The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond.
These are your evening headlines on Saturday, May 24
Jones on WRU’s ‘wanted list’
Adam Jones is on the Welsh Rugby Union’s ‘wanted list’ as they search for a permanent new coaching ticket.
The legendary prop has been recalled by the WRU ahead of their summer tour of Japan but is not a permanent fixture in the coaching set-up. Of course, Jones spent the Six Nations as a coach of Wales on secondment from Harlequins.
RugbyPass have reported that Jones is on the WRU’s “wanted list” to work alongside Danny Wilson and Steve Tandy long term, so Quins are preparing for that situation.
The report says that Northampton Saints scrum coach Matt Ferguson, who is leaving the club at the end of the season, will become a Quins target if Jones switches to Test match coaching on a permanent basis.
Heading to the Far East with Jones and Sherratt will be Wilson, T Rhys Thomas and Gethin Jenkins.
Leigh Halfpenny has reportedly been contacted about a role this summer too. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Thorburn: Welsh rugby needs full shake-up
Wales legend Paul Thorburn says Welsh rugby needs a “full shake-up” following recent controversial developments.
The game in Wales is tremendously divided at the moment, with Ospreys and Scarlets failing to agree to the Welsh Rugby Union’s Professional Rugby Agreement, which prompted the two west Wales sides to issue a statement revealing their concerns.
Former Wales skipper Thorburn told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that the WRU need full control of the regions in order for the game to thrive again.
“Personally, I’m for a full shake-up. I think the regions, however many there are, need to be totally owned and controlled by the governing body,” he explained.
“I think the governing body needs a bit of a shake-up as well in terms of how it manages the professional game, but I think now is the time.
“If we don’t sort it out and bring those clubs into control of the governing body where the money is directed centrally, we’re only going to be having the same conversation in 10 years’ time.”
Thorburn also touched on the possibility of a region being cut following the WRU’s announcement.
“Ultimately, if that’s what is needed (cutting a region) for the future and sustainability of international rugby and the game in general then so be it,” he continued.
“To me, a blank sheet of paper, let’s put all of these parochialisms to one side and let’s work out what’s going to be the best to sustain international rugby and grow that pathway.
“We also have to look after the community game because it’s not looking great. If you don’t have players coming through, you haven’t got an international game.”
Cardiff star bids farewell
Gabriel Hamer-Webb has bid farewell to Cardiff, following confirmation of his upcoming departure from the club.
The 24-year-old, who has been linked with a move to Leicester Tigers this summer, joined Cardiff on a short-term deal from Bath back in the 2023-24 season, and enjoyed two stints before making his stay permanent.
An impressive end to the season had put him in the conversation for the upcoming Wales tour of Japan, only for uncapped Ospreys winger Keelan Giles to be picked instead.
Taking to Instagram, Hamer-Webb wrote: “To my teammates, the fans of Cardiff, and the staff, I cannot thank you enough for the many memories.
“I’ve gained since being a part of such a special club, I’ve gained friends for life and will always be a fan. Was no easy decision, but I’m very much looking forward to the next chapter in my career.”
World Club Cup announced
PA staff
European Professional Club Rugby has announced the first World Club Cup will take place in 2028.
A tournament featuring the best club sides from both the northern and southern hemispheres, to be held every four years, has received unanimous backing from all the sport’s governing bodies.
Sixteen teams will qualify – eight from the Investec Champions Cup and the remainder drawn from Super Rugby Pacific and Japan.
EPCR chairman Dominic McKay confirmed before Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup final between Northampton and Bordeaux in Cardiff that an idea mooted for “the last two or three years” will now be delivered.
McKay said: “We’ve been trying to work our way through this project to see if we can deliver it.
“And over the last few days we’ve had great meetings with our Board, great meetings with our General Assembly, who represent the three leagues (the TOP14, United Rugby Championship and English Premiership) and stakeholders from seven unions, and everyone is unanimous about wanting to deliver a World Club Cup – through EPCR.”
The tournament will launch in June 2028, elevating the Champions Cup knock-out rounds to the Rugby World Club Cup and “supercharging” the closing stages of the EPCR Challenge Cup, the EPCR said.
McKay added: “The Investec Champions Cup is the greatest club competition in the world, and we’re going to continue to protect that, nurture it and develop it further.
“We’ve got some ambitious plans for both the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, which we’ll unveil over the coming weeks.
“And, to elevate the whole of professional club rugby, we want to create this World Club Cup proposition in 2028 and 2032 with our friends from the South.
“We have these incredible competitions that we own and operate, and we want to find a way to elevate them further and bring in teams from Australia, from New Zealand, from Japan, and we’ll do that through the World Club Cup.”
