Here are the latest rugby headlines on Friday, April 14.
Rugby World Cup bosses defend uneven pool draw
The organisers of this autumn's Rugby World Cup have defended what many critics have described as an uneven pool draw.
The draw for the pool stages was made three years ago, when many sides who are currently in the bottom half of the world rankings were in a far healthier position. This has led to the top five sides in the world finding themselves on one side of the draw, which inevitably means some of the tournament favourites will exit at an early stage.
But Michel Poussau, the executive director of France 2023, has defended the decision to do the draw early, of which former England star Stuart Barnes has previously said: “Unfortunately, the ridiculously early pool draw in December 2020 has distorted the next World Cup."
"The reality is rugby has never been as competitive," he told the BBC. "Yes, at the moment you have number one to number five [on one side], but it was completely different a couple of years ago, and it might be different [come the tournament]. That is a consequence of rugby being so tight in terms of rankings and the levels of the various teams. The narrative will be we will have an explosive start and an amazing end. It will be amazing from start to the end."
Tournament chairman Jacques Rivoal is confident it will be a roaring success.
"We have sold all the tickets and have 37 sponsors; the event is very, very attractive," he told the BBC. "We have never had such a competitive tournament; it is very difficult to imagine now who will lift the Webb Ellis Cup on 28 October."
Wales star bemused by England coach's idea
Wales scrum-half star Keira Bevan was left bemused by suggestions from England head coach Simon Middleton that women players should be allowed to take their kicks at goal closer to the posts.
Both sides face off at the Arms Park on Saturday afternoon in what promises to be a rip-roaring occasion in front of a sell-out crowd.
“To be honest I thought it was a quite bizarre suggestion as he has got some of the best kickers in the world in his team," Bevan told The Guardian. "[England full-back] Emma Sing slotted one from the touchline against Italy and that had another five or 10 metres in it.
“I saw former England coach Gary Street saying that players like Emily Scarratt and Katy Daley-Mclean, who are both fantastic kickers, are not freaks of nature, they just put the hours in and worked hard at it. I think it’s about that – how willing you are to work to get better at a skill and how much time you have. We have more time than ever now so it’s going to get better.”
Cardiff target Champions Cup qualification
Cardiff captain Josh Turnbull insists the Welsh club are desperate to finish a turbulent season by sealing their place in next season's Champions Cup. To do so, they will have to end the season as the URC's highest-ranking Welsh team and claim the Welsh Shield, with Connacht and regional rivals the Ospreys, at Judgement Day, their only remaining fixtures.
Cardiff are currently in pole position, four points ahead of the Ospreys.
"Ultimately it gives you entry into Champions Cup rugby," said Turnbull when asked how much the winning the Welsh Shield would mean to his side. "Winning that gives you an opportunity to play the top teams in Europe and that's ultimately what you want to test yourselves against. That's something we want to achieve."
It has been an awfully difficult month for the Blue & Blacks, with life president Peter Thomas sadly passing away a fortnight ago. And Turnbull has nothing but praise for the way his teammates have dealt with the emotions off the field.
"I think a couple of weeks ago when everything started to happen off the field, a lot of the boys were down and the mood wasn't great to be honest," he said. "But the last couple of weeks, I couldn't be more complimentary of the boys for how they've handled things and really come back at it.
"They put us in a good position in that game against Sale, which we won. That was after Peter's passing, which was a sad time for everyone at the club. Now it's given motivation for us as there's a lot of players moving on and the squad will look completely different next year."
Wales openside starts for Tigers
Wales openside Tommy Reffell will start for Leicester Tigers for their Gallagher Premiership clash with Exeter Chiefs at Welford Road on Sunday.
The English champions' form has dipped of late following former head coach Steve Borthwick's decision to leave the East Midlands for the England head coach job.
A Champions Cup quarter-final thrashing at the hands of Leinster in Dublin last Friday was a massive blow but the Tigers still sit in third place on the Premiership table. Despite their patchy form, Reffell has been a standout figure for the Tigers and they will need the Pencoed man to be at his best if they are to see off the challenge of Exeter.
IRFU not a sexist organisation, says head coach
Ireland Women's head coach Greg McWilliams insists the Irish Rugby Football Union is not a sexist organisation.
McWilliams felt the need to defend the culture at the IRFU after The Telegraph published allegations from an anonymous player who alleged that members were refused protein supplements as they prepared for last summer's tour to Japan, that the switch from white to blue shorts over period concerns was done without proper consultation with the players and that this was a public relations stunt.
Her allegations also included alleged offensive comments made by a prominent figure in Ireland rugby about the women's game at a president's dinner in Dublin last month, and the IRFU's supposed failure to explore the option of 'hybrid contracts' - which was a specific request from players - with the union instead favouring a "full-time or nothing attitude". Many players rejected historic Irish contracts last year as it would have meant them leaving their English Premier 15s club - widely regarded as the best women's league in the world - to play domestic rugby at home.
"Lots of it is historic, it's the same things that you could have talked about last year," said McWilliams. "When I met David Nucifora [IRFU performance director] in 2021, he outlined a plan and everything that we talked about, we're on track and that's all we can focus on.
"I was the only full-time staff member on 1 December. We now have seven full-time staff members and eight contractors that come into us for competition week, we've eight new employments along our pathways and centres of excellence so there's been a massive growth in that time.
"To be honest with you, talking about things historically, we can't control, we can't control external noise, we can control what we can do. What happened previously, you know, I can't stop people talking about.
"It's an interesting article but again, it's nearly irrelevant at this stage. We're moving forward and we've a great plan, we've got good resources around it."
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