These are your rugby headlines on Friday, December 8.
Jenkins slapped with ban
Cardiff Rugby star Ellis Jenkins has been banned for 3 video games after being despatched off throughout final weekend’s conflict with the Scarlets.
The Wales worldwide was proven a first-half pink card for a harmful deal with on Dan Davis, having lifted, tilted and misplaced management of his reverse quantity with the Scarlets man touchdown on his again after which head.
Referee Ben Whitehouse judged Jenkins to have “discarded” Davis, explaining: “That’s actually harmful for me. We have clearly obtained a decide and a tip after which he is discarded him. I’m seeing that as actually harmful. He’s picked him up, tipped him by the 90 after which he is simply discarded him and he is landed extraordinarily vulnerably.”
The incident within the twenty seventh minute sparked a melee between gamers from each side, with the Scarlets occurring to win the derby match 29-23 at Cardiff Arms Park.
Jenkins will now miss Cardiff’s Champions Cup video games towards Toulouse and Bath, in addition to the Boxing Day derby towards the Dragons.
Elsewhere within the URC, Lions lock Ruben Schoeman has additionally been given a three-match ban after a nasty problem on Dragons wing Ashton Hewitt. Schoeman obtained his cost down try all incorrect and made contact with the pinnacle of Hewitt as Dai Flanagan’s facet suffered a 49-24 loss in South Africa.
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‘Immense’ Francis praised
Wales worldwide Tomas Francis has been lauded by his former Ospreys teammate Dewi Lake for his “unbelievable” World Cup performances earlier than he moved to France.
Francis was on prime kind on the match, enjoying in all 5 matches and scoring within the ultimate pool stage match towards Georgia, however Lake – who was named co-captain for the marketing campaign in France – claims he deserves extra credit score for his performances, describing his contributions as “immense”.
“I assumed Tom had an unbelievable World Cup,” he informed Rugby Pass. “People will in all probability say, ‘I didn’t see him a lot’, however he’s hitting 30 rucks a recreation, making 10-plus tackles as a tighthead prop, conserving our scrum secure, getting us penalties and he nonetheless managed to pop as much as rating a strive towards Georgia.
“We in all probability went into that World Cup with folks seeing us as a weak set-piece group, however we got here out of it as probably the greatest groups there. The stress on the legs, the lifting on the lineout and the numerous scrums he’s locking out, particularly towards Fiji, was immense. He deserves extra credit score.”
Francis left the Ospreys over the summer season and joined French Pro D2 facet Provence, the place he’ll now be joined by former membership and worldwide teammate George North.
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Jones nears Japan transfer
Eddie Jones is edging nearer to a return as head coach of Japan after reportedly attending a second interview for the vacant function simply weeks after resigning from his position with Australia.
Jones stepped down as Wallabies coach after a disastrous nine-month reign was capped by their worst ever efficiency at a Rugby World Cup, as they crashed out within the pool stage after defeats to Fiji and Wales
The 63-year-old was roundly booed by Australian followers out in France with their marketing campaign overshadowed by reviews that he had held a job interview with Japanese rugby bosses days earlier than the match started.
While Jones has repeatedly denied these reviews, the Sydney Morning Herald reviews that he has held a second interview with Japan having moved to the nation completely final month.
The publication has reported that he arrived on the Royal Park Hotel in Tokyo on Thursday morning for his in-person interview with the Japan Rugby Football Union. It additionally steered that he hopes to take over the Brave Blossoms subsequent yr, with a 4 yr deal seeing him by till the subsequent World Cup – in Australia.
South African coach Frans Ludeke was additionally interviewed on Thursday, in keeping with the Herald, with the Kubota Spears coach already publicly confirmed he was within the operating to exchange Jamie Joseph.
