Here are the latest rugby headlines on Friday, September 30.
World Rugby set for crunch talks with concussion lawsuit party
Lawyers for World Rugby are for the first time set to meet the legal team representing former rugby players who claim they suffered brain injuries due to playing the game, according to The Times.
More than 200 players have launched legal proceedings against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union, claiming they have developed neurological disorders including early onset dementia. They include former Wales captain Ryan Jones, who revealed his dementia diagnosis in a harrowing interview earlier this year.
It is reported that lawyers representing World Rugby’s insurers have requested the meeting as something of a fact-finding mission but are not expected to make any kind of offer regarding damages. Rylands Law is representing the players.
A separate action is set to be filed by 35 former amateur players, including five women, and Rylands is also acting for 85 rugby league players.
Ashton Hewitt praises Dragons head coach
Ashton Hewitt has revealed how the light touch of head coach Dan Flanagan has revitalized the Dragons.
The Rodney Parade wing was part of a squad that went from the depths of a 44-6 hammering away to Edinburgh on the opening weekend of the United Rugby Championship, to the joys of a first home win in 17 months against Munster just a week later.
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Now comes the acid test of backing up last week’s win, when Hewitt and his teammates host South Africa’s Sharks on Saturday night, in a match which is being broadcast live on S4C from 7.30pm. Back-to-back victories is something the Dragons have not managed since December 2020, but Hewitt is insistent the increasing influence of Flanagan is a cause for optimism.
“Dai is one of the boys,” says Hewitt, about a coach who joined in the summer and has taken charge since the removal from front of house of Dean Ryan and the alleged departure of the director of rugby.
“He is happy to get involved in every way he can. He is honest, but he is positive and he’s making a big impact. Dai has been a great addition to the coaching staff. He wants to play quick, positive rugby which is what we want to be all about.
“He brings different experiences, which we can all learn from and good ideas on how best to implement that game plan. We had a solid pre-season, working on the team that we really want to be. Dai was a big part of that. He’s been great for us in getting us towards that style of play we want to be renowned for.”
Hewitt had spent 17 months on the sidelines with a serious knee injury before he returned to action in pre-season and then made his first start against Munster. The 27-year-old was not on the scoresheet, but has happy enough when fellow wing Rio Dyer burst between two tacklers to score a dramatic and decisive late try.
“We all know how dangerous he can be,” says Hewitt of Dyer, who is five years his junior. “It was good to see him get some ball in hand. The wingers were starved of ball against Edinburgh. That can be extremely frustrating.
“As wings, it was nice to get our hands on the ball. Rio, especially, was punishing mistakes from the opposition defence and I was buzzing for him. That score summed the energy and excitement of how we want to play. Rio has the attributes to score those kinds of tries if we can get the ball to him in space. Long may it continue.”
Dragons fans, though, have seen one-off performances that have heralded false dawns too many times before. A follow-up win against a Sharks side that finished fifth in the URC table last season, and beat Zebre in Parma last week, would be a different statement and the wing admits: “As a team it is in the back of everyone’s mind that we need to back up that win. The Sharks will be physical and they will try and bully us up front. They will bring a really aggressive defence, too.
“But with the South African sides, it’s about taking them out of their comfort zone and making life unpredictable for them. You can’t allow them to just stick to their shapes. But we have to look more to ourselves. We can’t drop from the levels and mentality we had against Munster. We have to make sure we enjoy these moments, but we also want to normalise them.”
S4C is broadcasting Dragons v Sharks live on Saturday from 7.30pm. You can also watch Benetton v Scarlets live from 5pm on Saturday, and a full match replay of Ospreys v Glasgow on Sunday from 4.25pm. English commentary will be available.
Women's Rugby World Cup set for record attendance
The record attendance for a women's Rugby World Cup match is set to be broken when the tournament begins in New Zealand on October 8. More than 30,000 tickets have been sold for the opening matchday at Eden Park in Auckland, which has a capacity of 50,000.
There will be three fixtures in one day at the venue, which is also hosting the semi-finals and final, with all group-stage matches being played on weekends and three per day. On the opening day, the attendance is expected to surpass the record of 20,000 set at the 2014 Rugby World Cup in France.
South Africa v France will open the tournament, with England playing Fiji and hosts New Zealand also in action against Australia on the opening day. Wales' first match is against Scotland on October 9.
The 2022 opener is set to be the largest attendance at a standalone women's sports matchday in New Zealand, with the previous mark being 16,162 for the under-17s football World Cup final between the United States and North Korea in 2008.
The 2017 World Cup final in Belfast - where New Zealand beat England - was played in front of 17,115 fans.
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