Here are the latest rugby evening headlines on Monday, June 13.
Scarlets pay personal Bennett tribute
Scarlets players and staff have paid their personal tribute to hero and president Phil Bennett at the Stradey Park gates at Parc y Scarlets. Fans have been invited to pay their respects if they wish, with floral tributes being laid on Monday alongside a No. 10 jersey and photograph of Bennett.
A wreath, featuring red roses, from the Scarlets carried a message saying: "Farewell to a Scarlets legend. Thanks for the memories. Diolch am yr atgofion. Scarlets players and staff".
Scarlets chairman Simon Muderack has said the Welsh region will now work with Phil Bennett's family to pay an appropriate tribute to the Welsh rugby legend who died on Sunday aged 73 after a long illness.
Read next: Seriously ill Phil Bennett made phone call to Scarlets and gave injured players handwritten letters
"A Scarlets/Llanelli man through and through, but ultimately - and most importantly - a family man," Muderack told BBC Radio Wales.
"His family, I'm sure, want to recognise Phil Bennett in their own special way and we as the Scarlets will support them as they so wish. My thoughts are with Pat, Steven and James. We're here to support them and help them remember Phil as best suits the family and how they want to carry things forward."
As for fans who want to pay their respects, he added: "If they so wish, people can bring flowers over the coming days," Muderack added. "We'll work with the family to make further plans and announce those, but for now if people feel that they want to already recognise Phil then they're very welcome to come to the old Stradey Park gates and place flowers at the Parc."
Welsh football's tribute to Bennett
It wasn't just rugby that Phil Bennett had a huge impact on: it was Welsh sport and culture in general. Wales captain Gareth Bale and manager Rob Page have been paying their own tributes while speaking at a press conference on Tuesday.
Bale said: "I know he's a massive Welsh icon. He was a bit before my time but you see videos when you're growing up of the amazing tries he scored. Our hearts go out to his family, it's a Welsh legend lost and we all hold him in our hearts."
Page said of Bennett: "I watched the clips last night, he's been an outstanding servant for Welsh rugby. Our U21s play at Llanelli [on Tuesday]. We'll have a minute's silence on his behalf which I think is a great gesture.
"We're one nation. When we play sport, we support each other. I've just seen some of the rugby lads walk down to training this morning so we had a conversation with them and some of the coaching staff. We are together. What he brought to Welsh rugby was unbelievable. A great servant for Welsh rugby."
European rugby changes confirmed
There will be one less European rugby weekend from next season, dropping from nine to eight with the last-16 round being played over one leg rather than two.
The Champions Cup and Challenge Cup will be played out over eight weekends next season, with four rounds of group matches - in December and January - followed by single-leg round of 16, quarter-finals, semis and final.
There will be 24 teams in the Champions Cup, including three South African sides and the Ospreys, and 20 in the Challenge Cup, including the other three Welsh regions.
The clubs will be divided into two pools of 12 – Pool A and Pool B - and the Champions Cup will be played over eight weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage.
Champions Cup (24): Castres, Montpellier, Bordeaux-Bègles, Toulouse, La Rochelle, Racing, Clermont, Lyon, Leicester, Saracens, Harlequins, Northampton, Gloucester, Sale, Exeter, L Irish, Stormers, Bulls, Leinster, Ulster, Sharks, Munster, Edinburgh, Ospreys.
Challenge Cup (20): Glasgow, Scarlets, Connacht, Lions, Benetton, Cardiff, Dragons, Zebre, Toulon, Pau, Stade Français, Brive, Bayonne, Perpignan, Wasps, Bristol, Worcester, Newcastle, Bath, Cheetahs.
Ex-Cardiff coach gets new job
Former Cardiff Blues forwards coach Tom Smith has joined Bridgend Ravens as head coach ahead of the new season.
The former Osprey won the Celtic League twice in 2010 and 2012 before injury forced him to retire from the game in 2015. He has held coaching positions with the Ospreys' youth, regional age-grade level and Neath Athletic, while most recent senior coaching role was with Cardiff, one which he left in 2019.
After a break from the game, he has been unveiled as the Welsh Premiership side's new boss.
"It’s been nice to have a bit of time away from the game after my transition from the professional side of the game, but I’m really looking forward to getting back into things," he said.
Bridgend Ravens chairman Norman Spain said: "Although he’s still young in coaching terms, he’s got plenty of coaching experience at professional level and throughout the pathway which made him a great fit for the environment that we are trying to build at the club. We were very impressed with Tom’s vision for the club and look forward to seeing his ideas put into practice when pre-season kicks off early next month."
Owen Farrell worried over tackle 'fine line'
Owen Farrell insists players are forced to tread a "very fine line" when tackling after Saracens secured their place in Saturday's Gallagher Premiership final despite incurring three yellow cards.
Saracens stand one win away from completing their quest for redemption from their salary cap scandal after toppling champions Harlequins 34-17 to set up a Twickenham showdown against Leicester. A display of trademark resilience saw Mark McCall's men battle back from 12-3 down to score 24 unanswered points, in the process emerging largely unscathed from a lengthy Quins siege in the final quarter.
Victory was delivered against the odds as dangerous challenges by Elliot Daly, Billy Vunipola and Alex Lozowski meant they played five minutes of the second half with only 13 men and 25 minutes with at least one player in the sin bin. Harlequins also saw Jack Walker receive a yellow card for the same offence.
The sport has a zero-tolerance policy to high tackles due to the risks involved, but Farrell insists players are making instant decisions that can have significant consequences if wrong.
"A few of the tackles were just trying to be dominant. There was no malice in it and the referee has seen it as a yellow card and that's it, we get on with it," the Saracens captain said.
"There are times you can slow down loads of contact on TV and find something. When there's a bigger collision people look at it more.
"It's a very fine line and I don't think people quite understand when it gets slowed down on TV how quick those decisions are.
"We know what we can and can't do, but you still have to have enough intent to go forward in your defence. If you are constantly being passive you probably won't get picked next week.
"I'm glad everyone is doing what they can to make the game go in the right direction in terms of safety and we will do what we can to control that.
"Hopefully it goes in the right direction - the game is safe but there's some common sense to it too."
