Here are the rugby headlines for Saturday September 10.
Tipuric ready to get even better
Justin Tipuric says he’s enjoying the fierce competition provided by the Ospreys’ stable of up-and-coming opensides.
Jac Morgan and Harri Deaves are just two of the back-rowers nipping at the heels of the Wales ace, who recently returned from 14 months out of the game. With the likes of Dan Lydiate, Morgan Morris and Will Griffiths also vying for places, the Ospreys - as has often been the case for all the Welsh sides in recent years - have real strength in depth in that particular contingent.
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Tipuric faces even sterner competition as he looks to regain his Wales number seven jersey ahead of the World Cup, with Tommy Reffell the man in possession and Morgan and Taine Basham each having their admirers.
For Tipuric, the constant competition is something he thrives on.
“I’m really enjoying our back-row at the minute,” he said of the Ospreys battle for places. “I was saying to the coaches the other day, we could put three different lots of back-rows out and we wouldn’t be weakened.
“It’s good. We’re all learning off each other, even at my young age now! You still want to get better and better.
“We have our little back-row team and walking off the pitch you end up talking as back-rowers. What went well, what could go better. I think as a back-row unit, we’re pushing each other to get better all the time. We’re going to be better as a club for that.”
Welsh eyes turn to England
Welsh rugby fans will turn to England today to get their weekend oval ball fix.
The WRU have called off senior matches in Wales following the news about the Queen, but the English Gallagher Premiership season does kick off this afternoon.
Exeter host Leicester in a game being shown on TV, while London Irish clash with Worcester and Newcastle meet with Harlequins.
Bristol then face Bath in a mouthwatering west country derby opener, although that game has a TV blackout.
Two more big clashes take place on Sunday when Wales flier Rees-Zammit starts for Gloucester against Wasps, but Dan Biggar has not been considered for selection as Northampton clash with Sale.
Mini, junior and u18s matches already scheduled in Wales will take place, with clubs requested to observe a period of two minutes silence ahead of kick-off.
Under fire Foster told he's 'lucky not to be in Premier League'
New Zealand boss Ian Foster has been told to thank his lucky stars he's not in football's Premier League because he 'would have been toast long ago.'
A column down under for Stuff compares the way New Zealand rugby chiefs have backed under-fire Foster to little Bournemouth's ruthless dismissal of promotion winning manager Scott Parker and Chelsea's sacking of Thomas Tuchel this week.
The Blacks have had a wretched run of results, although they did turn things around last time out with a Rugby Championship thumping of Argentina.
Foster's future has come under intense scrutiny, but it has been decided he will take the team through to the World Cup.
The column read: "When it comes to coach sackings, spare a thought for a guy by the name of Scott Parker.
"Our very own Ian Foster can thank his lucky stars he's not coaching in Britain's Premier League or he would have been toast long ago.
"Chelsea booted their manager on Thursday after only six games, but Parker had guided Bournemouth back to the big stage last year and four games into this season was chopped.
"Last weekend, a few days after Parker was sacked, a leaderless Bournemouth came from 2-0 down to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 away. You could probably credit Foster for a similar bounce-back against Argentina, but it appeared his new side-kicks, Joe Schmidt and Jason Ryan, at last had had sufficient time to get the All Blacks to play full-frontal aggression and abandon Foster's suicidal waves of backline attacks.
"Maybe the Pumas had their minds on turmoil at home with inflation at 71% and an attempted assassination of their vice president."
Foster's team are back in action in Melbourne on Thursday when they clash with Australia in the next round of Rugby Championship matches, before a return game with the Wallabies the following week at Eden Park.
They then meet Japan before heading to Cardiff for a Principality Stadium showdown with Wales on November 5. If results continue to go wrong, and Foster comes under more fire, there will be genuine hopes of a first Welsh win over New Zealand since 1953.
Wayne Pivac's side have already made history this year with a first victory on South African soil.
English club's crisis 'alarming and stressful'
England international Matt Kvesic admits that Worcester's alarming financial plight has proved a "stressful" and "upsetting" experience.
But Kvesic has mirrored a collective desire to put the Gallagher Premiership club back on track.
Worcester kick off their Premiership campaign against London Irish amid HM Revenue & Customs freezing the club's finances in its pursuit of unpaid tax, and players and staff seeing wages delayed. Worcester co-owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham insist they remain in talks with possible buyers for the business, although four Worcestershire MPs have called for Warriors to be placed in administration.
"Let's not gloss over the fact that it has been pretty stressful. It has been a tough couple of months, really," Kvesic said.
"But the way the boys have responded has been pretty exceptional. Steve Diamond laid the law down pretty early on. He said we are going to ride this out and stay tight.
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"There is no point sulking or going off in little groups and moaning about bits. The best way to behave is to stay tight and show that we are together as a group."
Kvesic, who has won four England caps, continued: "There is nothing I can do that will directly impact what is going on above me. I just have to do my job.
"I have experienced a couple of different clubs (Gloucester and Exeter) which I am really grateful for, but for me this is my home. To see where we are is upsetting.
"But we don't want to turn up for the first game of the Premiership season and just make the numbers up. Preparation has been a bit more tricky, but we know how to play rugby, so it is about going out and putting our best foot forward against Irish and showing we mean business."
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