This post was originally published on this site.
The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world
These are your evening rugby headlines on Monday, June 29.
Champions Cup rule change announced
Changes have been made to next season’s Champions Cup ahead of the draw for the pool stage later this week, with the bonus points system and qualification criteria being altered.
Next season’s competition will see try-scoring bonus points only awarded to teams who score at least three more tries than their opponents, rather than for simply scoring four or more tries.
The concept is already used in top competitions across the world, including Super Rugby and the French Top 14, while it will be introduced in Champ Rugby – the English second tier – from next season.
JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more
It is designed to keep matches more competitive for longer, with it felt that losing bonus points are too easy to obtain due to teams with commanding leads easing off towards the end of games.
In addition, changes have also been made to the way that teams can qualify for the last-16 stage of the competition.
While it was previously the case that the top four teams in each of the four pools of six progress, the 2026/27 campaign will see only three teams from each pool go through automatically.
The remaining four spots will be allocated on the basis of the amount of table points collected across the pools, with wins the primary tie-breaker.
That change comes after a bizarre scenario last season saw Leicester Tigers and the Bulls progress after finishing fourth in their pools with a single point, while the Sharks won two points but crashed out of their pool in fifth place.
This year’s Champions Cup will also get underway in October, rather than December, with organisers bidding to engage fans earlier on in the season.
Dupont suffers fresh blow
France captain Antoine Dupont has reportedly suffered another injury blow, with Les Bleus confirming that he will miss their upcoming Nations Championship matches.
Having wrapped up a fourth consecutive Top 14 title with Toulouse on Saturday, the talismanic scrum-half was already unavailable for France’s opening Nations Championship clash with the All Blacks on July 4.
However, the French Rugby Federation have announced that Dupont will now also miss games against Australia on July 11 and Japan the following week, with the 29-year-old replaced in the squad by Toulouse team-mate Paul Graou.
No official reason has been given for why Dupont is now unavailable for the trip, but French outlet Midi Olympique report that he is carrying a calf injury.
It comes after a stop-start season for the back, who returned to action in late November after sustaining a serious knee ligament injury against Ireland last March.
Following an underwhelming Six Nations earlier this year, he then picked up a groin injury which consigned him to another spell on the sidelines, before returning and enjoying a strong end to the season with Toulouse.
Dupont was substituted shortly after the hour mark during Saturday’s final, but did not appear to be in any pain and reappeared later in the game as a replacement for fly-half Romain Ntamack.
Ospreys announce new deal
The Ospreys have announced that hooker Ethan Lewis has signed a new deal with the region.
The former Saracens front row has made 13 appearance for Mark Jones’ side, having made his debut against Connacht during the 2023/24 season.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time with the club since I joined so I’m really happy to be staying here,” said Lewis as his new deal was announced. “There’s a great group of boys here and it’s great to be a part of that.
“We’re all excited by what the future holds at the club, especially with the move to St Helen’s on the horizon, and I’m looking forward to contributing in whatever way I can next season.”
Head coach Jones added: “Ethan is a dependable player and a great character to have around the squad, so we’re delighted that he has signed a new deal with the club.
“With the specialised nature of the hooker position, it is highly important to have quality in depth and that is something we definitely have with our current crop of hookers.”
Springboks name team to face England
Rassie Erasmus has named his South Africa side to take on England, five days out from their showdown in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The Springboks boss has gone early with his selections and picked Manie Libbok to start in place of the injured Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at fly-half, as one of four changes to the side that beat Ireland in the autumn.
Grant Williams has been handed a start at scrum-half, with Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wing and Ox Nche at loosehead as part of a front row also containing Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit.
Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortje are in the engine room, with Siya Kolisi, Jasper Wiese and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the back row.
Williams and Libbok make up the half-back pairing, with Jesse Kriel and Damian De Allende partnering each other in midfield.
Kurt-Lee Arendse is joined in the back three by Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Willemse, who will both win their 50th caps against Steve Borthwick’s side
“England are a quality outfit,” said Erasmus. “We are expecting them to give everything they have in this match.
“So it was important to select a squad with experience combined with a few younger players, who have proved that they have what it takes to perform at this level.”
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian De Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph Du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas Du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Andre Esterhuizen, 23 Canan Moodie
Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news.
