Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby news for Saturday, December 24.
Forgotten Wales star hopeful of return from wilderness
Luke Morgan aims to jog Warren Gatland‘s memory when he steps out for the festive derbies – starting with the Ospreys’ clash against the Scarlets on Boxing Day (5.15pm kick-off).
The wing will be part of an Ospreys line-up aiming to build on their eye-catching victory over French champions Montpellier last week when they host their biggest rivals in a match which is live on S4C.
Morgan was a try-scorer against the Sharks earlier this month in his region’s previous United Rugby Championship game and will be out to repeat his part in a hugely impressive collective show of strength out in France last week.
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That might be enough to remind Gatland – the coach who gave Morgan his solitary cap four years ago – that the former Sevens specialist is still hungry for Test rugby.
“Warren Gatland gave me my cap and it would be great to be get back into that Wales squad," the 30-year-old said. "But I know I have to be playing well for the Ospreys for that to happen, so that’s my focus. What will be, will be. But it will be interesting to see what calls Warren makes now with his squad for the Six Nations.
“I still have ambitions for more caps. It would be a dream to get back into that Welsh squad, but the Ospreys is my shop window and I have to perform. It would be great if it happened.”
Morgan’s one Wales cap came in 2018, the year Wales’ record Sevens scorer played against Scotland in the autumn only seven regional matches into his 15-a-side career, having switched from being a short-form specialist.
- Ospreys v Scarlets is being broadcast live on S4C on Boxing Day from 5pm. English commentary will be available.
England star reveals Warren Gatland's goading left him shocked
Kyle Sinckler admits he was surprised by Wales head coach Warren Gatland’s infamous "timebomb" goading which ultimately preceded an implosion against Wales.
The Bristol Bears and England prop saw the start of this international career marked by ill-discipline and an apparent fiery temperament on the pitch.
Gatland subsequently labelled Sinckler a "timebomb" ahead of the 2019 Six Nations match with England in Cardiff, and the 29-year-old has now opened up to RugbyPass about the impact of those comments, admitting they took him by surprise but the whole affair proved to be a turning point in his career.
“I don’t actually remember seeing it [online]," he said. "I try to not look at things like that when you’re in camp and in the thick of things. It’s international rugby. It’s so much more intense.
“I think it was Eddie [Jones] that came up to me after training. He was like, 'mate, have you seen this?' He said 'mate, I’ve got your back, do your thing'.
“It kind of took back a little bit, I was just shocked you know, just in terms of him saying that and singling me out. We’d had the Lions tour a few years ago. Obviously, he picked me as a bolter, so I was like 'what is going on?'”
Sinckler admits he used to relish his reputation as an "angry" young man, confessing that he was desperate for attention at any cost, and enjoyed a lively start against the Welsh that day.
“It was probably one of the best games I’d played. I was fired right up. I was like 'I’m going to show him'. I had like 10 tackles in 10 minutes. I got a nice shot on big Al [Alun Wyn Jones], the ultimate puppet master. Got an early shot on him. One of the most physical games I’ve played in. You just can’t sustain it.
“I was just trying to prove this point that I was not this timebomb but subconsciously I kind of liked it, because the attention was all on me.”
Things took a turn for the worse, though, when Sinckler gave away a penalty by clipping Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe with a shoulder after a clearance kick, and then came a tangle with Alun Wyn Jones right in front of the TV cameras. Jones subbed Sinckler in the 57th minute to allay any fears of a possible card before the game was done.
Jones undone by World Cup obsession
All Blacks coaching great Steve Hansen believes Eddie Jones placed too much attention on the World Cup, an obsession he says probably cost the Aussie his job as England boss.
Hansen, the 2015 World Cup-winning coach who has been appointed to guide a World XV against a Barbarians team coached by Jones at Twickenham in May, admitted he was taken aback at the timing of England's decision but says Jones' focus on the World Cup may well have proven costly to his chances of staying on in the role amid a disappointing autumn campaign.
"It was pretty surprising that they would replace him now, when all along Eddie's been saying 'look, this is what we're building for'," Hansen said. "He's been their most successful coach in history. Some might say that Clive [Woodward] is because he won a World Cup. However, the record speaks for itself, doesn't it?
"I know Eddie had a big focus on the World Cup and that's probably what in the end cost him, because he didn't have such a good autumn and people were frustrated by that."
World Rugby urged to do more to tackle concussions in women's game
World Rugby and the Scottish Rugby Union have been accused of failing to act on growing evidence that women's rugby players are more vulnerable to concussion than men.
Dr Marshall Garrett has prepared an independent report for Aberdeen Grammar Rugby club on the enhanced risks of concussion to women playing the sport. It follows on from work by Doctor Willie Stewart, a consultant neuropathologist at the University of Glasgow, back in 2021, which suggested women playing football and rugby were "about twice" as likely to suffer concussion when compared to their male counterparts.
Garrett, a medicolegal expert, told the Daily Mail: "Their [the governing bodies'] position of not making changes or provision or not informing women of the evidence that shows they have an increased risk, cannot be supported from a medical or conscience point of view. Yes, one could say they’re dragging their heels, being slow, saying they need more research, etc, but that just kicks the can down the road for another five, six, 10 years. A more jaundiced view would be to say that money is being put in front of player safety.
"Women are participating in a collision sport and are unaware that they have an increased risk of sustaining a concussion (brain injury) and also have an increased risk of having more severe long-lasting symptoms than male counterparts. The lack of disclosure of that information given the overwhelming evidence to support that viewpoint, I have to view it as morally inappropriate."
Stormers move above Bulls to second place after thrilling home win
The Stormers hurdled the Bulls in to second place in the BKT United Rugby Championship with a 37-27 success in Cape Town.
A pulsating first half ended 13-13 with the Bulls twice having been reduced to 14 men and the contest very much in the balance.
But three tries in five second-half minutes turned the tide the way of the Stormers, who have now won 17 consecutive games at home.
Read more:
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