Here are the latest rugby headlines on Monday, February 14.
Dylan Hartley questions Wales
Former England captain Dylan Hartley has questioned why it took a drubbing in Ireland to spark Saturday's much-improved Wales performance.
Hartley described it as "the Wales of old" as they dug in and ground out a gritty 20-17 victory over Scotland.
And, while he was pleased to see the Welsh team regain their pride, he insisted there is no real excuse for what came before.
He told the BBC's Rugby Union Daily podcast : "For them this week, it was about the result. It wasn't about the performance because the performance wasn't pretty but it was effective.
"For me, having played against Wales for years, that looked like the Wales of old, built on physical dominance, the foundations.
"Set-piece back to 100%, near enough. Ball carries were strong and the front five upped their rate from last week. Defensively they were in the game and they were turning ball over. The two, three-man tackles, they were just so dominant. It's good to see Welsh rugby back playing like that.
"But my only question is they obviously grow a few inches when they are playing at home. They shouldn't need a home crowd to do that, and they shouldn't need to take a hiding. It shouldn't be a reaction, you know.
"Why couldn't they go out to Dublin and do that because they obviously have got the players to do that? They should just do that week one.
Italy star thanks Genge after horror moment
Italy flanker Sebastian Negri has thanked Ellis Genge for coming to his aid in Sunday's Guinness Six Nations defeat by England at the Stadio Olimpico.
Negri had only been on the pitch for 16 minutes of the second half when he was knocked unconscious during a collision and, after lengthy medical attention, he was driven from the pitch on a motorised cart.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, it was Genge who first alerted the officials to Negri's condition, demanding their attention as medics then rushed to help his opponent.
"Thank you so much @EllisGenge appreciate all you did. You are a top man. All good this side and feeling a lot better wishing you and all the @EnglandRugby lads all the best for the rest of the @SixNationsRugby. Catch up with you soon, Safe travels back home today," Negri tweeted.
Fans rate Wales players
Wales captain Dan Biggar was the fans' man of the match against Scotland.
Thousands of WalesOnline readers gave their marks for each player out of 10 following the game as a number of players emerged with real credit.
Biggar topped the charts with an average mark of 8/10, followed by try scorer Tomas Francis with 7.6.
Official man of the match Ryan Elias was third with 7.5, while Taine Basham, Liam Williams and Ross Moriarty all scored 7.2.
Louis Rees-Zammit was the lowest scoring of the 22 players who got on the pitch with a mark of 5.4. He missed a tackle on Darcy Graham for the Scottish try and struggled to get into the game.
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Farrell convinced Ireland can still win Six Nations
Andy Farrell is convinced Ireland will remain in title contention for the duration of the Guinness Six Nations on the evidence of Saturday's engrossing defeat to France.
Head coach Farrell hailed the spirit and character of his players after they threatened to overturn a 22-7 deficit in Paris before falling agonisingly short in a thrilling 30-24 bonus-point loss.
Results from round two have left the tournament finely poised, with the Irish, England, Scotland and Wales each with a win and defeat apiece, behind Fabien Galthie's early pacesetters.
While Les Bleus are now in pole position to end their 12-year wait for championship glory, Farrell is far from ready to throw in the towel.
"History shows you that you've got to be ready in the Six Nations," he said.
"You've got to make sure that your own house is in order in regards to your next game and you look at the competition with Wales winning against Scotland, England losing their first game and so, yes, France are in pole position.
"At the same time, we move into our next game and try our best to be at our best and take each game from there.
"I'm sure that if we continue to show the fight and character that we have done here (in Paris), which was an unbelievable Test match, we'll be in the mix towards the end of it."
England back-rower retires
England international Mark Wilson has retired from rugby with immediate effect.
The 32-year-old Newcastle skipper and back-row forward won 23 caps. He went on as a replacement during the 2019 World Cup final between England and South Africa in Japan.
In a statement released by the Falcons, Wilson said a knee injury had made him "reassess where I am at from a career point of view".
Wilson, who played 237 times for Newcastle, has made a solitary club appearance this season following knee surgery.
"I've taken the decision to retire from rugby. It is a decision that has been hard to make, but it is the right one for me and my family right now," he said.
"My injury has made me reassess where I am at from a career point of view.
"That has been in the background and been in my thoughts quite a lot, and while it hasn't been the case that the injury has physically ended my career in its own right, it has certainly been one of the main things which has added to my decision."
Wilson's final England appearance was against Ireland in Dublin during last season's Guinness Six Nations Championship.
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