Rugby stories headline the news on Saturday, April 4.
These are your headlines for Saturday 4th April.
O’Driscoll lifts the lid on the Parling incident
Ireland tactician Brian O’Driscoll has given an inside look at the main talking point from last week’s rugby.
The former Lions manager was on the pitch at Villa Park for Leicester Tigers’ clash with Gloucester when Geoff Parling and Craig Doyle were involved in an on-air incident which saw the Tigers head coach shove a TNT Sports announcer.
Doyle encouraged fellow player Liam McDevitt to try a goal as a way to start the show – something that angered Parling and prompted him to tell Doyle “It’s not fun, get off the field, it’s not starting”.
O’Driscoll, who watched the game at Villa Park, has now given his version of events.
“Craig went from doing this big, long monologue at the opening of the show,” he said Off The Ball podcast.
“So he’s inside Villa Park, and he’s showing all the trophies over the years, the dressing rooms and stuff. So he goes on to the pitch, not sure what’s going on. The best plans in the world are very good, except things happen and come true. ”
He added: “Maybe it went early when Craig came out,” referring to McDevitt’s goal attempt.
“The problem was that the whole team had started to warm up around the papers, so when Craig had his spiel with Liam, then he kicked a goal – or missed it luckily, because if he got it, it would have been close to the players – Geoff comes and Craig thinks he’s going to have a chat, how wrong he was.
However, he was not impressed with that, when I said, he pushed him, and then Craig came and asked me my first question.
“I felt sorry for Craig, because, listen, he’s going through his process and like his line, ‘Can you sign him?’, expecting him to get a deal or something back.’
O’Driscoll said Doyle handled the incident like a consummate professional.
O’Driscoll was impressed: “I have to say, he’s an unreal professional who can handle that.
“Because it didn’t happen to me, and I was like scared inside, whereas if it happened to you, and you had to do a full day show, it would be brutal.
“I’m not saying it didn’t play on his mind, but I’m telling you, you wouldn’t have known it was. There’s no one like him. There’s no one like him.”
Farrell supported England
Anthony Watson thinks Owen Farrell should be selected for England’s squad for this summer’s World Cup campaign.
Farrell has not played international rugby for his country since 2023 when he took an indefinite break from test rugby after the World Cup in order to prioritize his mental health and that of his family. The fly-half received severe abuse from his fans during the match, forcing him to retreat.
He returned to international action for the Lions last summer and Watson believes the 34-year-old still has a lot to offer Steve Borthwick.
“Should he be part of the South African thing or at least give it a chance to be 100 percent,” said Watson. “I had the same feeling throughout the Six Nations, and last autumn.
“Being healthy aside, I didn’t think there was any reason for him not to be in the team.” England have historically played their best games with him at 12, and the 12 level is probably the only one that hasn’t been.
He added: “For me, Owen is someone who can get into that number 12 shirt straight away and not move.
He can provide the gel for the latter, becoming the last England player to be nailed. Now, I would argue, they have one of the top three teams in the world.
The Wales star returns to power Cardiff
Wales full-back Alex Mann will make his first Cardiff appearance since the Six Nations as Wales beat Benetton in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
Mann was one of Wales’ better players during the tournament and his return is a huge boost to the injury-ravaged Blue & Blacks.
Cardiff have given debuts to midfielder Evan Rees and center Elijah Evans for this round of 16 clash in Treviso.
Former Ireland player Ed Byrne will also make his first appearance this season as he starts in charge.
Cardiff have lost a further nine players to injury on their recent tour of South Africa, with five key top-flight sides and Welsh winger Josh Adams struggling.
“We took a bit of a hit in South Africa in terms of injuries, but we’re here to win games and move on,” Cardiff manager Liam Belcher said.
“It’s part of the season where you stretch yourself, especially when the international guys come back with a battered body.
“And if you had said in June or July that we would be in this league position and 16th in the cup then I would have bitten your hand off.”
Cardiff: I’m Lloyd; Grady, E Evans, B Thomas, Beetham; Sheedy, Bevan; Byrne, Belcher (capt), Assiratti, E Rees, Thornton, Mann, D Thomas, Lawrence. The rest: D Hughes, Barratt, Wainwright, de la Rua, E Lloyd, I Davies, Jennings, Winnett.
Ospreys are vulnerable
Wales Six Nations captain Dewi Lake is not in the Ospreys squad to face Ulster on Saturday but Jac Morgan will captain the side.
Lake played his last game for the club after undergoing shoulder surgery but the Ospreys are boosted by the return of Wales loosehead Gareth Thomas.
The Ospreys’ hopes of reaching the finals of the United Rugby Cup are hanging in the balance, which makes this round of 16 Challenge Cup match all the more important.
“We’re delighted to have him,” Ospreys head coach Mark Jones said when asked about Wales star Morgan.
“I’m sure Ulster would have hoped his name wasn’t on the team sheet this weekend because if I was coaching against him I would hope for the same thing. That’s the respect people have for Jac.
“It’s a big challenge to come back after more than four months and go back to work at the level he was in.
“That’s a sign of the situation because even the best players sometimes get time to warm up, but Jac has hit the ground running.”
Morgan is joined at the back by Morgan Morris and Huw Sutton and Ryan Smith and Rhys Davies in the second row.
Thomas, Sam Parry and Rhys Henry form a strong front line. Behind the scrum Reuben Morgan-Williams returns to wear the number nine jersey with Dan Edwards at outside half.
Keiran Williams and Owen Watkin are the centers with Jack Walsh, Daniel Kasende and Luke Morgan in the back three.
Ospreys: Walsh; Kasende, Watkin, K Williams, L Morgan; Edwards, R Morgan-Williams; G Thomas, Parry, Henry, R Davies, Smith, Sutton, J Morgan (capt), M Morris. The rest: Daniel, S Thomas, Botha, Fender, Deaves, Hardy, Boshoff, Hopkins.
The dragons avoid a great disaster
The Dragons have avoided a scrum-half injury crisis after Niall Armstrong and Morgan Lloyd were given a chance to face Stade Francais on Sunday.
Filo Tiatia’s side travel to Paris for a round of 16 tie in the Challenge Cup and will be relieved both are fit after Rhodri Williams and Armstrong suffered head injuries against the Lions last weekend.
There was a big chance they would be without nine players, but Armstrong has passed his head injury assessment and Lloyd has recovered from a hamstring injury.
Tiatia made three changes to the side that lost in Johannesburg last weekend with Tinus de Beer wearing the number 10 shirt pushing Angus O’Brien to fullback.
Second row Levi Douglas also comes into the starting XV while David Richards starts on the wing.
“It will be difficult because they are a very good team, especially at home, and they ran away with a very good win against Clermont,” said Tiatia.
“They are well coached and I like the way they play with big players in the middle and they like to try to get the ball back as fast as possible in the 14.
“The stadium has threats behind the back line. Our work is done but we are looking forward to the challenge.
“There’s no reason to put on a jersey and go out without any belief.”
Dragons: O’Brien (prisoner); Richards, Inisi, Owen, Dyer; de Beer, Armstrong; Martinez, Coghlan, Coleman, Douglas, Carter (co-capt), Woodman, Young, Wainwright. The rest: Dee, W Jones, James, S Davies, Keddie, M Lloyd, Paea, Anderson.
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