Here are the rugby morning headlines on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.
Guscott leaves BBC Six Nations role
Jeremy Guscott will not be part of the BBC's Six Nations coverage for the first time in more than 20 years, according to reports.
MailOnline report Guscott has stepped down from his punditry role to "focus on other business interests" as the channel launches a revamped line-up.
Sam Warburton and Martin Johnson will take on leading roles for the 2022 tournament, while a new Rugby Special highlights programme will also air on Sundays throughout the tournament. That will be hosted Ugo Monye, who regularly appears on BT Sport, at 6pm every week.
Jonathan 'Jiffy' Davies remains part of the line-up, with Eddie Butler and Brian Moore still part of the commentary team.
Gabby Logan will be the lead presenter of live TV coverage, with John Inverdale having previously stepped down.
The BBC will show Wales' three home matches against Scotland, France and Italy.
Biggar admits Sexton a 'difficult' opponent
Wales captain Dan Biggar says that Johnny Sexton "would be very near the top" in terms of the most difficult opponent he's faced during his rugby career.
The fly-half rivals - 2017 British and Irish Lions colleagues in New Zealand - are set for the latest of their many career battles when Ireland and Wales kick off this season's Guinness Six Nations on Saturday.
Between them, they have won 196 caps for their countries and amassed almost 1,500 points, and their influence shows no sign of waning.
"Whenever I get asked who has been the most difficult person to play against of the last 10-12 years, there is no doubt Johnny's name would be very near the top," Biggar said.
"He is very similar to myself in terms of the drive, the will to win, scrapping for absolutely everything on the field.
"It's a testament to him in how he has managed to handle himself and keep his form going into his mid-30s. I don't think anyone is sure how old he really is!
"He is going really strong, and I've got a huge amount of time for Johnny. There are very few people more deserving of 100 caps in international rugby than Johnny.
"It is always a challenge playing against him. We may not be the best of friends for 80 minutes on the pitch and quite narky at each other.
"But away from the field, he is an absolute pleasure to deal with and I have a huge amount of time for him."
Evans had no contact from Wales
Cardiff Rugby hero Jarrod Evans has revealed he's had no contact from Wales coaches for months.
Evans has been receiving huge plaudits after his match-winning performance against Leinster on the weekend, just a week after being left out of the Six Nations squad despite Wayne Pivac opting for four outside-halves.
Evans had featured for Wales during the summer but was injured during the autumn internationals.
Many fans would like to see him involved, with his natural creativity offering something different.
Pivac's backs coach Stephen Jones contacted team-mate Owen Lane ahead of his public omission from the squad, but Evans has had no feedback.
"I haven't had any contact from Wales or anything since the summer," he said.
"My focus here is with Cardiff and that's all I can say on it really. We go again. We've got a week off now and then a game against Zebre.
"It's important we get back on the horse with our clubs and hopefully that turns heads.
"That's the only way you can approach it. You can't get too down, you've just got to get on with it. Everything happens for a reason.
"There are a few boys in our squad who have been unlucky, that's just my opinion and that means nothing really."
"How it normally works is they contact the boys who were in the autumn squad who didn't get in this squad," he said.
"I wasn't in the autumn squad with my sternum injury and I just didn't get picked this time. I haven't had any contact."
Warby goes for BOD ahead of Alun Wyn
Sam Warburton has opted for Ireland legend Brian O'Driscoll as his greatest Six Nations captain, ahead of third-placed Alun Wyn Jones.
Warburton and England international Danny Care drew up their top six as part of a new Six Nations BBC podcast.
O'Driscoll won first spot ahead of Martin Johnson in second, with Warburton saying: "Brian's longevity in the role is why he's number one for me, and not Martin Johnson. He got a Grand Slam, did it for nine years, was player of the tournament three times, which I know is an individual accolade but that would have been inspirational, and also won four Triple Crowns."
On Jones, he said: "He wasn't captain before 2017 but his influence was absolutely enormous in Wales' 2008 and 2012 slams and the 2013 championship win. When I was captain, Alun Wyn was our main leader and often stepped in for me. I had the tactical side, the communication with the refs and chatting to the press, but he was the one barking and driving the standards.
"He was a coach as a player and had the utmost respect of everybody."
Fabien Pelous was fourth, Warburton himself fifth and Dylan Hartley sixth.
Lions coach believes Scots can stun England
Defence coach Steve Tandy believes memories of last year's Twickenham triumph can help Scotland as they bid to retain the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield this Saturday.
The Scots pulled off their first away win over England since 1983 when they won 11-6 last February, albeit there were no supporters present due to the Covid lockdown.
"I think it adds belief and confidence being able to produce those performances away from home," said Tandy.
"Obviously, there was no crowd there but it was still Twickenham against an outstanding England team. That was huge for us.
"You start to build more belief in your own performances and around your game. It was an unbelievable day but it is just a memory now. We want to create more and we need to put in another huge performance come Saturday."
England braced for Scotland hostility
Max Malins insists England's rookies are ready to thrive amid the hostility awaiting at Murrayfield after being braced for what to expect in the Guinness Six Nations opener against Scotland.
Almost half of Eddie Jones' 37-man training squad have never appeared in the Championship, while Malins and Jonny Hill made their debuts in the 2020 tournament that unfolded behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It means that an England side rebuilt after last year's fifth-place finish will enter a dangerous opener with a large contingent of developing players who have yet to experience the intimidating atmospheres of Celtic strongholds such as Murrayfield.
Steps have been taken to equip them for what is coming and Malins insists projecting confidence from the moment they arrive at the ground will be critical.
"Last week a few blokes shared their experiences of travelling to away games and to Murrayfield in particular," Malins told the PA news agency.
"They spoke about how it's a hostile crowd as soon as you get off the bus and that even when you're on the bus you can feel it.
"When you're walking into the changing rooms you'll get whatever chat, so you have to be ready for that. It's got to be water off a duck's back.
"It's important for those who haven't played there to have an idea of what's coming in those environments.
"Of course we want to focus on ourselves, but we don't want to be overcome by the whole occasion of it.
"It's important to get an idea of what we're going into, not to freeze us up or create fear but to actually create excitement around the group.
"We want to set our stall out and our body language is going to prove that we're ready for them as soon as we step off that bus."
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