The rugby stories making headlines on Saturday, April 4.
These are your headlines on Saturday, April 4.
O’Driscoll lifts lid on Parling incident
Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll has given an insider’s take on the main talking point from the last week in rugby.
The former Lions skipper was pitchside at Villa Park for Leicester Tigers’ clash with Gloucester when Geoff Parling and Craig Doyle were involved in an on-air incident which saw the Tigers head coach push the TNT Sports presenter.
Doyle had encouraged fellow presenter Liam McDevitt to make an attempt on goal as a sort of initiation for making his debut on the show – something which incensed Parling and led to him telling Doyle “It’s not f***ing on, get off the pitch, it’s not f***ing on”.
O’Driscoll, who was watching on at Villa Park as it all played out, has now given his version of events.
“Craig is off doing this big, long monologue at the opening of the show,” he said on the Off The Ball podcast.
“So he’s in the bowels of Villa Park, and showing all of the trophies that have been won over the years, the dressing rooms and whatnot. So he’s coming out onto the pitch, not really knowing what’s going on. The best plans in the world are fantastic, except things happen and materialise.”
He added: “Maybe have a quick go when Craig comes out,” when referencing McDevitt’s attempt on goal.
“The problem was that the rest of the team had started warming up close enough to the posts, so when Craig has his spiel with Liam, and then he kicks the goal – or missed it thankfully, because if he’d gotten it, it would have been closer to the players – Geoff comes over and Craig thinks he’s coming up for a chat, how wrong he was.
“Anyway, he was unimpressed by it, to say the least. Gives him a shove, and then Craig comes over and asks me my first question.
“I felt for Craig, because, listen, he’s just following procedure and like his line, ‘would you sign him?’, expecting a bit of banter or something back. And instead, he gets told to f-off.”
O’Driscoll said Doyle dealt with the incident like a consummate professional.
“I have to say, what an unreal pro to be able to deal with that,” admired O’Driscoll.
“Because it didn’t happen to me, and I was like panicking inside, whereas if it had happened to you, and then you had to do a full show for the rest of the day, it would have been brutal.
“I’m not saying it didn’t play on his mind, but I tell you, you would never have known it was. There’s no one like him. There’s really no one like him.”
Farrell backed for England
Anthony Watson reckons Owen Farrell should be picked for the England squad for this summer’s Nations Championship campaign.
Farrell hasn’t played international rugby for his country since 2023 when he took an indefinite break from Test rugby after the World Cup in order to prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being. The fly-half received terrible abuse from his own fans during the tournament, forcing him to take a step back.
He made a return to the international fold for Lions last summer and Watson believes the 34-year-old still has plenty to offer Steve Borthwick.
“Should he be part of things in South Africa or at least offered the opportunity to be? 100 per cent,” Watson said. “I had the same opinion across the Six Nations, across last autumn as well.
“Fitness aside, I didn’t think there is a playing reason for him to not be in the squad. Historically England have played some of their best games with him at 12 and the 12 position is probably the only one which hasn’t been nailed down by anyone yet.”
He added: “For me, Owen is someone who could slot into that 12 shirt immediately and be unshakeable.
“He could provide the gel to that backline, become the final nailed-on England backline player. Then, I would argue, they have one of the top-three backlines in the world.”
Wales star returns to boost Cardiff
Wales backrower Alex Mann will make his first Cardiff appearance since the Six Nations as the Welsh club take on Benetton in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
Mann was one of Wales’ better players during the championship and his return is a big boost for the Blue & Blacks who are riddled with injuries.
Cardiff have handed first starts to second-row Evan Rees and centre Elijah Evans for this round-of-16 clash in Treviso.
Former Ireland international Ed Byrne will also make his first appearance of the season as he starts on the loosehead.
Cardiff lost nine more players to injury on their recent tour of South Africa, with five senior locks on the sidelines and Wales wing Josh Adams struggling with a niggle.
