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Here are your rugby morning headlines for Friday, July 10.
Rees-Zammit decision questioned
Former Wales centre Tom Shanklin says Louis Rees-Zammit is still Wales’ best winger and believes dropping him to the bench to face Argentina this weekend may be a way to try and motivate him.
The Bristol wing was replaced after 55 minutes against Fiji, having gone through his sixth successive Test without scoring. That marks his longest run in the jersey without dotting down.
Steve Tandy has favoured Ellis Mee on the wing this weekend – pointing to the niggle that Rees-Zammit was carrying last week.
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And Shanklin believes that perhaps Wales are looking to spark a reaction from the former NFL man.
“I think Ellis Mee came off the bench and looked really good,” said Shanklin on Scrum V. “I also thought Blair Murray was very good at 15.
“I thought he got himself into the game in the second-half and started making line-breaks, getting Wales on the front-foot.
“So maybe it’s that combination with those two.
“Look, Louis Rees-Zammit is X-factor. He’s the most X-factor player that we’ve got.
“You can’t all of a sudden then not have him.
“There’s no chance that he’d want to be on the bench but maybe they’re just trying to motivate him a little bit. Try and get his hunger back.
“He’s still for me the number one winger we’ve got but you can’t not say that Ellis Mee made a difference when he came off the bench.
“Maybe it’s a good thing for him.”
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Wales star bounces back from nightmare performance
Adam Beard admits his nightmare display against France “wasn’t good enough” after the Wales lock was dropped during the Six Nations, but has impressed Steve Tandy with his response.
The 31-year-old will win his 67th Wales cap against Japan on Saturday, having regained his starting place during the summer after Exeter captain Dafydd Jenkins was ruled out with a shoulder injury.
Beard endured a difficult start to the Six Nations earlier this year, with a below-par performance against France that included a failed kick attempt which led directly to a French try. The Ospreys second row was subsequently relegated to the replacements bench, with Ben Carter partnering Jenkins for the remainder of the championship.
Reflecting on that difficult period, Beard admitted the performance fell well below his own standards.
“The start of the Six Nations was not great for myself probably, especially that France performance,” he said.
“That wasn’t good enough for myself and it was a couple of costly mistakes that I wasn’t proud of but sometimes that is sport and you don’t always get the performances you want to.
“I had a lot of time to reflect on that and it was a different role for me towards the end of the campaign. I feel like I adapted well to that role coming off the bench.”
With Jenkins unavailable for Wales’ summer campaign, Beard returned to the starting XV for the opening victory over Fiji and showed exactly what he can offer.
Head coach Steve Tandy, who previously worked with Beard during their time together at Ospreys, praised the lock’s resilience following his Six Nations setback.
“I thought it was one of his best games for us last weekend,” said Tandy.
“The response shows what Beardy is as a bloke.
“The way he responded the day after the France defeat, and the way he was with the group helping the opposition boys get us prepared, was brilliant.
“His drive to get back on the team has been outstanding.”
O’Gara in frame for big job
IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys says that Ronan O’Gara will be one of the names on the shortlist to replace Leo Cullen at Leinster
The Munster legend is just one of many names linked to the role, with Cullen leaving at the end of next season. O’Gara’s La Rochelle contract also expires next summer.
The former Ireland fly-half had looked destined to move into Test rugby next, but with Andy Farrell signing a new deal with Ireland, a move to Leinster in the meantime could make sense.
Speaking to the media out in Australia for Ireland’s Nations Championship, IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys revealed that he had a conversation with O’Gara when La Rochelle lost to Ulster in the Challenge Cup earlier this year.
“I met Rog two or three months ago when La Rochelle were in Belfast, and we talked about where his coaching ambitions were,” said Humphreys. “He’s done what so many good coaches have done — he has gone, he has left Ireland, he has got experience throughout the world, he’s been successful.
