These are your rugby headlines on Saturday, November 18.
Itoje faces England exit
Maro Itoje’s worldwide future seems unsure as he might reportedly depart English rugby after being supplied a serious pay lower to maintain him at Saracens.
Itoje is believed to earn round £800,000 a yr on the Premiership champions however in line with stories is now confronted with taking a 50 per cent lower, with Sarries providing him an extension within the area of round £400,000 per yr to maintain him on the membership.
The transfer comes as new wage cap laws are set to be launched for Premiership golf equipment, who will solely be allowed to have one ‘marquee participant’ every from subsequent season. At Saracens, that designation is prone to be retained by captain Owen Farrell however not by Itoje, in accordance a report back to the Daily Mail.
The membership merely will not have the ability to afford each England stars’ mega-money salaries with the pair each out of contract on the finish of the season. As a consequence, Itoje has reportedly been supplied a pay lower to maintain him on the membership he has performed for his entire profession.
But his dedication to the membership could also be examined by the large hit to his earnings and with most different Premiership golf equipment additionally filling their quota of marquee gamers, he might change into the latest Red Roses star to go away English rugby and observe the likes of Jack Willis, Joe Marchant and Dave Ribbans to France, having beforehand been linked to Racing 92.
Such a transfer would, nonetheless, imply he would now not be eligible to play for Steve Borthwick’s facet and will even rule him out of a 3rd British and Irish Lions tour in 2025.
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Sheedy suffers blow
Wales worldwide Callum Sheedy suffered a merciless blow as he was pressured off throughout Bristol Bears’ defeat to Bath on Friday evening after he missed a collection of essential kicks.
The 28-year-old had caught Warren Gatland’s eye after a shiny begin to the Premiership season, with the Wales boss saying he could be watching his performances intently as he seems to develop his choices at fly-half.
And Gatland adopted up on his promise by sending attack coach Alex King to go to Sheedy – who has 16 Test caps – at Bristol’s coaching floor earlier this week, with the Bears man now in with an actual probability of creating Wales’ Six Nations squad.
Sheedy appeared initially to thrive underneath the stress on the Recreation Ground on Friday evening as he kicked two conversions, made key interventions and arrange one other strive for Richard Lane with a cultured crossfield kick – having claimed assists for a hat-trick of an identical tries by the winger a fortnight in the past.
But a collection of missed long-range penalties within the second half noticed Bristol fall to a slim one-point defeat towards the hosts, whereas the fly-half was then pressured off for an HIA following a tough hit from GJ van Velze within the closing phases
While Sheedy will probably be left rueing his missed probabilities, nonetheless, Gatland will seemingly be retaining him thoughts for a Six Nations spot as he goes into the event with out the retired Dan Biggar or Japan-bound Gareth Anscombe. While Sam Costelow is the plain candidate for the beginning 10 jersey, Sheedy is within the combine as a substitute whereas Cai Evans and Tomos Williams might fill in if wanted.
Wales worldwide finds new membership
Wales Women again Carys Cox has signed for Ealing Trailfinders.
The 25-year-old, who made her Test debut for Ioan Cunningham’s facet towards the USA in September, has left Worcester Warriors after the membership withdrew from this season’s league and cup competitions final month when their sponsorship deal was ended.
Cox, who can play within the centre or on the wing, qualifies for Wales by way of her father having already represented England at U20 stage.
Announcing the brand new signing, Ealing’s director of rugby Giselle Mather mentioned: “Carys joins us at a really thrilling time in her profession – recent on the worldwide stage and brimming with vitality and expertise. We are actually excited to be serving to her develop that expertise to make an actual affect each at Trailfinders Women and on the worldwide stage.”
Cox might make her first look for her new membership because the Trailfinders host Harlequins within the opening recreation of the brand new Premiership Women’s Rugby season this weekend.
Rugby chief urged to give up
Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has been urged to resign from his function because the fallout from the Wallabies’ disastrous World Cup marketing campaign continues.
Six state unions have written to McLennan demanding he quits instantly, whereas they’re set to name for a unprecedented normal assembly of the board to oust him after he refused to go
The 57-year-old has been underneath appreciable stress since Australia crashed out of the event within the pool stage for the primary time ever, having pushed by way of the sacking of Dave Rennie and changing him with Eddie Jones. The former England coach has since resigned after coming underneath fireplace for choosing an inexperienced squad and allegedly holding job talks with Japan weeks earlier than the World Cup started.
Led by Queensland Rugby Union chairman Brett Clark, and backed by ACT Rugby, Rugby WA, NT Rugby, Tasmania Rugby and South Australia Rugby, a letter was despatched to McLennan on Friday demanding his resignation.
“We don’t imagine Mr McLennan has been performing in the very best pursuits of our recreation,” it learn. “We now not have any belief or religion in his management, or the course during which he takes rugby in Australia.” The unions added that McLennan had “exerted an undue affect on the operations and executives of Rugby Australia”.
However, McLennan has refused to go, telling The Roar that the transfer is “divisive by nature and pits state towards state, parochialism over unity and centralisation.” An extraordinary normal assembly is now set to be referred to as, after which RA should maintain a gathering and vote inside 60 days to determine on management.
Two arrested after Springboks housebreaking
Arrests have been made after a housebreaking took place at South Africa Rugby Union’s headquarters earlier this week.
Two males have been caught on CCTV breaking into the union’s HQ in Cape Town – the place the World Cup trophy was being stored – on Monday evening, however they ended up leaving the trophy behind as they made off with different gadgets.
One of the boys was seen placing their gloved hand on a duplicate trophy of the Webb Ellis Cup and lifting it barely earlier than wanting in different cabinets. However, the precise World Cup trophy that the Springboks received final month was being saved in a protected and was not taken, with the burglars as a substitute making off with 5 signed Springbok jerseys and bottles of whiskey, in addition to eight laptops and different workplace gadgets
Now, police have confirmed that two folks have been arrested in reference to the break in.
An announcement learn: “As a part of the frilly investigation that extends past the borders of the Western Cape, two suspects have been apprehended in Gauteng and are being questioned with a view to apprehending the perpetrators of the act.
“Once charged, the pair will make a court appearance in Cape Town.”
