Here are the latest rugby headlines on Monday, March 6.
Jarrod Evans exit 'devastating'
Jarrod Evans' upcoming exit from Cardiff has been dubbed "devastating", with the 26-year-old fly-half having been at the region since he was 14 years old.
Evans is set to join Harlequins, with Cardiff director of rugby Dai Young saying the club was unable to match an offer for him due to the drastic budget cuts facing all four Welsh regions.
Asked what Cardiff's fly-half situation will look like without Evans, former Wales international James Hook told Scrum V: "It's so sad. Everything that's been good about Cardiff's attack this season has been through Jarrod Evans, Rey Lee-Lo, [Willis] Halaholo. So to lose him [Evans] is devastating from a Cardiff point of view. Look at Dai Young, his hands are tied.
"It looks like [Rhys] Priestland is not going to be there at the end of next year so they're going to have to look into the academy cupboard, or Ben Thomas can play there obviously, we've seen that. It's not great from a Cardiff point of view."
Evans has played more than 120 times for Cardiff and totalled more than 750 points for his home region.
Young said: "I can't tell you where Jarrod is going, that's his business, but I can tell you we can't put a competitive offer on the table anywhere near the offers he's had. So we're pretty much feeling that he is leaving unfortunately which is really sad, when you think that kid's been here since he was 14."
Evans won the last of his eight Wales caps against Argentina in November 2021, and would be ineligible for Wales under the new 25-cap selection rule if he exited a Welsh side.
'Regions will rely more on academies'
Former Wales prop Chris Horsman believes Welsh sides will be relying on their academies more and more over the coming seasons, but has warned the infrastructure has to be in place for youngsters.
When Cardiff turned to their academy for their European fixtures in 2021/22 while their senior squad were in quarantine after a South Africa trip, it was inspiring, but that could soon become more of a norm.
Horsman told Scrum V: "Teams are going to be relying on their academy to basically fill matchday squads. Most teams have a 20/25% injury rate, 36-man squad. Suddenly you could be getting it down to bare bones.
"It's a double-edged sword: you can bring young players in but what we have to ensure, now more than ever, is that the coaching support in and around the academies, the structure, the infrastructure, the plans, the processes, the coaching... is absolutely top drawer because if we're going to rely on these young players we cannot and should not let them go into senior rugby if the development is not fit for purpose. It's absolutely crucial that we get that pathway going forward."
Dan Lydiate to play for new contract
One positive from the Ospreys' 21-20 defeat to Benetton on Saturday was seeing back-rower Dan Lydiate return for his first outing since November.
The veteran Wales back-rower suffered a broken arm against Argentina in round two of the autumn series. He featured for 61 minutes and says he will now bid to chase down a new contract at the region.
Writing on Twitter, the 35-year-old said: "Not the result we wanted but great to be back out there after breaking my arm in November 61 mins under the belt and looking forward to a big end of season ready to go again and chase down a contract".
Dragons captain disappointed
Dragons captain Rhodri Williams could not hide his disappointment that 14-man Dragons could not end the home season on a high as they were edged out 22-20 by Connacht Rugby. The round 15 clash in the United Rugby Championship at Rodney Parade ebbed and flowed all night before a dramatic late surge charge just short.
“We are gutted,” conceded Williams. “We blew a few opportunities towards the end, one myself with a pre-called play from the forwards. I was just a little too early and couldn’t finish it off. We’re all disappointed. I felt like we had chances and I felt there was a no arms at the end and we deserved a penalty to win that game.
“We’ve got some time to reflect now with a few weeks with no games and a bit of rest and recovery over the next week. We weren’t there first half, we’re a lot better than that physically, but when we did show up, we showed what we could do. We’re gutted as it’s the last game at home. We wanted to put a bit of a show on and a bit of a thank you to the fans for the year they have given us.”
Marcus Smith recalled to England squad for clash with France
Marcus Smith has been recalled to the 36-man England squad for their Guinness Six Nations clash with France. Having been dropped from the training camp in Brighton last week, Smith returns to join Owen Farrell and George Ford as the options for Steve Borthwick at fly-half.
Smith came off the bench during England's last two Six Nations matches against Italy and Wales, but played less than nine minutes of Test rugby across those fixtures. However, he played for Harlequins against Exeter and put in a good performance during their 40-5 victory, earning a recall to the 36-man squad.
His place in the matchday 23 - which will be announced on Tuesday - is less certain, though, following Ford's return to fitness.
Manu Tuilagi was also named in the squad, but cannot appear in the match through suspension. Cadan Murley was included as the only uncapped player in the squad.
England bounced back from a disappointing 29-23 defeat to Scotland at Twickenham in the opening match of the Six Nations to overcome Italy and Wales in their last two games.
Full England squad - forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis.
Backs: Henry Arundell, Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, George Ford, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Henry Slade, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs.
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