Here are your rugby morning headlines on Bank Holiday Monday, May 8
Shane names his Welsh XV of the year
Shane Williams has named Welsh rugby's best 23 players of the season - with a number of uncapped youngsters making the cut.
Wales' record tryscorer chose his team of the year for The Rugby Paper and his selections will make interesting food for thought for Warren Gatland.
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Shane chooses four uncapped players in his line-up - full-back Jordan Williams, centre Keiran Williams, prop Keiron Assiratti and Ospreys back-rower Morgan Morris.
His 23-man squad contains nine Ospreys, six Scarlets and four players apiece from Cardiff and the Dragons. One of the Scarlets he chooses is returning try ace Tomi Lewis, who tore it up in England this season by helping Jersey Reds win the Championship. Shane feels the youngster, who is coming back to Llanelli after starring with Jersey, can be Wales' full-back successor to Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams 18 months down. the line. Read about that here
Two foreign players make the cut, the Scarlets' Tongan lock duo of Sam Lousi and Vaea Fifita. Other than that it's very much a selection full of Welsh youngsters, with Shane feeling they offer promise for the future after what has been a dismal campaign for the four regions.
"Is it the worst season on record for the four professional teams in Wales? If it isn’t, then it isn’t far off," says Shane.
"Things, as they say, can only get better."
He opts for Steff Evans on one of the wings, even though the Scarlets flier has not been named by Gatland in his bumper World Cup training squad. Most of the Welsh players Shane chooses are in with a shout of going to France this autumn. However, as well as Evans, Jordan Williams and Morgan Morris have not been chosen by Gatland.
He says Evans "was on prime form for the Scarlets, scoring 12 tries in 23 outings."
Of his young centres, Keiran Williams and Mason Grady, he says: "Williams is an international player in waiting. He did a great job in getting the Ospreys across the gain line time after time with his direct running and fast feet. He looks to me like he is ready for duty on the biggest of stages, especially as his former team-mate Joe Hawkins is out of the running.
"As for Grady, he reminds me of a young George North when he first burst onto the scene. Equally at home at centre or on the wing, he is quick, gigantic and elusive. He is going to become a major weapon for club and country."
Another youngster, Scarlets No.10 Saw Costelow, gets the fly-half berth, with veteran Rhys Webb chosen as the number one scrum-half. Gatland has still to drill down his World Cup nine, with Webb battling it out against Tomos Williams, Kieran Hardy and Gareth Davies for the spot.
Ospreys loosehead Nicky Smith, ignored for the Six Nations, is in Shane's front row, with Dragons hooker Elliot Dee chosen ahead of Wales' Six Nations captain Ken Owens after his excellent form for the Rodney Parade side.
He says there were a plethora of players who could have been chosen in the back row, but opts for the Ospreys trio of Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric and Morgan Morris as "the best combination."
Morris is chosen ahead of Cardiff and Wales star No.8 Taulupe Faletau.
Shane's Welsh XV of the year: Jordan Williams (Dragons); Steff Evans (Scarlets), Mason Grady (Cardiff), Keiran Williams (Ospreys), Rio Dyer (Dragons); Sam Costelow (Scarlets), Rhys Webb (Ospreys); Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Elliot Dee (Dragons), Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff), Sam Lousi (Scarlets), Vaea Fifita (Scarlets ), Jac Morgan (Ospreys), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Morgan Morris (Ospreys).
Replacements: Dewi Lake (Ospreys), Cory Domachowski (Cardiff), Tomas Francis (Ospreys), Rhys Davies (Ospreys), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), Tomos Williams (Cardiff), Joe Roberts (Scarlets), Tomi Lewis (Scarlets).
Lee rules out World Cup push
Wales prop Samson Lee has ruled out a late push for a place in Warren Gatland's World Cup squad, despite making a return to the game after 14 months out.
Lee made a 40-minute cameo for Welsh Premiership side Llandovery against Newport on Saturday, having not played since suffering a career-threatening Achilles injury in action for the Scarlets in March 2022.
The 30-year-old has won 45 caps for his country, and is keen to pull on a red jersey once more. However, he admits there's little chance of him being ready for the upcoming tournament in France.
"I'm not going to have enough time to get match fit or anywhere near where I need to be for the World Cup," he said.
"It's still my dream to play for my country and if the call came, I obviously wouldn't turn it down, but I don't think this is my time."
Commenting on his cameo at the weekend, he added: "It was always the plan to just get some game-time and 40 minutes was enough. The lungs were blowing a bit, but it was just great to be playing again.
"It's been challenging over the last 14 months, lots of ups and downs but I just concentrated on what I had to do," said Lee.
"For a tighthead prop to snap their Achilles, there is always the chance they won't return because a lot of weight goes through that area.
"But I demanded of myself to get back out there and I had great support from the Scarlets. My physio had to put up with a lot of moaning.
"Now I'm just looking forward to whatever comes in the future for Scarlets and whatever else.
"I'm going to spend the summer building for next season to be ready to start and get as much game time as possible and, hopefully, give myself a chance for Wales again."
Borthwick's coaching ticket confirmed
Steve Borthwick has returned to Leicester to recruit yet another member of his England staff, with Tom Harrison to join as scrum coach ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
Harrison, who will join on June 1 to replace Richard Cockerill, follows on from the appointments of Richard Wigglesworth, Aled Walters, Kevin Sinfield, all of whom have swapped the Tigers for England.
Harrison is currently the Tigers' assistant coach, leading on scrum coaching, and was part of the team that won the Premiership title in 2022.
"Tom is an excellent coach and will have a real impact in area that will be fundamental to us as a team," Borthwick said.
"Leicester's scrum is renowned across Europe and Tom has played a leading role in that success. I have full confidence in him and I am very happy that he will be joining England."
Confirming Harrison's departure, Leicester chief executive Andrea Pinchon added: "Since coming into Leicester Tigers, Tom has been an exceptional contributor to the club on and off the field.
"While obviously disappointed to be losing him at the end of the season, we wish him all the very best for this next chapter in his career.
"Tom is a great reflection of our club's ability to produce coaches as well as players through the pathway programme at Leicester Tigers and while it has been another challenge for us this year, with coaches being poached by the national side, we continue to see it as a badge of honour for the level at which we are viewed within the game."
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