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Here are the latest rugby headlines and news from Wales and beyond
Here are your rugby evening headlines for Thursday, July 9.
Tandy explains fly-half change as admission made
Wales head coach Steve Tandy has explained why he’s decided to change his starting fly-half ahead of this Saturday’s Nations Championship clash with Argentina.
Dan Edwards has started nine out of 10 Tests under Tandy to date, but Scarlets playmaker Sam Costelow will start in San Juan this weekend. Costelow has started just once before for Tandy, being handed the jersey against Scotland in the Six Nations.
He limped off after 56 minutes that day, having impressed on his return to the side. And a strong cameo off the bench against Fiji on Saturday has done enough to earn him a start against Los Pumas.
As for Edwards, he’s not involved in the matchday squad at all – with centre Joe Hawkins in line to cover fly-half.
The Ospreys fly-half doesn’t appear to be injured, with the Wales coach instead saying he wants to take a look at Costelow this weekend.
“It has been brilliant competition between them both,” said Tandy. “Costy had his opportunity against Scotland and I thought he was outstanding.
“I’m really enjoying how he and Dan are competing in training. They working tightly together.
“Dan has been great for us. Part of this is seeing an opportunity for Sam. He thoroughly deserves it.
“I don’t think it necessarily changes the way we attack. It’s just giving Costy opportunities. They’re both competitive in different ways.
“They’re outstanding in the group. Costy deserves this. He’s worked his socks off, as has Dan.
“They’re slightly different in what they do. Costy just deserves an opportunity.”
Hawkins, who has played fly-half for the Scarlets when Costelow was injured this season, has yet to feature there in Test rugby.
However, the former Exeter centre covering there allows Tandy to bring Max Llewellyn – who hasn’t featured for Wales since last year’s Six Nations – onto the bench.
“We’ve got Joe,” added Tandy. “Joe has played a lot there for Scarlets and done a good job. We’ve got different coverage on the bench.
“Max has trained well and gives us coverage at 13 and wing.
“We’ve got different opportunities to look at and we feel we can cover that with Joe and Costy.”
Ospreys make exciting St Helen’s announcement
The Ospreys have announced a significant step in their redevelopment of St Helen’s ahead of next season.
The club are set to play at the renovated Swansea ground from October, having spent the last year playing in Bridgend at the Brewery Field.
Work began on the stadium earlier this summer, with the club having now announced they have been supported by a grant of £771,000 from the Digital Infrastructure Programme’s 5G Innovation Fund.
The fund will help bring wireless technology to the stadium, which the Ospreys say will “make it one of the most technologically advanced in the UK” – offering “next-generation connectivity and innovative facilities, creating a better experience for fans, teams, and the wider community”.
Vodafone’s 5G network will deliver ultra-fast network speeds across the venue, with the Ospreys saying it will benefit both fans and players.
“This redevelopment is about more than bricks and mortar, it’s about creating an experience that matches the passion of our supporters,” said Ospreys commercial director Richard Lancaster. “With next-generation connectivity, fans will be closer to the action than ever before, whether they’re in the stands or engaging digitally.”
Gareth Hopkins, business technology director for VodafoneThree, added: “This project demonstrates how advanced connectivity can help transform the future of live sport and entertainment in the UK. By deploying Vodafone’s 5G Mobile Private Network technology, the stadium will benefit from secure, high-performance connectivity capable of supporting everything from enhanced fan experiences to smarter venue operations and broadcasting capabilities.
“As part of VodafoneThree’s ongoing £11 billion investment in our UK network, we are continuing to bring next-generation digital infrastructure to communities and organisations across the country. This deployment further strengthens Swansea’s position as a growing hub for digital innovation and highlights the role connectivity can play in supporting the future of sport and major live events.”
The initiative is part of the broader Swansea Bay City Deal Infrastructure Programme, which Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart chairs.
“This investment demonstrates our commitment to making Swansea a leader in both technology and sport,” said Cllr Stewart. “The transformation of St Helen’s is about much more than creating an outstanding home for Ospreys Rugby – it’s about building a future-ready destination that will benefit communities, businesses and visitors for generations to come.
“By harnessing cutting-edge 5G technology and world-class digital infrastructure, we’re creating a venue that will deliver exceptional experiences for supporters, support innovation in sports science and broadcasting, and provide opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs to develop and test new technologies.
“St Helen’s will become a hub for innovation, community engagement and economic growth, helping to strengthen Swansea’s reputation as a centre for digital excellence and ensuring the Swansea Bay region remains at the forefront of technological advancement.”
