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Here are your rugby evening headlines for Thursday, May 7.
Wales star braced for emotional farewell to Welsh rugby
Aaron Wainwright admits he could be in for an emotional night when he makes his final appearance at Rodney Parade for the Dragons this weekend before leaving Welsh rugby behind.
The Wales back-row forward will bring the curtain down on a nine-year spell in Newport when the Dragons host Edinburgh on Saturday night in his final home game before a summer switch to Leicester Tigers.
Wainwright, who has made 136 appearances for the region, says he will go through his usual matchday routine one final time before walking out at Rodney Parade as a Dragons player.
The 28-year-old, who lives in nearby Rogerstone, says he will make the familiar drive to Maindee Primary School, grab a coffee from his regular spot by the River Usk and make the short walk to the stadium before one last outing in front of the Dragons faithful.
“There’s nothing like going to Rodney Parade and seeing the terrace and the stands full of fans,” Wainwright told the BBC.
“I don’t normally get too emotional, I suppose we will have to wait and see, but I’ve been here my whole career.
“I’ve got to concentrate on going out there and giving the fans something to shout and cheer about. Let’s get Rodney Parade bouncing and get a win.”
Wainwright has become one of the Dragons’ modern-day stalwarts since making his debut almost a decade ago and has developed into one of Wales’ most consistent forwards during his time at the club.
And the back-rower says it is the bond with supporters he will remember most when he leaves for the Gallagher PREM this summer.
“The thing that I will remember the most is just being able to connect and cheer with the fans after the games,” he said. “Especially the guys on the terrace, they have stuck with us for so long and they’ve been awesome.
“At the end of every game that’s something we all look forward to, staying out there for as long as possible and chatting to the fans.”
Wainwright has become one of the faces of the Dragons in recent years and is among the most popular players with supporters, alongside Wales team-mate Rio Dyer.
But a fresh challenge now awaits across the border after agreeing a move to Leicester Tigers, where he will join fellow Welsh internationals Tommy Reffell, Olly Cracknell and Gabriel Hamer-Webb.
“The standard of the Prem is really exciting and Leicester is a massive club with so much history,” he said.
“It’s really exciting to challenge myself and hopefully add to what they’ve got there already, and hopefully it will take my game to a new level as well.”
Before that, however, Wainwright has two more matches left for the Men of Gwent and is determined to sign off in style.
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Six Nations pitch invader jailed for 15 months
Serial prankster Daniel Jarvis – better known online as Jarvo69 – has been jailed for 15 months after invading the pitch during England’s Six Nations clash with Ireland at Twickenham.
Jarvis, who became infamous for a string of disruptive sporting stunts and the BBC Match of the Day “sex noises” prank, was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court after being found guilty of possession of articles for use in fraud.
The social media personality managed to infiltrate the field before England’s Six Nations match against Ireland in March 2022, making his way into the England line-up during the national anthem.
Dressed in England gear, Jarvis joined the end of the line before security staff noticed him and tackled him to the ground before television cameras could properly focus on the stunt.
The Crown Prosecution Service said, via The Star: “The defendant appeared at Kingston Crown Court on April 27, where he was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment. The matter was adjourned to May 10 for consideration of a Criminal Behaviour Order, arising from an offence of possession of articles for use in fraud.”
Jarvis was found guilty after using a false or borrowed ID to gain entry to the stadium, an offence under Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.
The incident is just one of a long list of high-profile invasions at major sporting events carried out by the YouTuber in recent years.
Last month, Jarvis appeared at South Sefton Magistrates’ Court after another rugby-related stunt at Everton’s new stadium before a rugby league international between Australia and England.
On that occasion, he dressed in full Australia kit and joined the Kangaroos’ line-up during the pre-match national anthem, even appearing on the live television broadcast attempting to sing along before being removed.
He was handed a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order, given a 10-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months, ordered to complete 110 hours of unpaid work and pay costs and a victim surcharge.
The terms of the order ban him from disrupting sporting events or entering any playing surface, racetrack or restricted sporting area across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Jarvis first gained widespread notoriety through cricket-related invasions, most famously during England’s Test match against India at the Oval in 2022.
Wearing India whites, he ran onto the pitch pretending to bowl before colliding with England batter Jonny Bairstow, who angrily shoved him away as stewards intervened.
The incident earned Jarvis a suspended prison sentence after he was convicted of aggravated trespass.
Away from rugby and cricket, Jarvis also infiltrated the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games with Team GB athletes and disrupted Sky Sports’ transfer deadline day coverage using a sex toy.
He was also behind the infamous prank during BBC coverage of Liverpool’s FA Cup clash with Wolves when loud sex noises interrupted the live broadcast, leaving Gary Lineker and pundits struggling to contain their laughter on air.
