The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond.
Your rugby evening headlines on Friday, June 27.
Wales name team for World Rugby Championship
Dragons playmaker Harri Ford has been given the nod to wear the Wales number 10 shirt for their World Rugby U20 Championship opener against Argentina in Verona on Sunday.
Cardiff outside-half Harri Wilde was preferred for the majority of the U20s Six Nations but head coach Richard Whiffin has opted for Ford this time around.
Ford is one of four changes from the side which claimed a memorable victory over world champions England U20s in the Six Nations finale.
Bath full-back Jack Woods also comes into the starting XV in place of Tom Bowen, while Cardiff’s Elijah Evans starts in the unfamiliar position of wing.
There is also a welcome return for powerful Dragons lock Nick Thomas who has returned from an ankle injury which sidelined the 19-year-old for the majority of the Six Nations.
“Nick has worked hard to get back from the injury he had in Six Nations,” explained Whiffin. “He offers a level of experience in the second row against what we know is going to be a formidable Argentina pack.
“Elijah Evans is one of the quickest guys in the squad. His aerial game is really strong and the way we want to play the game will suit him in that wide channel.”
Wales have been drawn in a tough pool with Argentina, France and Spain but have every reason to be optimistic.
Whiffin has selected a powerful front-row which includes Ioan Emanuel, Harry Thomas and Sam Scott, while Bristol’s Kenzie Jenkins partners Thomas in the second-row.
Openside Harry Beddall captains the side from openside flanker with Deian Gwynne and Evan Minto also in the back row.
Cardiff’s Sion Davies is at scrum-half with Steffan Emanuel and Osian Roberts in midfield. The highly rated Aidan Boshoff makes up the back three with Woods and Evans.
“It was a tough job getting the squad down to 30 and even tougher to get it down to 23 for the match against Argentina,” said Whiffin. “We spoke to the boys and told them everyone is going to play in the first three games, and everyone has got to be ready.
“The seven boys who have missed out still have a crucial role to play – their job is to help prepare the team and be good team men. We’re a tight group and they have reacted really well, and I know that those boys when they get the opportunity, they will take it.”
Whiffin expects Argentina to pose a major challenge to Wales, with full back Pascal Senillosa the only player to gain 200-plus metres from his carries in this year’s TRC U20. “They did well in their Rugby Championship and have a big physical pack and they have got some electric outside backs,” he said.
“Their 10 and 15 control the game very well so they will be a couple of guys we need to make sure we apply pressure to, and we have to be smart in how we manage our energy levels in what will be a daunting proposition in the heat of Italy.”
Wales U20: Jack Woods (Bath); Elijah Evans (Cardiff), Osian Roberts (Sale Sharks), Steffan Emanuel (Cardiff), Aidan Boshoff (Bristol Bears); Harri Ford (Dragons), Sion Davies (Cardiff); Ioan Emanuel (Bath), Harry Thomas (Scarlets), Sam Scott (Bristol Bears), Kenzie Jenkins (Bristol Bears), Nick Thomas (Dragons), Deian Gwynne (Gloucester), Harry Beddall – captain (Dragons), Evan Minto (Dragons)
Replacements: Saul Hurley (Aberavon), Louie Trevett (Bristol Bears), Owain James (Dragons), Dan Gemine (Llandovery), Caio James (Gloucester), Ellis Lewis (Neath), Harri Wilde (Cardiff), Tom Bowen (Cardiff).
Joe Schmidt addresses foreign-born player swipe
Australia head coach Joe Schmidt has admitted his comments were “sloppy” about Sione Tuipulotu and Bundee Aki.
The British and Irish Lions centre duo were born in Australia and New Zealand, respectively, and they came under fire from the Wallabies head coach.
Schmidt described their centre pairing against Argentina as a “southern hemisphere partnership that will be pretty formidable”. His comments were not met with open arms by the British and Irish media, with many condemning his decision to bring it up.
However, Schmidt, who previously worked with Aki, has now taken the opportunity to clarify that no ill meaning was intended, while recognising his poor choice of words.
