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These are your evening rugby headlines on Wednesday, January 14.
Faletau ruled out
Taulupe Faletau has been ruled out of the opening three games of Wales’ Six Nations campaign after picking up a calf injury.
The 35-year-old number eight suffered the injury in Cardiff’s New Year’s Day defeat to Ospreys, having only made his return to playing two weeks earlier. Before that, he had been sidelined for nearly two months with a knee injury which also ruled him out of Wales’ autumn international campaign.
Faletau had emerged as a doubt for the tournament last week and it has now been confirmed that he is not set to return to action until towards the end of February.
That means the Wales centurion is set to miss at least three games for Steve Tandy’s side, namely their campaign opener against England on February 7 and the visits of France and Scotland on February 15 and 21 respectively. Faletau is now set to be absent when the squad is named next week but called be called in at a later date. He is likely to work closely with wales medics over the coming weeks.
“It’s not clear on his return,” said Cardiff coach Corniel van Zyl when asked for Faletau’s likely injury timeline on Wednesday. “But we’re definitely looking at the middle of the Six Nations, into our Leinster game (27 February).
“That is the target,” he added. “We will see how it goes”.
Tiatia defends changes
Dragons boss Filo Tiatia has defended his decision to make wholesale changes to his squad ahead of their brutal 74-21 hammering at the hands of Benetton in the Challenge Cup.
The region conceded 11 tries as they fell to the third heaviest defeat in their history, a result which means they must now beat Gallagher PREM side Newcastle Red Bulls on Friday to make it through to the knockout stages.
Ahead of the match, Tiatia had made sweeping changes to his side, resting the likes of Aaron Wainwright and Harri Keddie due to a six-day turnaround.
However, the coach insists he has no regrets about leaving out key men, saying it was an “opportunity for learning” for players who had put their hands up for a place in the squad.
Asked if he regretted his decision, Tiatia said: “No, I don’t. We made nine changes and there are players who have worked really hard to get an opportunity to put the jersey on.
“We want to reward them but also see where the gaps are. Clearly there were gaps but it’s an opportunity for learning. You need to expose them, otherwise they stay the same and you don’t know where they are.”
On facing Newcastle, the Dragons boss added: “”It’ll be a tough game. We’re under no illusion of just where they’re at. Newcastle are a good side. When we’re at home we need to front up for the fans, and all the players wearing the jersey all know the expectations.”
Whiffin names U20s side
Wales U20 head coach Richard Whiffin has named his side to take on Super Rygbi Cymru side Cardiff RFC in a Six Nations warm-up match on Friday.
The match, which is being held at Cardiff Arms Park, is the last chance for players to stake a claim for a place in Whiffin’s squad for the tournament, which kicks off against England at Franklin’s Gardens on February 6.
Having named a squad of 31 players for the clash, which will see him name two different line-ups in each half, Whiffin said: “This game provides opportunities for players to put their hand up for Six Nations selection.
“Some people will be putting their hands up for selection while some people will be putting their hands up to start in that first game at Northampton.
“It’s also an opportunity to build some combinations with certain players in preparation for Six Nations. Importantly we get a chance to see our game model on the field against a competitive unit in Cardiff RFC.
“To be fair, a lot of the boys are used to playing at the Arms Park but it will give us an opportunity to run what would be a normal prep day for a game. The boys will get used to the changing rooms and the vibe and feel for when we get into the Six Nations.”
The U20s boss added: “We picked a big squad intentionally – some guys will get 40-40, some guys will play a little longer but we wanted to get as many players opportunities as possible to play our game model.
“We’ve been training for a couple of weeks so it is a good opportunity for those guys to show what they have been working on in the training field and putting it out in a competitive environment.
“This game has come at the right time of our block – we can finish the first block off at the end of the game and get a feel for where we are at,” Whiffin continued. “And what we need to work on and improve on, on the back of it and it is a yardstick for the boys to know where they are at as well.”
Wales U20 v Cardiff RFC, Cardiff Arms Park, Friday 16 Jan, 7.30pm
Wales (First half): 15. Jack Woods, 14. Evan Morris, 13. Osian Darwin-Lewis, 12. Steffan Emanuel, 11. Dylan Scott, 10. Lloyd Lucas, 9. Sion Davies; 1. Dylan James, 2. Oscar Thomas, 3. Yestyn Cook, 4. Osian Williams, 5. Luke Evans, 6. Osian Williams, 7. Caio James, 8. Dom Kossuth
Wales (Second half): 15. Rhys Cummings, 14. Joseff Jones, 13. Bailey Cutts, 12. Luc Anfield, 11. Rhys Cole, 10. Steff Jac Jones, 9. Carter Pritchard; 1. George Tuckley, 2. Tom Howe, 3. Isaac Godfrey/ Jac Pritchard, 4. Oscar Rees, 5. Gabe Williams, 6, Cerris Smith, 7. Evan Minto, 8. Alex Ridgway
Richards opens up on time away
David Richards says his unconventional route to the Dragons’ first team has made him appreciate what he’s got.
This time last year, Richards was helping to sell tickets for games at Rodney Parade, taking a break from the professional game after injury and the lack of a contract offer on the table moved him towards a corporate job at the club.
All the while he was playing for Newport in Super Rygbi Cymru. Time away from the top domestic level of the game in Wales was what he needed, he said.
“I found myself with a commercial role, selling hospitality, tickets and what not,” he told the BBC. “I enjoyed it and it certainly gave me a new perspective on life and how lucky we are as rugby players to do what we love every single day.
“A nine-to-five job was a challenge and gave me a new outlook on my rugby. A break from the demands of being a professional player was probably what my body and mind needed. It takes its toll mentally when you have a lot of injuries, so it was just what I needed.”
The back is in his second spell with the Men of Gwent and made his eighth appearance of the season out in Treviso at the weekend. He has played in a number of positions across the backline for Filo Tiatia’s side this season.
“I’ve played a fair bit after saying at the start of the season that I would wait for my opportunity,” he said. “It came a bit earlier than I thought it would, but I’ve got in and been enjoying it.”
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