The Ospreys are
closing in on the signing of powerful loosehead Steffan Thomas from the Scarlets.
Thomas'
Scarlets contract expires at the end of the current season, and the 26-year-old
is expected to make the short journey across the Loughor Bridge to join
arch-rivals the Ospreys.
The former Wales U20s prop has been a solid performer for the Scarlets but is
behind Wyn Jones and Kemsley Mathias in the pecking order.
Should he put
pen to paper on a deal with the Swansea-based
region the Newcastle Emlyn product will compete with his cousin Gareth Thomas
for the number one jersey at the Ospreys. The Ospreys also have destructive
scrummager Nicky Smith on their books, but even though the experienced Wales
international recently signed a new long-term deal it is understood he has a
breakout clause in his contract and is wanted by clubs in England and France.
The salary cap
in Wales is set to be as low as £4.5million next season, although two marquee
players are permitted above the cap. This inevitably means some of Welsh
rugby's top players will leave for England, France or Japan.
They are also
in discussions with Wales scrum-half Kieran Hardy who is set to leave the Scarlet’s
at the end of the season, but the deal has stalled over money and the
28-year-old is attracting interest from English clubs. But a move to the
Ospreys is not dead in the water because a move outside of Wales could signal
the end of Hardy's international career.
Will Rowlands
has been pictured back in the Wales squad fold ahead of this weekend's big
clash at Twickenham.
Rowlands missed
the Test against Scotland at the weekend following complications after the
birth of his child a few weeks ago. Warren Gatland had
told the Racing 92 man to stay close to his family and travel to the Wales camp
when he felt he was ready.
"Will
hasn’t come into the squad yet. His wife had a baby a couple of weeks ago in
France and unfortunately there were some complications," Gatland said last
week.
"So the
message to him has been stay home and be with your family. We always talk about
how important that is and he’ll turn up when he’s ready."
With
preparations now ramping up in England week, the Kiwi has been boosted by the
return of the physical second row.
Rowlands'
return poses Gatland with a selection poser for the clash in south west London,
with Dafydd Jenkins and Adam Beard starting against Scotland in Cardiff, with
Teddy Williams on the bench.
The smart money
is likely on Rowlands being named among the replacements for the game against
Steve Borthwick's men.
Cardiff duo
Alex Mann and Cam Winnett have spoken of their delight after making their
international debuts over the weekend. The youngsters may have come out on the
wrong side of a pulsating 26-27 defeat at the Principality Stadium against
Scotland but their respective, burgeoning reputations were certainly enhanced;
Winnett started the clash in Cardiff and was solid, while Mann came off the
bench to score in what was a bright cameo.
Both referenced
the journey into the Welsh capital towards the stadium as moments they won't
forget in a hurry.
"It was
surreal to be honest," said Mann. "Going in and seeing everyone's
faces, smiling on the bus. When I was younger, I was always looking at the bus,
hoping to be there one day, so I can't put it into words, it's unbelievable.
"All the
hard work you put in to wear that famous red jersey was worth it. My mum, my
brother, my dad, I can’t thank them enough for everything so it’s a very proud
day.
"It was
unbelievable. When I scored I couldn't believe it. The boys did all of the hard
work to be honest with you. I was lucky one with the ball. I felt Dom (Corey
Domachowski) and Azza (Keiron Assiratti) piling in afterwards, so that was
great."
Full-back
Winnett echoed his team-mate's feelings. "It was mental to be honest, to
see everyone driving up Westgate Street," he said. "I saw my father
on the bin shouting at the window. It was giving me Goosebumps to be honest.
"A proud
moment myself as well, because obviously it's everything I've worked towards.
All the sessions, all the coaches who helped me along the way, my family and
friends, yeah it was amazing achievement.
"I had to
get 22 tickets actually and I had a bus full coming down so yeah, amazing
achievement."
Andy Farrell
believes talk of leading Ireland to successive Grand Slam titles is premature
as he attempts to build on the "feel-good factor" created by a
resounding Guinness Six Nations victory
over France.
Reigning
champions Ireland made a statement of intent in Friday evening's curtain-raiser
in Marseille with a stunning 38-17 bonus-point success over the pre-tournament favorites.
The fixture has
proved to be a championship decider in each of the past two years, with the
Irish dethroning Les Bleus 12 months ago thanks to a 32-19 Dublin win, which
avenged a 30-24 loss in Paris in 2022.
Head coach
Farrell acknowledges victory at Stade Velodrome was "pretty special"
but is focused on conducting a thorough review of the contest and striving for
improvement rather than contemplating silverware.
"We want
to be in it (title contention) at the last week but internally we're hungry to
be as good as we possibly can be," he said.
"In
reality it's one win, its one win out of one and we've got to be on to the next
one.
"It (the
championship) is not won or lost but it's about building on this.
"We tend
to be pretty harsh on our performances when we've won because we're able to do
that and make some good points so hopefully we're able to get better because of
that.
"But the feel-good
factor of a victory like that... it's a special victory, it definitely is and
it's there to be celebrated, that's for sure."
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