Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, June 29.
Halaholo fights his way back
Wales star Willis Halaholo is fighting his way back towards fitness after the heartbreaking injury he suffered last season which has derailed his career.
Halaholo suffered a serious Achilles injury in what he described as a "freak accident" on the training ground back in March when he was close to returning from previous hamstring trouble. The initial prognosis was he would be out for six to 12 months after undergoing surgery, with his Cardiff contract coming to an end this summer.
Despite the numerous setbacks he has suffered, Halaholo is facing his recovery with a positive attitude, sharing a video with fans as he enters the 16th week of his long road back. He is due to begin running soon and still has a lot to offer professional rugby as he searches for a new club. The centre was a real fans' favourite at the Arms Park and it remains to be seen what his next move is as he battles back to fitness.
Wales army camp 'a highlight' for players
Wales hooker Elliot Dee says there is a "brilliant" atmosphere within Warren Gatland's squad right now ahead of the trip to a high altitude camp in Switzerland next week.
Dee revealed the highlight of Wales' preparations so far has been a surprise off-site trip to The Green Mile army-style camp in Taffs Well, where players were taken out of their comfort zone and challenged physically and mentally. You can read details on what they did here.
The Dragons man knows there is more hard work to come in Switzerland, and says there as an element of nervous excitement among the Welsh players.
He said: "It's nice to see some old faces and some new. It has been a brilliant atmosphere so far. The boys have worked really hard, everyone wants to get better and it is just a brilliant environment to be involved in.
"It was great to get off-site last week. We went up to The Green Mile training camp and didn't really know what to expect. It was really enjoyable and was good to get hard work done, not know what was coming, work hard and then have a beer afterwards with the boys and spend some quality time together. That was a highlight so far."
Looking ahead to Switzerland, he said: "I know how tough it is from going in the past but it will stand us in good stead for what we will face at the World Cup. It's sort of the unknown again. There are lots of rumours going around, lots of boys who haven't been before asking what are we going to do. Ultimately we know we will get our heads down, use the advantages of the altitude and it will put us in a good place for the World Cup."
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Gatland wants 'peer pressure'
As Wales' World Cup preparations ramp up a level, coach Warren Gatland wants the players to drive standards and not be afraid to call each other out if needed.
Gatland believes that player accountability will be key. When asked if he thought the players were now understanding what he required from them, he said: "I think so, yeah. Just giving simple messages through the other coaches and Martyn Williams about the standards we expect both on and off the field, and making sure we drive that, but not so much from a coaching perspective.
"I spoke to the players about how powerful peer pressure was and then being comfortable being critical of their teammates about the standards they expect from each other. So those are the types of things we need to make sure we are really strong with and drive. As a group we need to get as much out of the players as we possibly can because we expect to do well hopefully because of the hard work we put in."
Wales Under-20s in action
Wales continue their World Rugby Under-20s Championship campaign today with a lunchtime match against Japan.
Mark Jones' side are favourites for victory after losing to New Zealand by a single point in the opening match.
Two losing bonus points from that fixture still give them hope of doing well in the competition, with a group match against France still to come. Wales v Japan, which will take place in South Africa, kicks off at 1pm UK time. Details on how to watch and follow are here.