Super Rygbi Cymru side name new head coach
Aberavon have confirmed Chris Davies as the club’s new head coach ahead of their 150th anniversary season, with the long-serving Wizard outlining plans to create a side built on “edge, standards and competitiveness”.
Davies takes charge permanently after stepping into the interim role in January during a difficult period for the Super Rygbi Cymru side following the departure of Jason Hyatt.
The former player and coach has spent two decades at the Talbot Athletic Ground, including 10 years as a player and another 10 in the coaching set-up, and admitted taking the role permanently means “a huge amount”.
“I’ve spent 20 years at this club — 10 as a player and 10 as a coach — so this place means a lot to me personally,” Davies told Aberavon’s official website.
“I care deeply about the club, the supporters and the people around it, so to now lead Aberavon into such an important season is something I’m extremely proud of.”
Davies inherited a struggling side midway through the campaign and said the experience highlighted both the resilience within the club and the scale of the rebuild required.
“Results were difficult, confidence was low and there was pressure around the group, but throughout that period the players and management kept turning up every week prepared to work and improve,” he said.
“That period highlighted areas where we need to grow, but it also showed the character that still exists within this club.”
The new Aberavon boss says clarity, standards and building the “right environment” have been immediate priorities since taking charge.
“We want edge in the environment. We want competitiveness every day,” he explained.
“We want people who embrace accountability, challenge each other and drive standards. That must become part of who we are.”
Davies also addressed significant changes within the squad, with experienced figures Joe Gage and Geraint James both departing the club.
The pair leave with nearly 400 appearances between them, with Gage retiring through injury while James steps away from the game on his own terms.
“Players like that bring standards, leadership and presence within an environment and naturally that leaves a void,” Davies said.
“But rugby moves forward and part of our responsibility now is developing the next generation of leaders within this club.”
The appointment comes after Aberavon confirmed last month that former head coach Jason Hyatt would not return to the club following a period of absence due to health issues.
In a statement at the time, the club thanked Hyatt for his 12 years of service and praised his “passion and determination” throughout his spell with the Wizards.
Davies will now lead Aberavon into a landmark campaign as the club prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary.
“A season like that should mean something to everybody connected to the club,” he said.
“It is an opportunity to create a season supporters, players and staff can be proud of and one that reflects the history and identity of Aberavon Rugby Club.”
Lewis Moody: AI is banking my voice after MND diagnosis
By Phil Blanche, Press Association
Lewis Moody says using AI to bank his voice after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease has been “warming”.
The 47-year-old former England rugby union international announced in October that he was suffering from MND, an incurable and life-limiting neurological condition that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
MND affects speech by weakening the muscles in the mouth, tongue, lips and chest, and the ability to speak can be lost completely.
On the idea of using technology to create a personalised artificial voice, Moody told Sky Sports: “The idea of doing it, I probably delayed for a while at the start because I was like `no, I don’t need to do that, I’m fine’.
“But why wouldn’t you, especially with the advancement of AI now, or all the stuff that’s happening in this space, is that the more information you can have for the tools and the algorithms, then the better.
“So, I’ve done numerous things. One of my mates, Dodge, has got a studio that we borrowed, and he’s recording videos that you can create virtual avatars and the voice.
“And also, content around my behaviours and thought processes so that AI eventually can have the ability to predict what you’re thinking.
“Actually knowing that there is something, or that there is a better way of making effective communication easy – and that’s been really sort of warming.”
Former back-rower Moody – part of England’s 2003 World Cup-winning squad – said the thought of not feeling the “warmth” of embracing people as his condition progresses has been “terrifying”.
He said: “The only thing I was scared of was – as someone that loves communicating with people and, you know, feeling the warmth and embracing, the sort of non-communicative skills – there’ll be a time when you can’t do either potentially. So that was terrifying.
“The longer my symptoms are as they are, the more everything around me will advance.
“And, you know, just know that if and when that time arrives, you’ll be in a better space.”
Moody, who will undertake a 500-mile, seven-day cycling challenge this summer to raise money for research into MND, says he has had “amazing” support from his network of “close friends” inside the rugby community.
Several high-profile rugby players have had MND, including the late trio Doddie Weir, Joost van der Westhuizen and Rob Burrow, who made his name in rugby league.
Moody said: “I’m doing good. You just focus on the things that you still can do and not worry about things that are changing or anything like that.
“Figuring out how you mentally deal with each little change, things that you notice, that’s the hardest bit.
“A week or two ago I had loss of strength in the middle fingers, and that hit me really hard because it coincided with a couple of difficult conversations.
“So I had two days of mentally feeling hit. But then you quickly come out of it. I can quickly recognise that I’m in that state.”
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