Latest news with #ex-Sale
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sale earn win over Falcons as both sides progress
Premiership Rugby Cup Sale (14) 19 Tries: McElroy, Rodd, Bamber Cons: Curtis 2 Newcastle (14) 17 Tries: Stuart, Stevenson Cons: Connon 2 Pens: Connon A last-minute try from Ben Bamber snatched a win for Sale Sharks against Newcastle Falcons as both sides progressed to the quarter-finals of the Premiership Rugby Cup. The hosts twice took the lead in the first half as tries from Tadgh McElroy and Bevan Rodd were replied to swiftly by Sam Stuart and Ben Stevenson as the teams went in level 14-14 at half-time. The first points of a stodgy second period came from a Brett Connon penalty in the 65th minute to put Newcastle ahead for the first time. But a period of late pressure resulted in Newcastle's Cam Neild being yellow-carded before Bamber crashed over for the decisive score. Newcastle's late defeat ended their 100% record in the pool stage but they gained the minimum one point required, courtesy of a losing bonus point, to finish as top seed in the quarter-finals, ensuring a home draw. Sale were heading out of the competition until Bamber's intervention but make it through as runners-up to the Falcons in Pool A, taking the final quarter-final spot away from Leicester Tigers. Sharks took the lead in the tenth minute when a penalty was kicked into the corner and the subsequent lineout drive was too much for Newcastle to handle as hooker McElroy crashed over and Tom Curtis added the conversion to make it 7-0. Falcons levelled things up four minutes later when Stuart finished off a fine move in the corner and Connon kicked the extras. The hosts chose to reinforce their scrum after only 30 minutes, introducing England international props Bevan Rodd and Asher Opoku-Fordjour for Ross Harrison and Patreece Bell. Seven-time capped Rodd made an immediate impact, taking a quick-tap penalty from five metres out and bursting through the Falcons defence. But again the lead didn't last long as five minutes before half-time winger Stevenson raced in down the left and Connon levelled it up at 14-14 at the break. The visitors applied the pressure early in the second half and after a series of penalties number eight Jean-Luc du Preez was yellow carded in the 50th minute but Falcons could not take advantage of the extra man in a scrappy second half. Connon's penalty 15 minutes from time looked to have won it for Newcastle but the sin-binning of ex-Sale player Neild, making his Falcons debut after a long-term injury, proved costly as Sale drove over with the final play of the match. The quarter-finals are due to be played between 28 February to 2 March. Sale: Davies; Reed, Nayacalevu, Bedlow, Wills; Curtis, Thomas; Harrison, McElroy, Bell, Bamber, Hill, Burrow, Dugdale, du Preez. Replacements: Longstaff, Opoku-Fordjour, Andrews, du Preez, Hanson, Addison, Carpenter, Rodd, Birch. Sin bin: du Preez (50 mins) Newcastle: Obatoyinbo; Greenwood, Hearle, Clark, Stevenson; Connon, Stuart; Brocklebank, Blamire, McCallum, van der Walt, McDonald, Lockwood, Leatherbarrow, Chick. Replacements: Fletcher, Rewcastle, Palframan, Hawkins, Neild, Davies, Wilkinson, Spencer. Sin bin: Neild (79 mins) Referee: Jack Makepeace
The Independent
29-01-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Warren Gatland explains Taulupe Faletau's omission from Wales' opening Six Nations clash with France
Wales are hoping number eight Taulupe Faletau will be fit for the Six Nations clash against Italy in Rome. Faletau had been widely expected to make his return after almost 16 months out of Test rugby in Friday's opening Six Nations appointment with France. But Wales head coach Warren Gatland says the 104-cap forward feels he is 'not quite ready' for selection and made that call himself this week. 'He made the call on Tuesday to say he is not quite ready for selection,' Gatland said. 'He is still part of the squad and he will still come with us. We are hoping he will be right for Italy.' Faletau has not played at Test level since Wales' last win – a 2023 World Cup pool victory over Georgia – after breaking his arm in that game, then suffering a fractured shoulder when he returned for Cardiff six months later. Gatland has selected a starting back row in Paris of Aaron Wainwright at number eight alongside James Botham and captain Jac Morgan. Asked if 34-year-old British and Irish Lion Faletau will be available for the tournament remainder, Gatland added: 'That's the plan. 'He made the call and said, 'I've got to put the team first'. 'His knee is a bit sore at the moment. He didn't feel he would be 100 per cent for Friday, so he wanted some more time for Italy.' Former England prop Henry Thomas will make his first Wales start on Friday. The ex-Sale and Bath tighthead has won four caps as a replacement since switching allegiance to Wales in 2023. Thomas, whose father is from Swansea, was able to make the move under World Rugby regulations because his last England appearance had been more than three years earlier. Gatland has also handed a full Test bow to 23-year-old Cardiff hooker Evan Lloyd, who steps up, with Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias both injured, against a juggernaut French pack. Full-back Liam Williams and wing Josh Adams – with 151 caps between them – also feature, while Saracens centre Nick Tompkins is recalled, partnering Owen Watkin in midfield. Cardiff's Ben Thomas fills the fly-half role, uncapped Ospreys number 10 Dan Edwards is on the bench and Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins makes a first Wales appearance for almost 11 months after undergoing knee and shoulder operations. There are only four survivors in the Wales starting line-up from the side beaten by South Africa last time out – Ben Thomas, Will Rowlands, Botham and Morgan. Wales have been written off as a 20-1 chance against France, which reflects a record run of 12 successive Test defeats and the opposition's strength, underlined by them beating New Zealand in November and teams like Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles dominating this season's Investec Champions Cup. Gatland added: 'We've spoken about the fact that ironically there is probably more pressure and expectation on them (France). 'There is expectation from their fans. They expect their team to throw the ball around and score tries. 'From experience and my point of view, teams can try a bit too much early on and throw the ball around and that gives you opportunities. 'We haven't spoken about the negativity. You try to create a little bit of your own siege mentality where you build that up in your own environment and you try and not take too much note of the stuff that's going on outside. 'We want to go out there and play some good rugby. We want to go out there and do some things that potentially France aren't going to expect us to do. 'We have talked about being really positive in terms of the way that we play against them, to see that there are opportunities to attack them as well.' Wales XV: 1 Gareth Thomas, 2 Evan Lloyd, 3 Henry Thomas; 4 Will Rowlands, 5 Dafydd Jenkins; 6 James Botham, 7 Jac Morgan (captain), 8 Aaron Wainwright; 9 Tomos Williams, 10 Ben Thomas; 11 Josh Adams, 12 Owen Watkin, 13 Nick Tompkins, 14 Tom Rogers; 15 Liam Williams.
