The latest headlines from Wales and around the world
These are your evening rugby headlines on Monday, June 23.
All Blacks called in to face Lions – reports
New Zealand internationals Hoskins Sotutu and Mark Tele’a are set to be among the players who will join up with the AusNZ invitational team that will face the British & Irish Lions next month, according to reports. The team, led by Queensland Reds boss Les Kiss and former All Blacks head coach Ian Foster, take on Andy Farrell’s men in Adelaide on July 12 and are set to have some major firepower among their ranks.
Up to half a dozen players are set to be released by New Zealand Rugby for the clash, including Blues duo Sotutu and Tele’a, according to a report from The Sydney Morning Herald.
The publication says it believes the number eight and wing are “very good chances” to be involved against the Lions, while they “will be joined by players of similar calibre”. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Neither Sotutu nor Tele’a were named in Scott Robertson’s All Blacks squad on Monday, with some of those not included in the Māori All Blacks squad – which be unveiled on Tuesday – also set to join up with the AusNZ side.
It comes after Rugby Australia – who have scrambled to assemble a squad in time to face the Lions – reportedly made a number of requests to their counterparts in New Zealand, submitting preferences by position as well as individual players.
They previously tried to land the 56-cap All Black Richie Mo’unga to take part in the match, only for a broken hand he suffered while playing in Japan to end those hopes.
Aside from Sotutu and Japan-bound Tele’a, other players that could feature include Xavier Numia, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, Folau Fakatava, Josh Jacomb, AJ Lam and Naitoa Ah Kuoi.
Asked ahead of announcing his squad whether he would be open to releasing players for the fixture, Robertson said: “If it works, yes.
“We’ve had a couple of requests, and of course we’ll work with them on it. I’m all about opportunities to play.”
Feyi-Waboso picked despite ban
By PA Sport staff
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been included in England’s 36-man summer tour squad, despite being suspended for the first two matches.
Hooker Jamie George and fly-half George Ford will co-captain the group, which contains 10 uncapped players, for two Tests against Argentina and one against the United States.
Exeter wing Feyi-Waboso was sent off for a high tackle on Antoine Hastoy in the first half of Saturday’s 26-24 loss to a France XV on his first appearance since suffering a dislocated shoulder in December.
Due to his ban, the 22-year-old will been unavailable for the matches against Los Pumas on July 5 and 12 in La Plata and San Juan respectively.
Subject to completing a tackle course, Feyi-Waboso, who has scored five tries in eight international caps, will return to contention for the clash with the USA on July 19 in Washington DC.
Joe Carpenter, Seb Atkinson, Guy Pepper and Oscar Beard, who were involved in the non-capped contest with France, are joined in the squad by fellow potential Test debutants Charlie Atkinson, Arthur Clark, Emmanuel Iyogun, Will Muir, Luke Northmore and Max Ojomoh.
The squad will train at England’s base in Surrey on Tuesday before flying to Buenos Aires later in the day.
In addition to the 13 players away with the British and Irish Lions, Joe Batley, Fraser Dingwall, George Furbank, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Lozowski, George Martin and Ollie Sleightholme were not considered for selection.
Head coach Steve Borthwick said: “The three-Test series is a huge challenge and a valuable opportunity for the continued development of this squad.
“For some of the younger players, this will be their first experience of touring overseas with England. Travelling together helps strengthen team bonds and offers a valuable chance for new players to integrate into our environment.
“It’s an exciting test for us and we’re looking forward to seeing how we continue to evolve as a team.”
England squad:
Forwards (20): F Baxter (Harlequins), A Clark (Gloucester), A Coles (Northampton), C Cunningham-South (Harlequins), B Curry (Sale), T Dan (Saracens), T Davison (Northampton), A Dombrandt (Harlequins), C Ewels (Bath), J George (Saracens, co-capt), J Heyes (Leicester), T Hill (Bath), N Isiekwe (Saracens), E Iyogun (Northampton) C Langdon (Northampton), A Opoku-Fordjour (Sale), G Pepper (Bath), B Rodd (Sale), S Underhill (Bath), T Willis (Saracens).
Backs (16): C Atkinson (Gloucester), S Atkinson (Gloucester), O Beard (Harlequins), J Carpenter (Sale), I Feyi-Waboso (Exeter), G Ford (Sale, co-capt), W Muir (Bath), C Murley (Harlequins), L Northmore (Harlequins), M Ojomoh (Bath), H Randall (Bristol), T Roebuck (Sale), H Slade (Exeter), B Spencer (Bath), F Steward (Leicester), J van Poortvliet (Leicester).
Easterby: We need to get on same page
British and Irish Lions assistant coach Simon Easterby has urged his players to get on “the same page” after kicking off their summer with a disappointing defeat to Argentina.
The squad arrived in Perth less than 48 hours after they were beaten 28-24 by the Pumas in Dublin on Friday evening, with an error-strewn performance seeing them head Down Under on a losing note.
Head coach Andy Farrell laid down the law after the defeat at the Aviva Stadium, as he labelled his side’s mistakes as “unacceptable”.
While Easterby says it will take time for the familarity to grow within the squad, he agreed that they needed to “fix things very quickly”, with the Lions facing Western Force on Saturday.
“We probably just didn’t quite impose ourselves as much as we would have liked,” the former Ireland captain told reporters in Perth.
“It just takes a little bit of time to build cohesion, different combinations. We’ve had some pretty good time together, but we know that we’re going to have to fix things very quickly and move on.”
He added: “It’s important that the team has a clear understanding of how we want to defend as a Lions team,” said Easterby, who managed Ireland in Farrell’s absence during the Six Nations earlier this year.
“So we need to make sure that we allow those players to express themselves defensively within a system that allows them to have a framework.”
