Your rugby headlines for Sunday March 13
Friday night rugby in Cardiff slammed
Wales have been told they should never stage a Friday night Six Nations match again in a damning assessment delivered by a London newspaper.
One of their rugby writers has issued a withering blast about the game against star-studded France, which saw 10,000 empty seats inside the Principality Stadium.
A strongly-worded comment piece is headlined 'Friday night Six Nations rugby in Cardiff is a terrible idea - this should not happen again.'
The Friday night factor and ticket prices, which were £100 or more, were cited as the reasons for the missing fans.
It was the first time Wales staged a Friday night match for a number of years, having previously binned the idea.
But the Telegraph also insist the whole experience was unsavoury, with costly hotel and ticket prices and fans having had the opportunity to drink the whole day ahead of the evening kick-off.
The paper argue Friday night matches should only be staged in Paris, a bigger city with more hotels and greater transport infrastructure, or Rome from here on in.
The empty seats were "remarkable" given Cardiff is "one of the most rugby-obsessed cities in the world", the paper starts.
"The problem is that Cardiff is not made for late-night rugby," the article claiming "fans in more rural parts of Wales, including the rugby heartlands of the Valleys, had no way of getting back from the match on public transport."
It goes on: "Remember that Cardiff is a relatively small city and hotels as an option for many fans are not feasible as many in the city centre hike their prices up as high as £400 for the night. According to frustrated fans, even a one-night stay at the local Travelodge would have set them back £200."
The comment piece continues: "There has been much talk from CVC, who own a one-seventh stake in the Six Nations, about attracting new audiences and it is hard to think who would want this Friday-night experience in Cardiff.
"Going on their past record as an investment partner in Formula One from 2006 to 2017, night events are very much part of their strategy. The Singapore Grand Prix was introduced in 2008, a glitzy under-the-light event that attracted stars from around the world.
"But Singapore has a very different relationship with alcohol than the British and Irish.
"It is also worth noting that French television audiences love a late kick-off - it is far more ingrained in their culture due to a transport infrastructure that can support such an idea.
"As the French capital is such a sprawling city, there are enough accommodation options to stop hotels being raised to unaffordable prices.
"There are good public transport links that quickly disperse fans across the city, which shows why a late-night kick-off works in a larger location."
The Telegraph also rule out Friday night games in London, arguing: "The culture around drinking and the issues around infrastructure getting to Twickenham are big issues that cannot be ignored.
"Italy, with a less boozy drinking culture, could make Rome a potential late-night destination, but it would depend on the Azzurri's results picking up to generate the fan interest."
The paper concludes: "If the Six Nations is to grow, pick what works for your host cities. This should be the last time there is a Friday night match in Cardiff."
Faletau loving his stunning Wales return
Taulupe Faletau says he plans to continue putting an emphasis on enjoying his rugby after making an outstanding return to the international arena.
The Wales number eight continued from where he left off against England at Twickenham by delivering another barnstorming display as France were pushed to the limit in Cardiff.
It was only Faletau's fourth game of the season after spending seven months on the sidelines due to an ankle injury, but he was the game's top carrier with 13, and also made more metres - 101 - than any other player.
With fellow seasoned campaigner Josh Navidi also back from injury and performing magnificently alongside him in the back-row, they proved influential figures behind Wales giving Six Nations leaders France a major scare before being edged out 13-9.
"I am trying to enjoy every opportunity I am given to play," Faletau said.
"From being out for so long and watching from the touchline, it just makes you appreciate every chance you get."
Win Wales v Italy tickets and watch Six Nations game for free
Italy are next up for Wales on the final day of Six Nations action next weekend, while a three-Test tour to South Africa in July will enable head coach Wayne Pivac to keep developing squad strength in depth ahead of next year's World Cup.
Faletau said: "It's building on what we did against France and last week against England.
"We will take confidence from playing against a team like France and having opportunities to win the game, and work on putting away the chances.
"It's always a good thing to have, competition throughout the squad. The more people are challenging each other, the better.
"We will just drive each other forward to get the best out of each other."
Eddie calls on World Rugby to act
Eddie Jones was frustrated by the failure of referee Mathieu Raynal to penalise Ireland's misfiring scrum more harshly as England fell to defeat at Twickenham.
The Red Rose were eliminated from Six Nations title contention with a round left after losing 32-15, but they showed remarkable resilience having lost Charlie Ewels to a red card for a dangerous tackle after only 82 seconds.
Two tries near the end propelled Ireland over the finishing line and gave the scoreline a lopsided look, but they were rattled for periods and had been pegged back to 15-15 heading into the final quarter.
England's scrum emerged as a key weapon by engineering six penalties and Jones questioned why French official Raynal did not reach for a yellow card.
"I'm a bit disappointed the referee didn't let us scrum fully. That would be my only complaint - we were not allowed to play advantage away from the scrum. We got four scrum penalties and there was no sign of a yellow card," Jones said.
"We want to have a powerful scrum and if World Rugby want to have the scrum in the game they have got to let the strong scrums dominate. We are disappointed we didn't get more out of that."
Kyle Sinckler was concussed and must follow the return to play protocols and Jones confirmed Tom Curry will miss the final round against France because of what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
Ewels' head-led tackle on James Ryan was a clear red card that left the Ireland lock with concussion, but it was clumsy rather than malicious.
"Charlie is disappointed but no-one apportions blame on him. It was a genuine attempt to make a good tackle but his head was just in the wrong spot and we have got no questions about the red card," Jones said.
It was 'a crazy old game' - Farrell
Ireland boss Andy Farrell declared it "job done" after his team battled to their pulsating victory to keep their own title hopes going.
Ireland complete the championship at home to Scotland next weekend, with their title challenge also reliant on England doing them a major favour against Grand Slam-chasing France in Paris.
"It was a crazy old game and Test matches are never perfect, that's why they are called Test matches," said Farrell.
"They are there to put you under pressure.
"The crowd were behind them, momentum was going their way and sometimes when you've got 14 men you've got nothing to lose; sometimes when you've got 15 men and you're playing against 14 men you've got everything to lose.
"We became a little bit desperate at times, a little bit inaccurate at certain stages but having said all that you take the rough with the smooth and we came away with a brilliant victory in the end.
"It's never going to be perfect. But we managed to find a way.
"We talked during the week about finding a way to get our supporters singing towards the end and we did that. We go home tonight to recover very happy. It's job done and we move on to the next one."
And in other news
Away from the Six Nations action, Ulster made it a rare double over Leinster after beating the reigning United Rugby Championship champions 18-13 on a rain-swept night in Belfast.
The top of the table clash saw first-half tries from Sam Carter and Michael Lowry ensure Ulster earned themselves the four points - and their first home and away wins over Leinster since 2013, with Nathan Doak kicking a conversion and penalty.
Max Deegan scored Leinster's try, with Ross Byrne converting and kicking two penalties, his second being the only score of the entire second half.
The losing bonus point was enough to just keep Leinster top of the table.
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