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Here are your rugby morning headlines for Friday, May 1.
England star apologises for incident
England international Ethan Roots has apologised for the incident that left Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams appalled as he was banned for three matches.
Roots was sent off for Exeter in the match against Gloucester last weekend after striking defenceless hooker Jack Innard following a tackle. The sound of the impact could be heard on the referee’s microphone before the official halted the match. As Innard lay on the ground clutching his face, Gloucester captain Williams reacted angrily towards Roots and was heard saying: “That’s f***ing s***, that,”. Referee Matthew Carley told him: “Tomos, Tomos, I’ve seen it – unless you’d like to join him? Move away, move.”
Roots has now been banned for three matches, reduced from six, and has revealed Innard is actually a good friend of his.
“We have no personal animosity at all,” Roots said in a statement to a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel.
“To the contrary he is a friend and my brother who also plays for Exeter has rented his house since Jack joined Gloucester.
“He came in very low and his shoulder came into contact with my leg exactly on the injury I had just received.
“This was very painful. I reacted by pushing my hand down on his head. It was not a strong hit and there was no closed fist or anything like that.
“I have tried to rationalise what happened, and why, and I have no idea what I was trying to do or achieve. It was a split second response to pain and frustration and I am very sorry for it.”
Roots will miss Exeter’s European Challenge Cup semi-final at Ulster on Saturday as well as games against Bath and Harlequins.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
Wales star makes brutal admission about career
Wales second-row Dafydd Jenkins says he’s desperate to win silverware for club and country.
His next chance could come with Exeter in the Challenge Cup, with the Gallagher Prem club in the semi-finals this weekend. But, as he reflected on his career to date, he was fairly blunt about the lack of trophies.
“There are points where you feel like you’re living in a dream, but then you also think that you’ve put in all this hard work for a particular reason, and it’s to be in this situation,” he told RugbyPass.
“I probably look at my career now and think that I haven’t won anything tangible really, so that’s the aim for me, and I wouldn’t say appearances or being content with being in a team is where I want to be.
“I want to be winning, winning things with this team, Exeter and Wales. This group (Exeter) have been through some tough times, so also for this group, it would be awesome,” he said.
“Obviously, we are a different team than we were last season. The boys got experience from going there, knowing the scenario and knowing the pitch.
“But in terms of how we’ve developed from last season to this season, I think it’s chalk and cheese. We know it’s a really tough place to go, and we’ve got huge respect for them as an opposition.
“It should be a class game, and these are those games that get you excited as a player, and if you don’t want to be playing in big games like this, then you are probably in the wrong sport.
Wales captain ruled out of Six Nations
Wales captain Kate Williams has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2026 Women’s Six Nations.
The back-row was forced off against France with a leg injury that saw her then miss last weekend’s defeat to England. However, it’s now been confirmed Williams will miss the final matches against Ireland and Italy.
Wing Catherine Richards will also miss out with a serious knee injury.
Flanker Bethan Lewis, who captained Wales against England, will lead the side for the rest of the tournament.
However, Sean Lynn has received some positive news – with centres Hannah Dallavalle and Carys Cox in line to return from injury ahead of the clash with Ireland on May 9.
Lynn has added two under-21 players to his squad in centre Freya Bell – who made her senior debut as a replacement against England – and full-back Amy Williams.
Rees-Zammit’s boss makes interesting claim
Bristol Bears CEO Tom Tainton has said that the Gallagher Prem side factor players’ off-field profiles into discussions over recruitment, describing the club as “a marketing agency that plays rugby”.
Tainton was appointed as CEO last summer, having previously been the club’s chief operating officer and head of communications.
Wales international Louis Rees-Zammit was signed by Bristol following his return from the NFL last year, while Ilona Maher enjoyed a short stint with the Bears’ women’s team that drove interest in the club and the league.
Speaking to the Independent, Tainton used both players as examples of how the club can market their stars – as well as how they consider the marketability of a player when recruiting them.
“There is no point going to market and spending marquee money on a player and just expect them to do something between the white lines on a Saturday,” Tainton said.
“In the grand scheme of things, nobody remembers how Bristol got on against Harlequins two years ago. They will remember how a player made them feel.
“At Bristol Bears, we don’t call ourselves a rugby club. We are a marketing agency that plays rugby. Yes, our players have to be competent and able to deliver on the field, but if they are not bringing any value off the field, that genuinely factors into our recruitment conversations.”
Welsh rugby ‘perfect story’ ends with new contract
David Richards has signed a new contract with the Dragons.
The utility back re-joined the club for a second spell at the start of this season, having been impressing for Newport RFC in Super Rygbi Cymru while working for the Dragons’ commercial team.
Since then, he’s played 15 times for the Dragons – scoring four tries for the Men of Gwent and starting every game of their run to the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
On Thursday, his former team-mate Ashton Hewitt called it “the perfect story”. You can read that interview here.
“I feel honoured to be a part of the squad this year, something 12 months ago I’d probably given up on,” said Richards.
“To have been a part of a team that feels like it’s really building to something, has been pretty special.
“Representing Gwent is huge. Everywhere you go in the community you see how much rugby means to people – it’s for them that you want to try and take Dragons forward.
“They epitomise what Gwent rugby is about with the passion they bring to Rodney Parade.
“There’s a good feeling in camp and I’m looking forward to this weekend’s EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final in Montpellier and all that comes after it as well.”
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