Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby headlines for Friday, May 5.
Folau to join Wales stars
Controversial rugby superstar Israel Folau is set to team up with a number of Wales players in Steve Hansen's World XV side that will take on Eddie Jones' Barbarians at Twickenham this month.
The former Wallabies full-back, who saw his Rugby Australia contract cancelled back in 2019 after he made a series of homophobic comments, currently plays his rugby in Japan after a spell in Rugby League. He is set to appear at the Rugby World Cup for Tonga after using World Rugby's new rules to switch allegiance.
But before that he is expected to be at Twickenham on May 28, according to the Telegraph
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The World XV team is already set to incude Wales internationals Rhys Patchell, Elliot Dee, as well as world stars Ngani Laumape, Nick Phipps, Marika Koroibete and Semi Radradra.
They will be facing Jones' Barbarians, who are understood to have Alun Wyn Jones, Rhys Webb and Taulupe Faletau among their ranks.
Roberts opens up on moment he received Wales call
Joe Roberts has opened up on the moment he learned of his surprise Wales call-up.
The Scarlets centre revealed he was on his way to a junior rugby festival at former club Burry Port when he found he had been included in Warren Gatland’s preliminary training squad for the Rugby World Cup, which was unveiled on Monday afternoon.
Speaking on the BBC Scrum V podcast, he said: “The email came when I was on the way to a player appearance for the Burry Port festival, I saw the email but had to be there in five minutes so I had to put the phone down!
“Everyone is delighted, my Dad wouldn’t leave me alone yesterday, he kept lingering about, he was over the moon!”
“Obviously, playing for Wales has always been a goal growing up, but for me after two pretty big injuries, it has been about getting regular rugby for Scarlets and taking every game as it comes because you don’t know what’s next.
“I am grateful to the coaches for putting their faith in me – the message from Peely is always the same, he keeps telling me to keep backing myself.”
London Irish staff and players finally paid after owner steps in
London Irish players have finally been paid their wages for April after owner Mick Crossan reportedly stepped in at the eleventh hour.
The move averts the threat of players submitting breach-of-contract letters to the club, which would have served notice that they would be free to leave if the delayed salary instalment was not paid within two weeks.
However, Crossan has now belatedly stepped in, and has confirmed he will cover payroll costs.
Players have also been given full medical insurance for their final Premiership game of the season against Exeter in Brentford on Saturday, which should resolve another issue that was potentially worrying the squad.
It means Irish will take on the Chiefs as planned, while also giving more time for a prospective takeover from an American consortium to go through.
Woodward criticises women's move
Sir Clive Woodward has criticised the decision to appoint John Mitchell as head coach of England's women's side.
Mitchell is to join the women's set-up after serving as defence coach for Japan's men's side, and will take on the role as head coach after the Rugby World Cup later this year.
It's a move that's gone down badly with Sir Clive, who believes the move demonstrates a lack of foresight from the RFU.
Writing in his latest Daily Mail column, he said: "The appointment of John Mitchell as head coach of the Red Roses is a huge missed opportunity by the RFU.
"They have not only let their women’s team down, but also women’s sport by not choosing a female successor to Simon Middleton. Once again, it shows the RFU’s lack of vision.
"I’m the longest-serving member of the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Entourage Commission. A couple of years ago, I was asked to set up and lead a working party to improve the percentage of accredited female coaches at the summer and winter Olympics. It had fallen to below 10 per cent, which just isn’t acceptable.
"There were several reasons why women weren’t being appointed and it made me question why we have never had a female coach in charge of the England women’s rugby side.
"What was obvious was that across Olympic sports, there is an unconscious bias towards men for the big coaching roles. That’s because the ones doing the appointing are, with a few exceptions, male.
"This is what has happened with the RFU’s staggering decision to go for Mitchell, a call that everyone involved with English rugby should be very disappointed with."
Wales head to New Zealand
England and Wales will head for New Zealand in October as the world champions host the sport's elite teams in the inaugural WXV tournament.
World Rugby has confirmed the venues and dates for the new three-tier competition, which seeks to increase "the competitiveness, reach and impact" of the 15-a-side women's game across the globe.
Eighteen teams will take part in the event, with the top six battling it out in WXV 1 in New Zealand across three weekends on October 21 and 28 and November 4, the next six contesting WXV 2 in South Africa on October 14, 21 and 28, and WXV 3 using the same dates but with the venue dependent on the nations qualifying.
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