These are your latest rugby headlines on Friday, March 13.
Wales won’t discount Faletau
Steve Tandy has refused to rule out an international comeback for Taulupe Faletau but insists Wales must also look to the future.
The 35-year-old is one of Wales’ greatest ever back-rowers but has become very injury prone in recent years and is currently sidelined with a calf injury.
In his absence, Aaron Wainwright has been outstanding while Olly Cracknell has also shown up well – and Tandy believes Wales need to look to the future.
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“I don’t think you can ever write anyone off, especially with someone of his quality,” the Wales head coach said.
“But ultimately we’ve got a lot of young men that are starting to perform, starting to get consistency, so for me it’ll always be based on performance.
“There’s also, for me as a coach, it’d be a balance of where we are going and whether people can get to World Cups,” Tandy added.
“But for me, everyone that’s playing regionally, or is available to us, then I wouldn’t write anyone off.
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Maro Itoje: No rift in England squad after on-field row
By Duncan Bech, Press Association Rugby Union Correspondent, Paris
Maro Itoje insists there is “no crack” in England’s leadership group following the on-field disagreement that took place against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico last Saturday.
Itoje was involved in a discussion with fly-half Fin Smith and vice captains Ellis Genge and Jamie George early in the second half of the 23-18 Guinness Six Nations defeat that has plunged England into crisis.
It centred around a debate over whether to use a penalty to go for goal or set up an attacking line-out and ended with Itoje shouting at Smith, “Don’t argue with me. Take the three”.
England are aiming to end their three-Test losing run when they face France in Paris on Saturday and Itoje says they enter the climax to the Championship without any tension between senior players.
“There’s no crack. There’s no crack between us. Fin’s a good guy and I get on with him very well,” the team’s captain said.
“When you have good relationships with people you’re able to have those sorts of conversations and are able to move on from it pretty quickly.
“There was no residue from that. Naturally, I guess because of the loss, it was made into a bigger thing than it actually was.”
Itoje’s forceful delivery of his instruction to Smith was the first time the British and Irish Lions skipper has raised his voice on the field in that way.
“I didn’t really lose it!” the Saracens second row laughed. “You don’t often see me with a mic, I’m not always mic’d up but maybe I’m portraying a false image!
“Fin is my guy. As always, the way I try to do things is I like to hear what my key decision makers think of what is going on, and whoever plays 10 they will obviously have an important role in that.
“I initially asked what we thought we should do and I guess he expressed a view, I expressed a view, and I just wanted to quickly move on to the next thing.
“I actually think it’s a good thing that people in the team feel they can express a view and in sport, if anything, that’s the most kosher of fallouts that the world has ever seen. We have had far more blunt conversations between ourselves and other teammates!
“There’s no really biggie. After that interaction, we even laughed about it a little bit on the pitch as well.”
Farrell responds to star’s bullish comments
By Edward Elliot, Press Association, Dublin
Andy Farrell says Scotland wing Darcy Graham is entitled to think Ireland are “there for the taking” ahead of Saturday’s crunch clash in Dublin.
The Scots travel to Aviva Stadium chasing a first Triple Crown in 36 years to remain in contention for a maiden Guinness Six Nations title on the back of a thumping 50-40 round-four victory over France.
Ireland, who have won the last 11 meetings between the sides dating back to 2017, also go into the final-day shootout with aspirations of the Triple Crown and potential championship glory.
Edinburgh player Graham made headlines earlier this week by claiming the hosts are “there for the taking” and have “probably not been firing as well as they have in previous campaigns”.
Ireland head coach Farrell, who selected the 28-year-old for last year’s British and Irish Lions tour, offered a diplomatic response, saying: “He’s entitled to his opinion first and foremost.
“He’s a great lad, Darcy, actually. Obviously, I got to know him in the Lions, so it’s how he feels and obviously how the squad feels, and rightly so, in my opinion.
“They were outstanding last week against France and we’ve been preparing for another Scottish performance like that. We know that we’ll have to be at our best to beat them as they’re a side that we’ve always respected.”
Ireland must extend their nine-year dominance over Scotland to remain in the title hunt before table-topping France host England in the final match of ‘Super Saturday’.
The Irish have claimed eight Triple Crowns during the Six Nations era, including three in the past four years, but endured an 18-year drought between 1985 and 2004.
“Of course, you would love to dream like that (of championship glory),” said Farrell, who guided Ireland to back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. “Obviously, the rest of it is out of our hands, but there’s something that’s in our hands.
“We concentrate on our performance first and foremost of trying to win something that’s pretty special to us, that’s the Triple Crown. Over the years, it’s been hard to come by when you’re playing for Ireland, so we’re desperate to make sure that we get across that.”
Townsend: Title bid is out of our hands
By Anthony Brown, Press Association
Gregor Townsend flatly refused to indulge in talk of a first Guinness Six Nations title for Scotland as he outlined the scale of the task still facing his side in their quest to make history.
The Scots go into Super Saturday as one of three teams in the mix for the championship, alongside table-topping France and opponents Ireland.
In short, Scotland must collect more match points in Dublin in the first game of the day than Les Bleus manage against England in the late kick-off in Paris.
Asked if he had allowed himself to ponder leading the Scots to a first title of the Six Nations era, head coach Townsend said: “No. It’s out of our hands, really. We can only do a certain amount. It’s a game for us to play against an opponent that’s had the upper hand on us for years.
“We’re playing them away from home. They’ve got a brilliant record at home. It’s a challenge but a real opportunity for us to go and deliver an even better performance than we did last week.
“It would be great to finish the championship with a win and finish on a high. That will obviously carry on the momentum and if that means we win the game, we obviously know there’s something at stake.
“Those that have been selected know that it is a big opportunity. It’s not a cup final, there’s not just two teams in this championship, but there is an element of that. It’s the last game of the tournament, so we’ll leave everything out there.”
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