Your rugby evening headlines for Tuesday, October 25.
Pivac explains Tipuric call
Wales boss Wayne Pivac has explained why he made Justin Tipuric captain for the 2022 autumn internationals.
Dan Biggar is currently out of action after suffering a knee injury on duty with Northampton recently. In his place, Tipuric will lead the national side, a decision which came as a surprise to many, including the man himself.
But Pivac explained that his respect among the squad and experience meant he was the man for the job.
"He is a very senior player, has captained the side before when we first took over against the Barbarians and did a very good job on those first couple of weeks," said Pivac.
"We think he will command a starting position and he has got the respect of all the players in the squad from the most senior player down to the most junior.
"We also look at the ability to communicate with referees and the influence you may or may not be able to have on a game.
"We think he ticks the boxes we needed to be ticked.
"Justin can play in all three back row positions so we have multiple options with the group that we have got.
"Clearly when it comes to selection we are already talking around the likely and possible selection for New Zealand and Justin will be in the mix somewhere."
Peel insists Scarlets are on same page
Scarlets boss Dwayne Peel insists he and his squad are on the same page and hopes the return of up to 15 injured or suspended players will offer a significant boost over the next month.
The west Walians stand 15th in the United Rugby Championship table, with only Zebre below them, after a difficult start to the season in which they have so far won one game from their opening six. Injuries and two suspensions have hit them hard, with 18 players unavailable for the 34-16 defeat to Connacht last Friday.
Peel has also lost his Wales internationals now, too, and is not expecting any of his seven called-up players to be released to face Leinster at home on Friday night.
"The reality is the block hasn't gone where we wanted to be," Peel said. "In terms of coming in and working hard and everything, the boys have been great. It's just in those pressure moments, we haven't been accurate enough. We haven't managed to grasp the game when it's been on the line yet. That's a disappointment in itself, but the boys are in the frame of mind that they want to get it right. In terms of the group, they've worked hard and they're together in this, we're together in this, and we need to work our way through it. That's the bottom line. Everyone's on page with what we're trying to do, what the confidence is, confidence comes with form but that's a choice as well.
"We're obviously frustrated with it [set of results], but the thing I'm trying to get across to the players is we can only control what we can control, and there's elements of our game which are good and there are elements which need work. We have to continue to believe in what we're doing and go forward, which we are. I'm confident what we're doing is right. I'm sure the results will come."
As for reinforcements, Peel said: "Over the next month there's also 12 to 15 players coming back from injury, I know we've lost our international players for this period as well. We had two suspensions which have hurt us as well. We can't hide from that but what I would say is the group here who are representing us at the minute are working really hard at it."
Tipuric opens up on recovery doubts
Justin Tipuric has opened up on the doubts that he battled during his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury that wrecked his Lions hopes and kept him out of action for 15 months.
In the tourists' warm-up match against Japan last summer, the all-court openside shattered his scapula, an unusual injury with an unusual rehabilitation process.
The lack of clarity over how long it would take to heal made things difficult but now he is back in the Test arena and leading his country.
Reflecting on the injury, he said: "It was a bit unknown. There was no theory or history about whether I could or couldn’t come back. There was a little bit of doubt, but nothing major. I put my trust in the surgeon and the great S&C and medical team I had. I hoped I could get over the line.
"I am not going to say it was easy or hard. It was one of those things. I had good family and friends around me, and the medical team with the Ospreys were amazing. Any low days you had, they would be there to pick you up.
"I always had that aim to get back on the pitch. You are not the youngest and a few people are questioning if you are going to carry on or not, but you make the most of what you've got."
Glasgow return home after sickness bug
By PA Staff
Glasgow's entire squad have returned home safely to prepare for Friday's match with Benetton after illness wreaked havoc on their two-week trip to South Africa.
The club confirmed on Tuesday that 32 members of the travelling party became unwell with severe gastrointestinal illness during the tour, with last Saturday's United Rugby Championship match against Emirates Lions in Johannesburg being postponed after numbers of those stricken escalated in the week leading up to it.
An update from Glasgow read: "The symptoms of the illness and transmission behaved like norovirus and this has subsequently been confirmed via medical testing.
"The club escalated its infection control behaviours immediately after the first illness was identified and sought out advice from local and Scottish infection control experts throughout the tour.
"Durban coast is also currently colonised with E. Coli following the tragic floods in the region earlier this year and Glasgow Warriors took steps to mitigate exposure. Although present in our sample we await further tests to determine its role in our illness.
"Preparations have now begun for the club's upcoming game against Benetton at Scotstoun on Friday, October 28."
With the Lions game unable to go ahead, the only game of Warriors' tour brought a 40-12 defeat against Sharks a week past Saturday.
URC chief: Glasgow and Ulster could have carried bugs to SA
On the same story, United Rugby Championship chief executive Martin Anayi has said the early signs of their investigation suggest that Glasgow and Ulster took their sickness bugs to South Africa with them.
Last weekend, Ulster clash with the Sharks was postponed when 32 of their travelling part fell ill with gastroenteritis. Ulster, meanwhile, called put their game against the Lions on ice after an illness in their camp.
Anayi said both teams were struck by bacterial E. Coli and the Norovirus, and that the early stages of their review suggested the teams had travelling to South Africa with the bug.
However, both side's played their opening games in South Africa a week previously, with Ulster playing against the Lions and Glasgow the Sharks.
Speaking on a press call, the league chief is quoted by the42.ie as saying: “A review is ongoing because it’s important to understand what happened because it is quite odd, I think. But early indications are that it’s two separate bugs there, one E. Coli and one Norovirus, and there are some indications that they brought it with them as well.
“So there’s quite a lot to go into the medical review, which is ongoing and we’re looking into that. Our rules do state, however, that games should be replayed. So that’s the first point as to why the matches are listed as being postponed.”
An early, contradicting theory is that the teams fell ill after consuming local water.
“That’s why we’re doing the review, it’s not to cast any aspersions or accusations or anything like that, it’s just to understand what happened," Anayi added.
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