“We took a bit of a battering out in South Africa in terms of injuries but we are here to win games and kick on,” said Cardiff captain Liam Belcher.
“It’s the part of the season when you do get stretched, especially with international boys coming back with battered bodies.
“And if you had said in June or July that we would be in this position in the league and in the round of 16 in the cup then I would have bitten your hand off.”
Cardiff: I Lloyd; Grady, E Evans, B Thomas, Beetham; Sheedy, Bevan; Byrne, Belcher (capt), Assiratti, E Rees, Thornton, Mann, D Thomas, Lawrence. Replacements: D Hughes, Barratt, Wainwright, de la Rua, E Lloyd, I Davies, Jennings, Winnett.
Ospreys suffer injury blow
Wales’ Six Nations captain Dewi Lake is missing from the Ospreys‘ team to face Ulster on Saturday but Jac Morgan will captain the side.
Lake has played his last game for the club after undergoing shoulder surgery but the Ospreys are boosted by the return of experienced Wales loosehead Gareth Thomas.
The Ospreys’ hopes of reaching the play-off’s of the United Rugby Championship are hanging by a thread, which makes this round of 16 Challenge Cup tie all the more important.
“We are delighted to have him back,” said Ospreys head coach Mark Jones when asked about Wales star Morgan.
“I am sure Ulster would have been hoping his name was not on the team sheet this weekend because if I was coaching against him I would be hoping for the same thing. That is the respect people have for Jac.
“It is a big challenge to come back after more than four months out and return to operate at a level he has been.
“That is a sign of class because even the best players sometimes get a while to get warmed up, but Jac has hit the ground running.”
Morgan is joined in the backrow by Morgan Morris and Huw Sutton with Ryan Smith and Rhys Davies in the second-row.
Thomas, Sam Parry and Rhys Henry form a strong scrummaging front-row. Behind the scrum Reuben Morgan-Williams returns to wear the number nine jersey with Dan Edwards at outside-half.
Keiran Williams and Owen Watkin are the centres with Jack Walsh, Daniel Kasende and Luke Morgan in the back-three.
Ospreys: Walsh; Kasende, Watkin, K Williams, L Morgan; Edwards, R Morgan-Williams; G Thomas, Parry, Henry, R Davies, Smith, Sutton, J Morgan (capt), M Morris. Replacements: Daniel, S Thomas, Botha, Fender, Deaves, Hardy, Boshoff, Hopkins.
Dragons avoid big crisis
The Dragons have avoided a scrum-half injury crisis after Niall Armstrong and Morgan Lloyd were passed fit to face Stade Francais on Sunday.
Filo Tiatia’s side travel to Paris for a round of 16 clash in the Challenge Cup and will be relieved both are fit after Rhodri Williams and Armstrong suffered head injuries against the Lions last weekend.
There was a strong possibility they wouldn’t have a specialist nine but Armstrong has passed his head injury assessment and Lloyd has recovered from a hamstring injury.
Tiatia has made three changes to the side that lost in Johannesburg last weekend with Tinus de Beer wearing the number 10 shirt which pushes Angus O’Brien to full-back.
Second-row Levi Douglas also comes into the starting XV while David Richards starts on the wing.
“It’s going to be tough because they are a very good side, especially at home, and ran away with a very good win against Clermont,” said Tiatia.
“They are well coached and I like the way that they play with big forwards in the middle and they love trying to get the ball back with the highest turnovers in the Top 14.
“Stade have threats right across the back line. We have our work cut out but we are looking forward to the challenge.
“There is no point putting the jersey on and going out there without any belief.”
Dragons: O’Brien (co-capt); Richards, Inisi, Owen, Dyer; de Beer, Armstrong; Martinez, Coghlan, Coleman, Douglas, Carter (co-capt), Woodman, Young, Wainwright. Replacements: Dee, W Jones, James, S Davies, Keddie, M Lloyd, Paea, Anderson.
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