These are your rugby headlines on Saturday, December 30.
Gatland urged to snap up ‘famous person’
Warren Gatland has been urged to select uncapped wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in his Six Nations squad after the Exeter Chiefs star delivered one of many most interesting performances of his profession in opposition to Bristol Bears.
The 21-year-old – who’s eligible for each England and Wales – was completely electrical through the Premiership conflict at Ashton Gate, terrorising the hosts’ defence with a sequence of devastating breaks. He obtained on the scoresheet halfway by the primary half as he completed off an unbelievable staff transfer dubbed a ‘surprise rating’ by commentators.
With his highly effective working and fast footwork proving a handful for the Bears, Feyi-Waboso confirmed no signal of letting up within the second half, dancing previous 4 defenders earlier than being held up agonisingly in need of the road, solely to show supplier for scrum-half Stu Atkinson to attain.
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A large defensive effort, mixed with one other highly effective late burst to arrange the match-winning rating, noticed the Cardiff-born star take home the person of the match gong, having outplayed everybody on the sector.
Both England and Wales have been retaining tabs on the teen, along with his phenomenal expertise apparent for fairly a while. But after he admitted he would “like to be a Wales worldwide”, his latest efficiency has seen Gatland urged to safe his worldwide future.
“Feyi-Waboso is strictly the kind of participant Gatland would love,” wrote Ugo Monye on X, previously Twitter. Jim Hamilton went one additional, writing: “England or Wales have a famous person within the making.”
The man himself was quizzed on his future after the sport, however mentioned he had “nothing to say” when requested if he had had any contact from both Wales or England in recent weeks – albeit after an extended pause.
Flanagan responds to Jiffy
Dragons boss Dai Flanagan has responded to Jonathan ‘Jiffy’ Davies’ after the pundit claimed that “loads” of his gamers have been “not ok” to be professionals.
Jiffy made the remark after the Dragons have been thumped 55-21 by Cardiff of their Boxing Day derby conflict, with Flanagan’s aspect conceding seven first-half tries as they have been totally outplayed in a limp displaying at Cardiff Arms Park.
The coach admitted after the sport that the efficiency was “unacceptable” and the consequence the bottom level of his profession, with Jiffy taking to X, previously Twitter, to assert that the gamers have been those letting the area down.
Responding to a video of former Dragons man Andrew Coombs tearing into his former aspect’s efficiency whereas on punditry obligation for the BBC, Jiffy wrote: “Lots of gamers not ok to be professional… take a look at the outcomes over the previous couple of years.”
Flanagan has now had his say, admitting that the feedback “hit home” after rising up adoring Davies as a participant.
“I’m fairly good at closing my social media accounts down and I’ve obtained much more issues to do than learn newspapers,” the Dragons boss mentioned when requested if he had seen the feedback. “What I’ll say is he was one among my favorite gamers, Jonathan Davies. As a child I had his DVD on a loop in the home. So I’d relatively not hear what he’s mentioned if he’s come at me.”
When he learnt of what was mentioned, he mentioned merely: “It hits home doesn’t it? But everybody’s entitled to their opinion.”
WRU chief honoured
New Welsh Rugby Union CEO Abi Tierney has been given one of many highest awards within the 2024 New Year Honours record.
Tierney, who’s the previous director common for passports, visas and immigration on the Home Office, has been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath, the next-highest honour to a damehood.
The incoming chief will be a part of the WRU in January and has already vowed to “flip this round” after a damning unbiased overview laid naked the “poisonous” tradition of bullying and misogyny inside the governing physique.
On being named on this 12 months’s record, Tierney mentioned: “I’m delighted, and humbled, to obtain this honour. I see it as recognition of the essential companies delivered by our civil servants throughout the Migration and Borders system. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with all of them. I’m so proud to have been a part of these groups.
“With the New Year comes a brand new starting for me and for the Welsh Rugby Union and I’m very a lot trying ahead to taking over the challenges forward along with one other wonderful, proud and passionate staff of devoted people. I do know we’ll succeed, collectively.”
Six Nations star ponders Olympics swap
Ireland star Mack Hansen has mentioned he’s open to creating a swap to sevens rugby and taking part in within the Olympic Games.
Earlier this month, the IRFU introduced that one males’s participant from every of the nation’s 4 provinces could be allowed to affix the Olympics sevens squad, with their choice not ruling them out of taking part in within the Six Nations for Andy Farrell’s aspect.
France hero Antoine Dupont and former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper are amongst those that have made the swap from XV rugby to sevens so as to play on the Games, which take place in Paris in July.
And Connacht wing Hansen, recognized for being considerably of a maverick each on and off the sector, has mentioned he would even be up for making the change.
“I’d do it,” he informed the The Big Jim Show. “I’d give it a go, so I can get the [Olympic] rings tattooed on the physique someplace. It’s dialog starter having the rings on you.
“I by no means performed sevens. Those lads are shredded. I’m not shredded in the meanwhile. I’ve a little bit of a pudgy intestine in the meanwhile. It’s the way in which ahead. Seeing such excessive profile folks like Dupont, actually the very best participant on the planet, you could possibly say, going and giving it a crack goes to be monumental for the sevens recreation.
“I feel lots of people are going to observe go well with from right here on out,” he added. “It’s cool. How many occasions can we get alternatives to play in an Olympics? That’s simply going to develop the sport usually. If sevens is booming, then 15s has to observe go well with, I discover.”