“So, of course, I would say he’ll be a candidate for every job that comes up in Ireland. And we’re in a fortunate position that — you said it earlier about Irish coaches versus foreign coaches — we have got some really, really good Irish coaches and somebody coming into the Irish system, because it is slightly unique, it’s definitely a positive in terms of where the recruitment goes.
“But as I said, there will be a long list of very well-qualified coaches, of which I would assume Rog will be one.”
Steve Borthwick focused on Fiji as criticism grows
By Duncan Bech, Press Association Rugby Union Correspondent
Steve Borthwick understands the scrutiny of his position amid England’s five-Test losing run but is concentrating only on Saturday’s collision with Fiji.
A 45-21 defeat by South Africa opened the July tour, turning the Hill Dickinson Stadium appointment with the Islanders into a must-win encounter ahead of a tricky clash against Argentina on July 18.
In a clear indication of the stakes, Borthwick has opted against rotating his team for the middle fixture of a 25,000-mile expedition across three continents and instead named his strongest available starting XV.
Tommy Freeman moves from outside centre to the right wing where he is most dangerous and Henry Slade’s high-quality cameo off the bench in Johannesburg that has come at the end of a stellar season for Exeter sees him reinstated in the number 13 jersey.
The only change up-front is Guy Pepper’s promotion at openside, swapping places with the benched Tom Curry, while South African-born centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg, wing Noah Caluori and prop George Kloska will make Test debuts as replacements.
Following a dismal fifth-place finish in the Six Nations, Borthwick was backed by the Rugby Football Union to remain in charge for the 2027 World Cup, but Ben Youngs, Stuart Barnes and Chris Ashton are among the former England stars to be critical of the performance in Johannesburg.
Once again facing growing pressure, including from fans on social media, the head coach has urged his players to capture hearts and minds in their first appearance in the north since a fixture against Italy at St James’ Park in 2019.
“I wanted to play for England and then, when you can no longer play for England, I wanted to coach England and help this England team,” former red rose captain Borthwick said.
“And by doing that – because nobody makes you do that – you accept the scrutiny, you accept the pressure, you accept the expectation because you want to try and achieve some great things.
“When this team doesn’t perform the way we want it, we feel the hurt and pain that our supporters feel and we feel it so much because we all care so much.
“I’ve been doing this a long time – playing for England, captain of England, assistant coach, head coach – and understand what comes with it and how to manage those different aspects.
“All I focus on is this Saturday. That’s all I ever did as a player and that’s all I do as a coach.
“I hope that this weekend we can get back to winning ways and the players put on a performance that inspires.”
If England are to become a force at next year’s World Cup, they must do so without any stars based in the Top 14 after Borthwick confirmed there will be no easing of the RFU’s restriction on picking overseas-based players.
Jack Willis was named man of the man of the match as Toulouse retained the French title last month, while his younger brother Tom heads for Bordeaux as the current Gallagher Prem player of the year. Both would be valuable players for England.
“Clearly there are very, very good players playing overseas, but the rules are very clear about eligibility for England,” Borthwick said.
Scotland considered remarkable statement
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend said he considered naming a 7-1 bench split to face South Africa this weekend.
The Springboks have pioneered naming seven forwards on their replacements bench in recent years, leaning on their remarkable depth and power.
Looking for their first-ever away win over South Africa, Scotland ended up naming a 6-2 split on the bench in Pretoria this weekend – but did consider opting for seven forwards.
“I think the bench is going to have a big impact,” said Townsend. “We feel that bench is going to bring energy.
“It’s two physical back-line players, but it’s more [about] the six forwards. We know that the forwards are going to be the ones that are really going to be tested this week against the best pack in world rugby, the best team in world rugby right now.
“I’m a bit disappointed in myself that we didn’t go seven-one. We discussed a lot during the week.
“I’d been pre-empting the discussion with the coaches over the last month, and in the end we went for six-two, so it’s traditional for us.”
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