Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, September 29.
Scarlets explain scrum-half thinking
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel has explained his approach to the starting scrum-half jersey so far this season, with Gareth Davies having started the first two matches of the United Rugby Championship campaign ahead of Wales team-mate Kieran Hardy.
Hardy got the nod in South Africa this summer, starting all three Tests against the Springboks for Wayne Pivac's side to bring his tally of caps up to 14. Ten of those caps have come since the start of the 2021/22 season, while 2021 Lions tourist Davies has made just five appearances for his country in the same period of time.
However, while Hardy appears to be ahead of Scarlets team-mate Davies in the Welsh pecking order, it's not quite so clear-cut back in Llanelli. Davies started against the Ospreys and Ulster, with Hardy on the bench on both occasions.
However, Peel stressed that while Davies has worn the jersey early on thanks to some form at the end of last season, both players, as well as Dane Blacker, will get opportunities in the coming weeks and months.
"I think we need to discuss Dane Blacker as when he's played for us, he's been excellent," said Peel when asked about the scrum-half battle. "So we've three competing for it.
"As for the reasons why, I think Gareth finished the season well for us and that's how we saw it. But from our perspective, there's going to opportunity for all three of them to play.
"As a coach, you have to factor that in. In terms of minutes split, there's not been too much in between them in terms of time played. Obviously Gar has started the first two so I'm sure Kieran will get opportunities to start.
"With Gar and Dane, there's a good mix of three there, and we've got the two young boys underneath as well. It's about taking opportunities when it arises.
"I'm sure at the start of the season we'll see some rotation, but for me, whoever starts and finishes the game, it's a squad effort for us. All three of them have different strengths so we'll use those strengths how we see fit."
Bundee Aki hit with eight-week ban
Lions star Bundee Aki will miss most of Ireland's autumn campaign due to a hefty ban for a red card.
The Connacht man was given his marching orders for a dangerous clearout while featuring against the Stormers at the weekend, angrily confronting the referee over what he was supposed to do when the third red of his career was brandished.
He has now been suspended for eight weeks which rules him out of all three of his country's November games, but his ban could be cut by a week if he completes World Rugby's coaching intervention programme. That would free him up for Ireland v Australia on November 19.
Aki's off-field acceptance of foul play, expression of remorse, apologies to his opponent and referee, and his willingness to engage with his coaches on a plan to address this issue are listed as mitigating factors, bringing the ban down by four weeks to six weeks, but his previous bans for red cards in 2019 and 2021 for foul play involving head contact, plus a suspension relating to conduct to referees, were considered aggravating factors and an eight-week ban was decided upon.
"After an act of foul play against DHL Stormers player No 11 (Seabelo Senatla) referee Gianluca Gnecchi showed the player a red card in the 60th minute of the game under Law 9.20(a) – A Player must not charge into a ruck or maul," a URC statement said. "Charging includes any contact made without binding onto another Player in the ruck or maul.
"In his responses to the judicial officer overseeing the disciplinary process (Pamela Woodman, Scotland), the player had accepted that he had committed an act of foul play which warranted a red card. She determined that the player’s actions towards Seabelo Senatla were reckless and took into account, among other things, the speed, force and high degree of danger in the player’s actions. Ms. Woodman determined that, had it been based on this conduct alone, the offending would have been categorised as mid-range on the scale of seriousness.
"However, Ms. Woodman also considered the player’s actions and demeanour towards the referee... which she found did not meet the expected standards of conduct or respect. This was also taken into account (in accordance with URC’s disciplinary rules) in determining that the player’s offending was at the top-end on the scale of seriousness, which warranted an entry point sanction of 10 weeks."
English clubs set to be forced to offer touch
Community rugby clubs in England are set to be ordered by the RFU that they need to offer touch rugby or other adapted forms as an alternative to full-contact 15-a-side, according to The Times.
The proposed changes are in response to a reduction in participation numbers, with full proposed plans set to be drafted by March.
RFU chairman Tom Ilube told a conference this month: "We’re allowing ourselves to say: ‘We’ve always done it that way,’ but should we be trying something different?”
Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive, insisted this new direction does not spell the end of the game as we know it. “We’re going to try to get people away from: it’s either that or it’s that,” he said. “Let’s have the traditional 15-a-side game and other formats.”
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