The Independent
29-01-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Former England prop Henry Thomas set for first Wales start in Six Nations opener against France
Former England prop Henry Thomas will make his first Wales start in Friday's Guinness Six Nations opener against France. The ex-Sale and Bath tighthead, who also played French club rugby for Castres and Montpellier, has won four caps as a replacement since switching allegiance to Wales in 2023. Thomas, whose father is from Swansea, was able to make the move under World Rugby regulations because his last England appearance had been more than three years earlier. Wales head coach Warren Gatland has also handed a full Test bow to 23-year-old Cardiff hooker Evan Lloyd, who steps up with Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias both injured, against a juggernaut French pack in Paris. There is no return for 104 times-capped number eight Taulupe Faletau, though, who was named in Gatland's Six Nations squad. Faletau has not played Test rugby since Wales' last win – a 2023 World Cup pool victory over Georgia – after breaking his arm in that game, then suffering a fractured shoulder when he returned for Cardiff six months later. Gatland has selected a back-row of Aaron Wainwright at number eight alongside James Botham and captain Jac Morgan. Full-back Liam Williams and wing Josh Adams – with 151 caps between them – also feature, while Saracens centre Nick Tompkins is recalled, partnering Owen Watkin in midfield. Cardiff's Ben Thomas fills the fly-half role, uncapped Ospreys number 10 Dan Edwards is on the bench and Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins makes a first Wales appearance for almost 11 months after undergoing knee and shoulder operations. There are only four survivors in the Wales starting line-up from the side beaten by South Africa last time out – Ben Thomas, Will Rowlands, Botham and Morgan. The return of players such as Adams and Liam Williams, though, gives a more-experienced look to a Wales team that contains a combined total of 487 caps. Wales are on a record run of 12-successive Test defeats, while it is six losses in a row against France. Gatland said: 'We are excited for the challenge on Friday. The Six Nations in the best rugby competition in the world. 'Every game is a big occasion. We want to go out there, embrace that and start our championship well.' Wales XV: 1 Gareth Thomas, 2 Evan Lloyd, 3 Henry Thomas; 4 Will Rowlands, 5 Dafydd Jenkins; 6 James Botham, 7 Jac Morgan (captain), 8 Aaron Wainwright; 9 Tomos Williams, 10 Ben Thomas; 11 Josh Adams, 12 Owen Watkin, 13 Nick Tompkins, 14 Tom Rogers; 15 Liam Williams. : 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Freddie. Thomas, 20 Tommy Reffell; 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Dan Edwards, 23 Blair Murray.
The Independent
29-01-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Former England prop Henry Thomas set for first Wales start in Six Nations opener
Former England prop Henry Thomas will make his first Wales start in Friday's Guinness Six Nations opener against France. The ex-Sale and Bath tighthead, who also played French club rugby for Castres and Montpellier, has won four caps as a replacement since switching allegiance to Wales in 2023. Thomas, whose father is from Swansea, was able to make the move under World Rugby regulations because his last England appearance had been more than three years earlier. Wales head coach Warren Gatland has also handed a full Test bow to 23-year-old Cardiff hooker Evan Lloyd, who steps up with Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias both injured, against a juggernaut French pack in Paris. There is no return for 104 times-capped number eight Taulupe Faletau, though, who was named in Gatland's Six Nations squad. Faletau has not played Test rugby since Wales' last win – a 2023 World Cup pool victory over Georgia – after breaking his arm in that game, then suffering a fractured shoulder when he returned for Cardiff six months later. Gatland has selected a back-row of Aaron Wainwright at number eight alongside James Botham and captain Jac Morgan. Full-back Liam Williams and wing Josh Adams – with 151 caps between them – also feature, while Saracens centre Nick Tompkins is recalled, partnering Owen Watkin in midfield. Cardiff's Ben Thomas fills the fly-half role, uncapped Ospreys number 10 Dan Edwards is on the bench and Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins makes a first Wales appearance for almost 11 months after undergoing knee and shoulder operations.
