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These are your morning headlines on Sunday, December 14
These are the rugby stories making headlines on Sunday, December 14
Wales star’s exit confirmed
Leicester Tigers coach Geoff Parling has lamented the exit of Wales international Nicky Smith, saying he wanted to keep the ex-Osprey at Welford Road.
Smith is set to sign with Sale Sharks, with Tigers confirming his departure on Saturday.
Fellow Wales team-mate Rhys Carre is rumoured to be replacing him in the east Midlands but Parling says they wanted to retain Smith’s services, pointing to his influence on the squad as a whole.
“Nicky is firstly a great player, and secondly a great character to have in the changing room,” he said. “With this in mind, we would have loved to have kept him for the next couple of years, but he has decided to take up a longer-term offer elsewhere.
“We know how committed he is right now, and we’ll continue to look forward to big performances from him for the rest of the season.
“We will reveal another group of retained players this week and are having advanced negotiations with targeted recruits which we will announce when things are finalised.”
Cardiff win it at death
PA
Fly-half Callum Sheedy kicked a last-gasp penalty as Cardiff fought back from 26-12 down to beat Ulster 29-26 and open their Pool 3 account at the second time of asking.
The hosts need just six minutes to go ahead at Cardiff Arms Park when second row George Nott went over and Leigh Halfpenny added the conversion, and they increased their lead through winger Tom Bowen’s 12th-minute try.
However, Ulster reduced the deficit to five points when hooker Tom Stewart crossed and Jake Flannery added the two points, and they were 14-12 ahead at the break after Flannery converted centre James Hume’s 39th-minute try.
Winger Werner Kok touched down within four minutes of the restart to increase the visitors’ advantage to seven points, and then repeated the feat with 53 minutes gone to claim a bonus point, Flannery’s third successful kick making it 26-12.
Replacement Danny Southworth edged the Welsh side back into it with a 64th-minute try which was converted by Sheedy, but both sides were reduced to 14 three minutes later when Cardiff flanker James Botham and Ulster lock Harry Sheridan were shown yellow cards.
Sheridan’s team-mate Ben Carson joined him on the sideline as time ran down and the home side made their numerical advantage tell almost immediately, back row Dan Thomas going over for a fourth try to allow Sheedy to tie it up at 26-26 with seven minutes to play, and Sheedy’s penalty at the death proved decisive.
“It is nice with times like that when the hard work pays off,” said Sheedy.
“I’m really pleased it went over. Those kicks come once a season or once every couple of seasons, so I’m chuffed.”
The thirty-year-old added: “With a match-winning kick it focuses you even more and you go back to your process.
“It was actually the stillest night I’ve ever had at the Arms Park. Usually the wind’s going everywhere, so someone’s looking down on me.”
Peel praises new signing
Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel says he was happy with his players’ effort in the 50-21 defeat to Bordeaux-Begles.
The defending champions ran in eight tries against the west Walians and showed their quality on the continent.
After last week’s agonising defeat to Bristol Bears at Parc y Scarlets, that’s two European defeats from two but Peel looked to the positives – particularly the performance of new signing Fletcher Anderson, who registered a brace on the night.
“It is obviously disappointing that we didn’t get anything out of the game, we were fighting hard for that fourth try at the end,” he said.
“I can’t fault the effort of the boys, it was just our inaccuracies that hurt us out there, you can’t allow a side of the quality of Bordeaux easy ins and I felt we did that at times.
“Our forwards carried strongly, I thought Fletcher Anderson at eight was excellent, he has been a really good signing for us.
“When we were in their 22 we took our tries well, it was just frustrating that the game got away through our inaccuracies.”
Connacht sweep aside Black Lion
PA
Connacht swept past Georgian side Black Lion 52-0 at the Dexcom Stadium, with Paul Boyle having scored a first-half hat-trick of tries.
Boyle took just 54 seconds to get the home side on the board before Black Lion saw winger Shalva Aptsiauri sent to the sin-bin for a trip on Chay Mullins.
Connacht back-row Boyle scored a second try in the eighth minute, with Caolin Blade then also going over following an assist from Hugh Gavin. Boyle completed his hat-trick score in the 27th minute.
Sam Illo and Shayne Bolton further extended Connacht’s advantage to 38-0 at half-time, with Sam Gilbert having kicked four conversions.
Connacht, beaten by Ospreys last time out, made changes for the second half, but it remained one-way traffic as they added a seventh try when Blade went over in the 52nd minute.
Bolton also got a second try in the 66th minute, with Gilbert again getting the extras as Connacht closed out a dominant bonus-point victory in Galway.
