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The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond
Here’s your round-up of all the latest rugby news for the evening of Tuesday, December 16.
Hewitt worried by player exits
Former Dragons winger Ashton Hewitt says losing duo Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake to English side Gloucester could prove another ‘nail in the coffin’ of the Ospreys.
And, he says more of Welsh rugby’s brightest talents may now be tempted to follow suit, warning that an unprecedented number of exits could now unfold.
Hewitt believes the pair’s decision to head over the border has largely been motivated by the current uncertainties hanging over the future of the regional game, with the very future of the Ospreys seemingly thrown into doubt by the WRU’s plans to cut one side from the current line-up of four.
“Yes, there’s a history of players going elsewhere to get new experiences but there’s different reasons this time,” Hewitt told the Scrum V podcast.
“I’m worried.
“Is this like the nail in the coffin of the Ospreys in terms of which region is to go? But this will affect every region with people thinking about leaving.
“I think there will be more players going than we’ve seen at any one time than in the past.
“Until there’s a level of clarity and certainty in Wales you can’t blame them.”
Cardiff coach hails Halfpenny impact
Leigh Halfpenny’s impact has been praised after he made his first appearance for Cardiff in over a decade.
Over 4,000 days had passed since the former Wales full-back’s last outing for Cardiff back in 2014. But, having signed on as a player-coach at the Arms Park at the start of the season, Halfpenny made his first appearance of the campaign against Ulster last Saturday night.
The 36-year-old managed just under an hour, helping to set up Tom Bowen’s try.
A second appearance of the season against his former club Scarlets on Friday night might be too much of an ask given the six-day turnaround, but head coach Corniel van Zyl was full of praise for the influence of Halfpenny on and off the pitch.
“Basically, (keep doing) what he’s doing,” said van Zyl when asked how he saw Halfpenny’s role at the club. “He had a few bangs afterwards on Saturday.
“He’s probably resting a bit this week. First of all, he’s a player. Then he’s looking after the kickers. Offering his experience to the younger players is good.”
Cardiff will be looking to get the better of the Scarlets at the Arms Park for the first time since 2019.
The Blue and Blacks did beat the west Walians at home in 2021, but that game was played at Cardiff City Stadium.
“We are fully aware of that,” added van Zyl. “The last time we beat them at the Arms Park was 2019.
“It’s been a long time. Last year, they turned us over here.
“But there’s things to be excited about.”
Williams to keep Gloucester captaincy
Tomos Williams is set to keep the Gloucester captaincy, despite his decision to leave at the end of the season.
The Cherry and Whites announced earlier on Tuesday that the Wales scrum-half will leave at the end of the current campaign, prompting questions over whether it would be appropriate to lead the side into the remainder of this term.
However, Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington insists Williams is still the right man to skipper the team.
“He’s here for the rest of the season, so he remains captain for the rest of the season,” he said.
“I know with me and him having good chats he’ll give everything to the club.
“I knew when I made Tommy captain for this year that his contract was up, he’d been on a British Lions tour and I knew the reality of huge financial offers were going to come in, not just from this country, but all over. So I always knew Tommy being captain was never likely to be a long-term captaincy. There was always the risk that he would leave.
“I knew this could be a one-year captaincy so it’s not by any means an issue.
“I’ll deal with that at the back end of the year but I’m very confident we’ll have a very good captain in place for next season.
“In the here and now, I know Tommy will continue to do a good job for us.”
French champions docked points and fined
Reigning Top 14 champions Toulouse have been docked two points and fined €45k by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) over “unusual financial transactions” relating to the signing of Melvyn Jaminet in 2022.
The club had been under investigation by the Commission de Contrôle des Championnats professionnels (CCCP), due to allegeations that certain transactions had helped them get around salary cap rulings with their €450k signing of the full-back.
Toulouse were found to have failed to declare image rights guaranteed to the player, and their points deduction means they now fall from the top of the Top 14 to second, behind new leaders Pau.
In a statement, the LNR statement said: “The disciplinary board considered that the evidence emerging from the investigation carried out by the CCCP demonstrated that the club was in breach of its obligation to maintain proper accounting records in accordance with accounting law for all transactions, in accordance with the provisions stipulated in particular by the A2R regulations, and that it had failed to declare to the CCCP the image rights guaranteed to Mr. Melvyn Jaminet.”
In a statement responding to the ruling, Toulouse said: “Toulouse acknowledge the decision rendered by the National Rugby League.
“The decision comes at the end of a procedure whose modalities have profoundly damaged its image, and we deplore this.
“Committed to its values ??of transparency and responsibility, Toulouse will analyse in the coming days, with its legal counsel, the possibility of appealing to uphold its rights.”
Toulouse have seven days to lodge an appeal.
