Here’s your round-up of all the latest rugby news for Monday, March 27.
Message of support for Thomas
The BBC issued a get well message to Cardiff benefactor and life president Peter Thomas on their Scrum V show on Sunday evening.
Presenter Lauren Jenkins revealed the long-serving Arms Park administrator was "very unwell" at present.
"Thoughts and best wishes from Scrum V to Peter Thomas too, the longstanding Cardiff benefactor who is very unwell at the moment."
Cardiff coach Dai Young had said following Friday's win in Zebre: “Peter doesn’t miss many trips but he’s poorly at the moment and hasn’t travelled. When he’s not here we really miss him because he’s a big part of us. Our best wishes go to him.
“He’s a Merthyr boy, a fighter and hopefully he can battle through this and he’ll be back with us very shortly. We all miss him and we’re looking forward to getting him back here.”
Thomas was Cardiff chairman for more than two decades and has pumped some £14million into the club over the years.
Last year Thomas revealed he was battling lung cancer and had undergone surgery and chemotherapy. He had been diagnosed after contracting Covid.
Paying tribute to the care he received he said: “I was very fortunate and the treatment I had was superb. Wherever I went, whoever I saw, I can’t speak highly enough of them. The enduring factor for me was they were kind people, they were caring people, they were patient. They treated me with such dignity.
“They were very understanding and very honest. They didn’t pull any punches. All the people I dealt with were brilliant. The staff at Llandough were just unbelievably good.”
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Hook predicts long ban
James Hook focused in on the poor discipline of Dragons players in their derby defeat to Ospreys on Saturday.
Coach Dai Flanagan came out after the match and admitted some of the hits "overstepped the mark" in Swansea, with Sio Tomkinson seeing red, Ross Moriarty yellow carded and Lloyd Fairbrother also making late a challenge on Ospreys fly-half Jack Walsh, who came in for some rough treatment on the day.
Hook is now predicting a long ban for Tomkinson after his tackle on the No.10 "took his head off".
"Discipline, we spoke about it, that should have been a yellow card for Fairbrother, Ross Moriarty got yellow carded for that," Hook said on Scrum V.
"Every one of these was on Jack Walsh. This one, this was a red card. Stone-cold red card.
"He's come from five, 10 metres Tomkinson and he's taken his head off. There's no qualms about that. He'll probably have a long ban for that as well."
Walker makes communication pledge following historic vote
WRU chief executive Nigel Walker says dialogue between the union and clubs must continue following a successful vote for major reform of its board.
More than 97 percent of clubs voted for governance change put forward by the WRU at an extraordinary general meeting in Port Talbot on Sunday, with subsequent reforms set to be introduced by the end of 2023.
In an appearance on the BBC's Scrum V show on Sunday evening, Walker admitted he was relieved to see the changes approved by stakeholders.
"We were confident the vote would go the right way but we weren’t complacent," he said.
"If you asked me what my emotions were at the moment. Relief would be the overriding emotion.
"But I’m also excited about what the future holds for Welsh rugby."
Walker is clearly hopeful that this vote is a positive first step towards the future following a difficult recent period for Welsh rugby.
Several issues, including a row over player contracts and pay have bubbled to the surface in recent weeks, and Walker admits conversations and consultations over the best way forward should continue to take place.
Asked if communication would be key going forward, he added: "Absolutely and that was part of the conversation immediately after the vote.
"If you engage with your stakeholders and the clubs that are principal stakeholders and we outline the plan, bring them into the conversation and take them with us, you’re less likely to have some of the issues you’re likely to have over the relatively recent past over the last two or three years.
"They were grateful for that communication and obviously 245 voted yes out of 252 votes. That shows you the overwhelming mood amongst our clubs for change and we need change."
White demands punishments for simulation
Former Springboks coach Jake White wants yellow cards for players guilty of feigning injury, after watching Bismarck Du Plessis receive a controversial yellow card in his side's defeat to Ulster on Saturday.
The substitute hooker was caught by the TMO careering into Ulster outhalf Billy Burns through the side of a ruck, with officials deeming the challenge enough to warrant a yellow card.
However, speaking after the contest, White appeared to claim that the reaction of Burns, rather than the actual challenge, was what influenced the officials.
“Clean-outs like that happen all over the game, I don’t even think it was a penalty," he said.
"I wonder, if the No.10 (Burns) hadn’t laid down on the ground would it even have been looked at by the TMO. It's something we have to look at going forward, because what you don't want is a player lying down every time he gets cleaned out and he makes the TMO look.
"It's something we've got to be careful of, because I know it happens in football, and then all of a sudden they brought something in that if you dive, you can get a yellow card.
"In rugby now because there is such a fine line between yellow cards, red cards and TMO involvement you don’t want a situation where the players are trying to use every opportunity to influence the TMO."
Peel - Sharks win among the best
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel says his side’s victory over the Cell C Sharks is one of the best victories of his tenure as head coach.
The Welsh region earned a hugely impressive 32-20 win over the South African outfit on Saturday, and Peel believes it to be the best victory since his arrival at Parc y Scarlets in the summer of 2021.
“It has to be in terms of the quality of opposition,” he said. “We spoke before the game and said there are certain nights you will remember in your careers and we will all remember that. Looking at the calibre of players in the Sharks squad, they are obviously world class.
“I thought it was fantastic from the word go. We were clinical when we needed to be, Sam kicked all his goals and we showed a lot of heart.
“I am delighted with the win and pleased for the boys because they have put a lot of hard work in and it’s obviously paying off. Our young boys are the future of the region and it’s great for them. It’s probably the biggest game they have played and the best opposition. For example you had Joe Roberts playing against Lukhanyo Am. It was fantastic for him.”
Tuipulotu backed for big things
Wales boss Ioan Cunningham says Sisilia Tuipulotu can become ‘one of the best props in the world’ following her player of the match performance against Ireland.
Tuipulotu capped off a fine defensive performance in the Women’s Six Nations opener by crossing over for her side’s fifth and final try as they eased to a 31-5 win.
“I genuinely believe she can be one of the best props in the world,” Cunningham said. “She really showed what she can do.
“Gwenllian [Pyrs] and Kelsey [Jones] were outstanding as well, big up to the front row.
“Up front, we had a great platform. We are delighted with the crowd, that gives us such a boost here.
“We’re chuffed with the game plan and we stuck at it.”
READ MORE:
The Ieuan Evans and Nigel Walker interview: 'I applaud clubs for voting me out of a job'
Wales international publicly urges clubs to call him as rugby future in limbo
WRU vote results announced as clubs back radical changes at EGM
Wales international offered £100,000 pay cut and Williams states case to Gatland
