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The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond as the second round of the Nations Championship arrives
Here are the latest rugby headlines on Friday, July 10.
Cardiff kick-off Champions Cup campaign with Anglo-Welsh fixture
Cardiff will begin their Investec Champions Cup campaign with a trip to Franklin’s Gardens to face English champions Northampton Saints in their opening pool-stage fixture next season.
This will be Cardiff’s first appearance in the Champions Cup for two seasons.
They will face Northampton on Sunday, October 18 at 5.30pm before hosting Bath in the Welsh capital on Saturday, December at 8pm.
Corniel van Zyl’s side will face a French double header in January when they face Stade Francais in Paris on Saturday, January 9 at 8pm before hosting Challenge Cup winners Montpellier the following Friday at 8pm.
The other three Welsh clubs are in the Challenge Cup with the Dragons taking on Perpignan at Rodney Parade on Friday, October 16.
Filo Tiatia’s side take on the Cheetahs on Sunday, December 13 before hosting Bayonne on Friday, January 8 and facing Ulster in Belfast on Saturday, January 16.
The Ospreys kick-off their campaign with a tricky trip to Georgia to take on the Black Lion on Saturday, October 17.
Mark Jones’ side will then host Harlequins at St Helen’s on Saturday, December 12 at 1pm. On Saturday, January 9 at 1pm they take on Toulon away from home before Vannes are the visitors to Swansea on Saturday, January 16 at 8pm.
The Scarlets start with a home fixture against Newcastle Red Bulls on Saturday, October 17 at 8pm before facing Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday, December 12 at 7.30pm.
They host Lyon on Saturday, January 9 at 8pm before concluding the pool stages with a trip to Castres the following Saturday.
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Wales legend challenges Rees-Zammit to bounce back
Wales legend Jonathan Davies believes Louis Rees-Zammit needs to show more hunger to make the most of his talents after the wing was dropped from Steve Tandy’s starting XV.
Tandy opted to select Scarlets wing Ellis Mee to start in his place after an impressive cameo in the victory over Fiji last weekend.
And Davies insists Rees-Zammit must take it upon himself to get onto the ball more often.
“His pride will probably be dented so when the opportunity comes off the bench hopefully we see someone who doesn’t want to relinquish a starting spot,” Davies told the Scrum V podcast.
“Ellis Mee has shown more of an appetite to get on the ball.
“Rees-Zammit has X-factor when he gets the ball in his hands but Ellis has worked off his wing to get more touches.
“If Rees-Zammit is our most dangerous player then why aren’t we encouraging him to get on the ball?
“I am sure the coaches are doing that and you can’t expect the ball to find its way to the wing.
“Shane Williams always used to work hard, we always tried to get George North and Alex Cuthbert on the ball as much as we could.
“I want to see more hunger from Louis to try and get his hands on the ball, and not just on the wing.”
Wales vs Japan VIP and hospitality tickets
Seat Unique is offering VIP hospitality tickets for Wales’ Nations Championship matches against New Zealand and Japan in November.
Young backrower signs new Ospreys deal
Promising young Ospreys backrower Gwylim Evans has signed a new contract to remain at the club.
The 23-year-old made his debut last year against Glasgow in the BKT URC and went on to make eight appearances over the course of the season.
After impressing for Aberavon in Super Rugbi Cymru, the flanker quickly emerged as an Ospreys player to watch for the future.
“I’ve been really impressed with how quickly Gwil has acclimatised to professional rugby,” said Ospreys head coach Mark Jones.
“It was hard to ignore his performances in the SRC and it just goes to show how valuable the league has become as a pathway to senior professional rugby.
“Gwil has the rugby DNA that is very typical of an Ospreys backrower; tenacious, hardworking and punches well above his weight, and if he can follow in the footsteps of the people that have worn the jersey before him, we will be extremely happy.”
Evans has a fight on his hands to win a regular place in the Ospreys backrow with the likes of Harri Deaves, former Wallabies captain Liam Wright, Ross Moriarty, Morgan Morse, James Ratti and Morgan Morris all vying for a place in the backrow.
“It’s been a season to remember for me. I made my first start for the club and ended up pulling on the jersey a few more times more after that,” said Evans.
“This is a class club with a lot of great players and coaches, so I’m really happy to be continuing my career here. I’m excited for what the future holds for me with this team and looking forward to running out at St Helen’s next season.”
All Blacks set to cap first German-born player
German-born forward Anton Segner will make his All Blacks debut against Italy in Wellington on Saturday.
The 24-year-old was born in Frankfurt before moving to New Zealand at the age of 15 to attend Nelson College.
From there he got picked up by the Auckland Blues and has earnt his place in the All Blacks squad after a couple of seasons worth of outstanding performances.
He will start on the replacements bench.
“I’ve experienced it first hand that rugby in New Zealand is like football [soccer] in Germany,” Segner told the BBC.
“It’s a rugby-crazy country and that’s all I wanted. To make this squad now is definitely a dream come true.”
The All Blacks narrowly beat France in Christchurch last Saturday but are expected to brush Italy aside with ease.
Farrell urges uncapped players to “rip into” Japan
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has urged the uncapped players in his squad to rip into Japan on Saturday.
Farrell has selected Connacht backrower Sean Jansen from the start while Billy Bohan, Sam Illo, and Bryn Ward are on the bench in what is a heavily rotated side.
“I’m really excited about this one for all sorts of reasons,” Farrell told the BBC.
“Obviously, it’s always a special occasion when you give one person a debut, never mind four.
“[I’m] really looking forward to how they apply themselves to attacking the game, first and foremost, because that’s the role they’re able to add to the team and the performance behind all that.
“But making sure that the rest of the team are there to support them and for it to be a special day for them. So, huge congratulations to the four of them. It’s business time now, they need to rip in.”
Former Scarlets start Tadhg Beirne will captain the side for the first time.
“The milestones in Tadhg Beirne captaining his country for the first time, he typifies everything we’d want within a captain of Ireland,” said Farrell.
“How he goes about his job, how he understands what we’re after as a team, driving standards, he typifies that so he thoroughly deserves that.”
