Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, March 3.
English intimidation tactics a 'compliment'
Wales hooker Dewi Lake's club coach has told him he should take the sledging he received from England players as a compliment.
Lake was involved in a running battle with opposite number Jamie George after coming on as a replacement, while he was also goaded by Maro Itoje and other England stars as he prepared to throw into a crucial lineout.
Lake nailed the throw he was targeted on, while he refused to take a backward step up against Lions veteran George.
Ospreys coach Toby Booth said: "He's more of an oak tree than a shrinking violet.
"He's a very combative and competitive guy. I think the fact that they've gone after him, he should take that as a compliment.
"He certainly won't shy away from any challenge. When called on in that critical moment, he did his job and what he had to do, so it was a wasted effort, wasn't it?"
Lake said of the confrontations: “There was a bit of rivalry there and there were a few head butts and punches flying around to begin with.
“It was a bit different, a baptism of fire I suppose, but I’m glad I did it.”
Nowell's admiration
England winger Jack Nowell has spoken of his admiration for Alex Cuthbert's performance at Twickenham last weekend.
Cuthbert marked his 50th cap for Wales with one of his greatest international performances, making an astonishing 176 metres from 14 carries.
He was up against former Exeter team-mate Nowell, who was thoroughly impressed with his rival.
Speaking on the Rugby Pass Offload show, he said: "He was unbelievable. He is a class player although he is one of the most unlucky too.
"Every time he looks like he's about to get going something would happen (injury-wise).
"To see him back, he's obviously being very well managed over there. He's like a horse when he's running so to be able to see him opening up like that was pretty good."
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'Nobody deliberately puts a player at risk'
Ospreys head honcho Toby Booth has insisted that medical staff would not have put Tomas Francis at risk during Wales' defeat to England on Saturday.
The Wales and Ospreys tight-head was removed from the field for a head injury assessment during the first half, along with Owen Watkin, and returned 10 minutes later after passing it.
The series of events has sparked outcry and lobby group Progressive Rugby believe Francis should never have returned to action.
It's understood Wales' medics missed the collision, though the HIA was conducted by an independent match day doctor.
The entire issue is currently the subject of a Six Nations review.
"I'm probably not going to give too much of a view because I don't want to," Booth said.
"I know there is an inquiry going on around it and that's the most important thing.
"Nobody deliberately puts a player at risk, that's for sure, and that's an obvious thing.
"But what has to be at the forefront of everybody's mind is the safety of the player.
"That's my view on it and we'll wait to see what the findings of the inquiry are."
Italian player banned
Italy Hooker Hame Faiva has been banned for four weeks after the red card that sparked a Six Nations farce on the weekend.
The replacement hooker's dismissal against Ireland saw the game moved to uncontested scrums, with the Italians forced to go down to 13 men under World Rugby laws.
However, few argued against Faiva's tackle being worthy of a red card. The player himself denied he had committed an act of foul play worthy of a red card.
A Six Nations disciplinary panel found the player had acted recklessly by committing a high and dangerous tackle whereby his shoulder had made direct contact with the neck of an opponent with significant force.
On that basis, the committee applied World Rugby’s mandatory minimum mid-range entry point for foul play resulting in contact with the head. This resulted in a starting point of a six-week suspension.
Having acknowledged no aggravating factors and mitigating factors including the player’s previous unblemished record, the committee reduced the six-week entry point by two weeks, resulting in a sanction of four weeks.
Ospreys giant turns down English interest
Ospreys lock Rhys Davies has signed a new deal to stay at the Welsh region.
The 23-year-old had been linked with a return to England, where he previously played for Bath.
He was called up to the Wales squad during the recent Autumn Nations Cup campaign and is tipped for a big future.
The 6ft 6ins front five forward has consistently produced impressive performances in an Ospreys shirt since his debut against Leinster in 2020.
He has played 30 games for the Ospreys and his all-action performances have seen him emerge as a cult-figure amongst the Ospreys supporters.
Davies said: “It was flattering to be talked about but the Ospreys is the only place I want to be.
“I really enjoy coming to work each day at the Ospreys and I feel I have grown as a person and a player here. I feel like I am learning all the time and I really enjoy working with Toby and the coaches here.
“Joining the Ospreys has been everything I hoped for and it’s been brilliant. There are no cliques in this team and we all train hard and play hard for each other.
“I know I have to keep playing as often as I can to cement my place here, but ultimately rugby is about winning, and the Ospreys want to win.
“We are definitely building a team here to achieve that and to compete at the highest level.”