England name team for Fiji clash
By Duncan Bech, Press Association Rugby Union Correspondent
England have given starts to Henry Slade and Guy Pepper as the only two changes made for Saturday’s clash with Fiji at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
In an indication of the importance of the match to halt a five-Test losing run, head coach Steve Borthwick has opted against rotating his team for the weakest opponents of the July tour.
Slade comes in at outside centre as Tommy Freeman moves to the right wing, after Cadan Murley was ruled out of the remainder of the opening phase of the Nations Championship because of a shoulder injury.
Pepper is the only new face up front in a direct swap with Tom Curry at openside, with Curry dropping to the bench.
South African-born centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg, wing Noah Caluori and prop George Kloska are poised to make their Test debuts after being picked among the replacements.
England’s 45-21 rout by South Africa at Ellis Park last Saturday has turned Saturday’s Liverpool collision into a must-win encounter as pressure builds on Borthwick, who is now 46 games into his reign.
Borthwick fields his strongest available backline against dangerous Fiji with veteran Slade rewarded after making an impression off the bench against the Springboks and for his stellar season at Exeter.
Freeman’s move back to the wing where he is a world-class threat signals a pause to the experiment of playing him in the number 13 jersey.
Marcus Smith continues at full-back after being a late addition to the team against South Africa once George Furbank was ruled out of the remainder of the tour by appendicitis.
“We’ve had a really positive week of preparation, and the players have worked hard in training,” Borthwick said.
“We know Fiji will provide a tough challenge. They are a dangerous side who will demand the very best from us.
“It’s fantastic to be playing at Hill Dickinson Stadium, which is an outstanding venue.
“There is a real passion for rugby across the north of England, and we’re looking forward to experiencing a brilliant atmosphere in Liverpool.”
England: M Smith (Harlequins); T Freeman (Northampton), H Slade (Exeter), S Atkinson (Gloucester), I Feyi-Waboso (Exeter); F Smith (Northampton), J van Poortvliet (Leicester); E Genge (Bristol), J George (Saracens, capt), J Heyes (Leicester), A Coles (Northampton), G Martin (Saracens), O Chessum (Leicester), G Pepper (Bath), B Earl (Saracens).
Replacements: L Cowan-Dickie (Sale), A Opoku-Fordjour (Sale), G Kloska (Bristol), T Curry (Sale), H Pollock (Northampton), A Mitchell (Northampton), B Janse van Rensburg (Bristol), N Caluori (Saracens).
Scotland urged to rise to Springbok challenge
By Anthony Brown, Press Association
Gregor Townsend has challenged his Scotland players to deliver a performance that gives them a fighting chance of glory in one of the flagship games of their career in Pretoria this weekend.
The Scots are huge underdogs as they prepare to face South Africa away from home for the first time in 12 years in Saturday’s Nations Championship showdown at Loftus Versfeld.
“None of the 23 have played a test match against the Springboks out here and to do it when they’re world champions, it’s obviously a game that will stand out in most of the players’ careers,” said head coach Townsend, who has added talismanic fly-half Finn Russell and influential forwards Zander Fagerson and Gregor Brown to his starting XV.
“You get those big challenges in your career, whether it’s finals for your club, whether it’s massive games in the Six Nations and World Cup, but also those one-off games that you don’t get to play very often.
“In our case, it’s the only occasion we play the Springboks (away) with this squad, so those are the ones where you get that extra edge in your preparation. I can’t wait for our players to go in there and I’m sure they’re looking forward to it too.
“We’re definitely going to be up against it physically and we’re going to relish those challenges. You know what’s happening when you play the Boks.
“They’re going to be really physical in their defence, they’re going to come at you. There’s going to be times in the game where they get the upper hand.
“I would hope that there’ll be times in the game when we cause them problems, so it’s about building on those and making sure that when the momentum is in the favour of South Africa, we can wrestle it back quickly.
“Nothing beats the experience of going up against the leading side in the world. It’s going to be valuable learning for the players, but we don’t really talk about that with the players.
“We talk about winning and how we put ourselves in a position to win and what we need to do to create those opportunities to win, but of course there will be learnings for us no matter what happens in the game.”
Townsend is relishing leading his team for an away match in the Rainbow Nation.
“Having been here before and seen and watched a lot of games now in South Africa, it is a unique occasion,” he said.
“There’s the smells when you come to the ground of the braais. The winter here, with the sun all day, the players have experienced it this week, it feels different.
“And then there’s a lot of music, a lot of noise getting played throughout the game. It’s now become a truly South African occasion, different from any others.
“But we’re used to different environments now, whether it’s the cauldron of Cardiff, whether it’s the music and the noise you get in Paris and Rome.
“It’ll be hostile in a way, but more noisy. I think the hostility is on the field. But it is one of those superb, unique occasions that the players will certainly be motivated for.”
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