“Bundee is one of the players I’ve so enjoyed coaching, and I’d have so much respect for that fella, that wasn’t supposed to be a swipe or a jibe at all,” Schmidt told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“In fact, it was sloppy from me because someone had just been talking to me and described it as that, and then I used their words, and I should have just stuck to my own words and said, ‘hey, there’s a lot of respect in Australia for Sione’.”
“There are coaches who certainly do it, and they even talk to their team through the media sometimes,” he said.
“But if I’ve got something to say to a player, I’d rather say it to them than fire a barrel through the media. I know that a lift-out quote or a phrase can be a headline and inevitably, even after 20-plus years of doing this job, I’ll get it wrong.
“I’m conscious of it and I’m conscious that other coaches do it, but I don’t anticipate it happening in this Lions tour. ‘Faz’ and I have had a few conversations about how we’d like the narrative of the tour to be a celebration of rugby. I think for Australian rugby, we need that.”
Mack Hansen urges caution when the Lions take on Western Force
By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent, Perth
Mack Hansen knows what is awaiting the British and Irish Lions’ in Perth on Saturday after being present as a spectator for the Brumbies’ famous upset of the tourists on their last visit to Australia.
Hansen starts on the right wing against Western Force at Optus Stadium where he will face some of his old Brumbies team-mates, including a former housemate in Bayley Kuenzle.
The 27-year-old was born and raised in Canberra and began his career playing for the most successful of Australia’s Super Rugby franchises before joining Connacht in 2021.
Selection for Ireland the following year was made possible through his Irish mother and 28 caps later he is on tour with the elite of British and Irish rugby, recalling a cautionary tale from 2013.
“I was at that Brumbies game with my dad and brother and the Brumbies beat the Lions, so these things do happen,” he said.
“We were sitting behind the goalposts watching it. It was mad. You don’t expect anyone to actually do it, but I talked to guys after that and they’d been pumped up for the game for weeks, working towards it.
“They saw it as the be-all and end-all. Also, guys are playing to try to get into the Wallabies as well, so there’s still a lot on the line for a lot of these teams.
“None of the games are going to be easy. Everyone wants to win – it’s not just us that want to win.
“We want to win every game but the Force aren’t saying ‘all right boys, let’s go out and lose by 40’. They’ll be coming out thinking ‘we can cause an upset’. They’ve only got one game, then they’re on holiday.
“There will be this, then they’ll have 10 toes up for the next five weeks, so I’m sure they’re going to give it their all.
“When you get that time after time after time after time for however long we’re here, it will take its toll on us, but that’s a good thing. It makes us better and it makes the game more exciting.”
British and Irish Lions urged to ‘create moments’ ahead of Australia tour opener
By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent, Perth
The British and Irish Lions have been urged to create memories when they play their first fixture on Australian soil against Western Force on Saturday.
The Lions are eager to kickstart their tour after falling 28-24 to Argentina in the Dublin opener as they build towards the Test series against the Wallabies, which begins in Brisbane on July 19.
Although they may be the worst performing of Australia’s Super Rugby sides this season, the Force have been reinforced by the presence of six Wallabies who have been released for the Optus Stadium showdown.
Scrum coach John Fogarty highlights the importance of the Lions rewarding their supporters – more than 30,000 are expected to head Down Under – after seeing the Aviva Stadium turn red last Friday.
“The lads need to create moments for people to get behind,” said Fogarty, who oversaw a dominant scrum performance against the Pumas.
“Whether it’s in a scrum or off a line-out or attacking play or defensive play, we need to make sure we’re creating moments that capture the minds of the people that matter most. That’s the plan.
“It’s an amazing thing, the Lions. You get behind it instantly. It was disappointing against Argentina because you feel like you’re letting people down a little bit due to the performance and the result.”
Fogarty believes the Lions will be better for another week together, enabling them to build familiarity with each other.
“There were little things around mentality. Sometimes you come into a game, it’s a big occasion and you’re in your head a bit and not playing the game on instinct,” he said.
“That’s why this week has been so important, we’ve been getting more cohesive and a bit more in synch so that come game day we can play off instincts. It should all become more natural to us.”
