Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, September 14.
Gatland addresses underlying difficulty
Warren Gatland is addressing Wales’ struggles to shut out matches along with his gamers behind the scenes this week.
The Wales coach has held sincere conversations with the gamers, who almost blew an 18-point benefit within the last 18 minutes towards Fiji. It got here simply weeks after they let slip victory towards England at Twickenham and fewer than a yr after the home implosion towards Australia in Wayne Pivac’s last sport.
Writing in his Telegraph column, Gatland stated: “Against Fiji, we had been main 32-14 however might have misplaced the sport within the last minute. Is that technical or psychological? That is the problem I’m addressing with the squad this week. We as coaches have to ensure that the messaging we’re giving gamers is obvious and collective and that they impart with one another on the sector to make good selections when beneath stress.
“For a coach it wasn’t the worst factor to occur as a result of if we had gained comfortably, we might have been patting ourselves on the again. Instead, we had been uncovered in these last minutes. Fiji saved enjoying and we should always have been extra frontline defensively. So as a lot as we’re delighted with the outcome, we all know that there are some underlying points for us to work by means of and concentrate on.”
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Biggar could not care much less
Dan Biggar insists he would repeat his controversial outburst seen throughout Wales v Fiji and says he would not care much less if folks have a go at him for his behaviour.
Biggar was incensed by his teammates’ delay in getting the ball off the park whereas they had been on their very own line within the final play of the half, and berated teammate North simply earlier than half-time, telling the centre to “get the f***ing ball off the park”. You can learn extra about that right here.
Much has been manufactured from the fly-half’s outburst, which got here on his late mom’s birthday, though Warren Gatland stated he had no difficulty with it.
Writing in his column for The Daily Mail, Biggar stated after going to mattress at 4.30am after a 2am supper of burgers, chips and crimson wine, he woke as much as loads of messages about his outburst at North and Nick Tompkins on the finish of the primary half.
“I used to be livid we didn’t have the calmness to simply hoof it into the stands as a result of we had been beneath the pump,” he stated.
“I do know some folks have had a pop at me about the way in which I spoke however I couldn’t care much less. I actually don’t care what folks consider me. If it occurred tomorrow I might do it once more. That is who I’m.
“We had a little bit of amusing about it after the sport. As a bunch, we’re good at dealing with adversity and confrontation. It just isn’t private, I really like the fellows to bits. We make our factors, take them on board after which it’s all advantageous. There can be a couple of former gamers making an attempt to maintain themselves related and that’s advantageous.”
Biggar, who got here off the sector struggling along with his decrease again, admitted the event of Wales v Fiji and coming by means of moments after being beneath the pump made him doubt his determination to retire from worldwide rugby following the World Cup.
He added: “I’m going to overlook that feeling like mad after I retire. Nothing will ever exchange it. I walked off the pitch in two minds about whether or not I made the proper determination to retire from worldwide rugby. It is such an unimaginable buzz. But waking up the subsequent morning feeling like I had been hit by a bus jogged my memory why it’s almost time to hold up the boots.”
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Today’s Rugby World Cup match
France v Uruguay is the solitary match immediately because the Rugby World Cup motion returns. The match kicks off at 8pm UK time on ITV1.
New captain Anthony Jelonch’s return is certainly one of 12 modifications for France, with solely lock Cameron Woki, wing Gabin Villiere and centre Yoram Moefana retaining their locations.
The 27-year-old flanker admits he had doubts about whether or not he would make the World Cup following his ACL harm sustained towards Scotland within the Six Nations in February.
“I’m already very pleased to be again,” he advised the BBC. “I had my doubts in the beginning of my rehab, however I knew I had six months.
“I labored very arduous in these six months and gave myself the prospect to come back again.
“To return as captain is a large supply of pleasure and I’ll do the whole lot I can to steer my team-mates to victory.”
Uruguay go into their match opener as large underdogs having solely gained three of their 15 video games at a World Cup.
Rees-Zammit focussed on successful once more
Louis Rees-Zammit has underlined Wales’ “sport by sport mentality” as they aim a second successive Rugby World Cup victory that might strengthen their quarter-final ambitions.
Wales, contemporary from an exciting bonus-point victory over Fiji, sort out Pool C minnows Portugal on Saturday.
A showdown with Australia follows eight days later in Lyon, then Georgia in Nantes as Wales chase a fourth last-eight look on the bounce.
“We obtained the win (towards Fiji), which was the principle factor, however there’s a lot to enhance,” Rees-Zammit stated.
“We’ve obtained Portugal subsequent and we all know they’ve nice backs, so it may be a troublesome sport.
“We have gotten a sport by sport mentality, and that’s our focus. You cannot slip up.
“We respect Portugal. We know they’ve some nice backs, so we’re going to have to coach arduous this week and get the job carried out.”
Scotland not completed but
John Dalziel has little question about Scotland’s capability to bounce again from their opening-weekend setback towards South Africa and arrange a possible qualification decider with Ireland in Paris.
The Scots suffered a demoralising begin to their World Cup marketing campaign after they produced a disappointing efficiency in an 18-3 loss to the Springboks in Marseille.
Dalziel knew beginning off towards the world champions was all the time going to be a troublesome task so doesn’t anticipate their chastening outing to have an effect on the gamers’ mindset going into their remaining three Pool B video games towards Tonga, Romania and Ireland.
The squad have had the previous few days off with their households and the forwards coach is assured they’ll all be capable of get their “heads straight” in time for his or her subsequent match towards Tonga in Nice per week on Sunday.
“We’ve been on this place a few occasions the place we have been upset with performances,” Dalziel advised the PA information company.
“It’s not the tip of the world for us, however we have to get our heads straight for the subsequent sport towards Tonga as a result of we have to get that sport proper.
“We spoke lots about how troublesome this group can be. We know we might have gone out on Sunday and performed a few of our greatest rugby and nonetheless misplaced the sport so it was all the time going to be necessary how we go on from right here.
“The distinction was we did not play our greatest rugby on Sunday, however the optimistic is that we have got three different video games to attempt to rebuild it and discover one other route out of the group.
