Here are the latest rugby stories from Wales and beyond on Tuesday, November 8.
Wales insist Alun Wyn picked on merit
Wales defence coach Gethin Jenkins says Alun Wyn Jones is in the Wales matchday squad on merit as he refused to get involved in comments about the 37-year-old's international future.
Springboks legend Tendai Mtawarira called on Jones to retire after Saturday's defeat against the All Blacks, saying: "Alun Wyn Jones - about time to retire. A good dancer knows when to leave the dance floor. I am sure there is a young Welsh lock waiting for his turn in that jersey."
Jones came on as a half-time replacement and struggled to impact the game, although Mtawarira's assessment seems harsh on a player who stood little chance of impressing as part of a dominated Welsh pack.
Jenkins was typically blunt in his response when asked about the comments at a press conference on Tuesday, adding: "I don't get involved in all that talk. Look, Al has had a great career and he is still working as hard as anyone in the squad. We have got four or five second-rows and we try and treat them all the same. We judge on performances and the effort people put in on the training park. We've selected Al in the squad, and we select the team every week in what we think is the best pick for that game."
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More Wales internationals picked by Barbarians
Wales internationals Owen Williams and Jonah Holmes have been named in the Barbarians squad to play Northampton in a special match at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday, November 26.
They are joined by former Cardiff flanker Will Boyde, who left the region last season in a surprise exit. The team will be coached by former Cardiff boss John Mulvihill and Geordan Murphy.
Williams is currently without a club after losing his job at Worcester Warriors following the club's financial implosion, while Holmes is now playing for Ealing Trailfinders after leaving the Dragons and ending his Wales career in the summer.
The trio follow Rhys Webb and Aaron Wainwright in representing the Barbarians this month, with that pair playing in a match against an All Blacks XV at Twickenham on Sunday.
Wales' injury blow
Wales have suffered a double injury blow ahead of their Autumn Nations Series clash against Argentina with Leigh Halfpenny and Tommy Reffell both ruled out.
Full-back Halfpenny was selected to start the series-opening appointment with New Zealand last weekend, but he aggravated a hamstring problem and was officially withdrawn just over an hour before kick-off.
Leicester flanker Reffell suffered a rib injury during the 55-23 defeat and was forced off.
Wales assistant coach Gethin Jenkins has confirmed that both players will miss the Pumas clash in Cardiff on Saturday.
"Leigh is not going to be available this week, and Tommy won't be available," defence specialist Jenkins said.
"They are the only two, I think, at the moment that are fully ruled out for the weekend."
Gareth Anscombe was switched from fly-half to full-back as Halfpenny's replacement against the All Blacks, with Rhys Priestland starting in the number 10 shirt.
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac could go down the same route against Argentina, although he should have another option with the versatile Josh Adams now back in full training after a hand injury.
Wales captain Justin Tipuric looks set to move across the back-row from blindside to openside, with potentially Dan Lydiate or Exeter's Christ Tshiunza at number six.
Pivac's team will host a Pumas side fresh from defeating England 30-29 at Twickenham.
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Jones refuses to stop experimenting
Eddie Jones has urged his England players to bounce back from Sunday's shock loss to Argentina but says he will continue to use the Autumn Nations Series to experiment with an eye on next year's World Cup.
Jones insisted he takes full responsibility for the 29-30 loss, believing he allowed attention to stray towards the squad's long-term expectations, and he expects a reaction when they take on Japan this weekend.
"I was very disappointed with the last game," head coach Jones said. "We weren't good enough and it was totally my responsibility.
"When your team doesn't play to the potential you want, there is always something in the message that you're giving the team that's not quite clear.
"When I reflect on the game, we've been looking at a number of long-term strategies to get ourselves set for the World Cup, and maybe our focus wasn't tight enough on the Argentina game. Maybe we were over-thinking a bit, and that's entirely my fault.
"There's a cluster of teams at the top of world rugby and we want to break that cluster, and to do that we have to have a number of ways to play the game. This next 11 months is to get enough equipment in our armoury so we can play in any way."
Read more:
Jonathan Davies pulls apart Wales' problems and fears the solutions may not exist right now
Wales suffer double injury blow for Argentina game but wingers back in training
Missing captain Dan Biggar 'feared the worst' watching Wales v New Zealand from the stands
'Utterly appalling' autumn international incident sparks outrage in rugby world
