin Smith?' Campese added in his Planet Rugby column: "You may as well have used the same wild card principle to pull Jack Willis into the side – at least he's a world class player playing at the apex of his abilities and could really offer value by adding a 6'3' option at six, something the Lions are really short of given that there's only Jack Conan in their primary back-rowers that's a proper lineout option - something Jack's been improving greatly at doing at Toulouse. Read More [
