The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world
Here are your rugby headlines for Friday, April 25.
Welsh talent targeting summer call-up
Carwyn Tuipulotu says he’d love to play for Wales and be included in their tour to Japan this summer.
The powerful 23-year-old, who left the Scarlets earlier this season to join Pau as a medical joker until the end of the campaign, went in search of game-time after seeing opportunities limited at Parc y Scarlets. After a good conversation with the Scarlets’ forwards coach Albert van den Berg he decided he had to move for his own sake.
“It was just an honest conversation and that almost became the turning point,” he said. “I said to him I’d had enough and I felt like I should be playing in the team.”
Tuipulotu has since made six appearances for Pau and despite being out of contract this summer, the No 8 is eyeing international honours with Wales. 25% OFF DEAL NOW: Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
“Obviously I have aspirations for Wales,” Tuipulotu said in an interview with The Times. “That’s every boy’s dream who comes from Wales. I’d love to have that as a goal to hopefully go on that summer tour [to Japan]. I’m just quietly doing my business here in France. Hopefully someone notices and wants to see me.
“I had to make that decision between England and Wales pretty early on. I got asked when I was 15 and it was a big decision.
“It was almost a decision from the heart because my mum gave me advice, my dad gave me advice. I just thought I wanted to pick Wales because Wales always felt like home to me. Wales has given so much to my family that I always want to give back.”
WRU to disband and replace two teams in major change
The WRU are introducing a major shake-up to the women’s game in the country, replacing Brython Thunder and Gwalia lightening with two new teams linked with Wales’ established men’s sides.
The Union have invited bids from the Ospreys, Scarlets, Dragons and Cardiff to have a stake in the women’s game and the two most appropriate bidders will be awarded teams to play the Celtic Challenge next season.
The successful clubs, the Union say, will link with a “major university with a track record in the women’s game”. They will play in a competition with two sides from Ireland and Scotland in a move the WRU hope will bridge the gap between club and international rugby.
The WRU said in a statement: “The professional clubs will be asked to bid for a ‘Celtic Challenge Licence’ and split the funding for the two teams for the next three years until 2028, with Welsh universities also welcomed into the process.
“The cost of each team will be match-funded by the WRU, with each club’s operating cost expected to be £200,000 a season.
“This exciting and key development for Welsh rugby recognises that women’s rugby is the fastest growth area of the game, with the 2025 Rugby World Cup set to be a ‘generational’ moment for the sport.”
The new teams’ coaches will be appointed by the WRU and the Union have set a deadline of Friday, May 2 for declarations of interest from the four pro Welsh clubs.
WRU head of women’s and girls rugby Belinda Moore said: “This is a hugely significant and exciting moment for women’s rugby in Wales. It underlines the WRU’s commitment to grow the game at home, and we look forward to having discussions with the professional clubs in Wales and our educational establishments.
“The initial discussions that have taken place have recognised that this is a unique and exciting opportunity for Welsh rugby.
“From my personal experience across the border, the English clubs have recognised the value and commercial opportunities available in women’s rugby.
“This will not be easy, and we expect to have detailed discussions around what support the WRU will provide and to scrutinise what the clubs who apply will offer the next generation of players in Wales.”
Cardiff blow as prop Litterick leaves for Scotland
By Anthony Brown, PA
Edinburgh have bolstered their front-row options for next season by signing Scottish-qualified props James Whitcombe and Rhys Litterick.
Loosehead Whitcombe, 24, will join on a three-year contract from Leicester, while 26-year-old tighthead Litterick heads to the Hive Stadium on a two-year deal from Cardiff. Both players have featured regularly for their clubs this term.
Whitcombe, who has a Falkirk-born grandmother, told Edinburgh’s website: “I’m really looking forward to the move up north. It’s a fresh opportunity for me, a chance to challenge myself in a new environment, both on and off the pitch.
“The chance to test myself in a new league, against different styles of rugby and international opposition, was a big draw. The URC is an exciting competition and I felt that Edinburgh was the right place for me to continue developing and push myself further.”
Litterick, who has a Glasgow-born grandfather, said: “I’m really looking forward to making the move to Edinburgh this summer. It’s a huge club full of quality players who pride themselves on their set piece and physicality, which is something I want to be a part of and learn from. As a tighthead, I take a lot of pride in my set-piece and working hard around the pitch.
“I want to keep improving as a player and learning as much as I can from the coaches and the boys around me. There’s a great setup in Edinburgh and I’m keen to take full advantage of that.”
Edinburgh are bidding to get their push for the URC play-offs back on track on Friday night when they face Zebre in Italy in a match brought forward due to the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.
A last-gasp defeat at home to the Sharks last weekend left Sean Everitt’s side 11th in the table and facing a scramble to get back into the top eight over the next three games.
Hamish Watson and Darcy Graham both return to the starting XV after being rested, while academy winger Jack Brown is handed his first professional start.
“This is a really important fixture for us as we look to bounce back from the Sharks game,” said head coach Everitt. “We know Zebre are a talented side, and they’ve shown they can be very strong at home.
“It’s vital that we go to Parma, put in another strong performance and maintain momentum as we enter the business end of the campaign.”
Head coach warns Wales players World Cup places ‘on the line’
Wales head coach Sean Lynn issued a stark reminder that World Cup berths are risk for his squad in their upcoming three fixtures.
With the team languishing at the bottom of the Six Nations table and yet to secure a victory prior to their concluding match with Italy on Sunday, Lynn has underscored the significance of their performance in Parma.
As the summer’s World Cup looms, he indicated his willingness to overhaul what has been a stable team selection should they fail to turn around their streak of four successive defeats.
“These are pressure moments, this is where I’m going and I want to see if these individuals can handle it because I’ve got a World Cup coming up,” Lynn said.
“There are World Cup places on the line over the next three games – away to Italy and the tour to Australia – and World Cup selection is not at all done.
“Sunday is like cup rugby. I’m looking for a response because the World Cup is all about pressure moments and you have to enjoy that and embrace it.”
Speaking about the poor display against Ireland, against whom they lost 40-14, Lynn added: “I was disappointed, full-stop. The performance against Ireland was not good enough and the players and staff are aware of that.”
“We should have been far more competitive but you have to take your chances and you cannot concede 18 penalties against top sides.
“Most of those penalties were down to us and individuals trying to fix problems that weren’t theirs to fix but resulted in putting the team under pressure. When we talk about learning from games, that was a massive area for us.”
