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These are your evening rugby headlines for Wednesday 1st April.
Bristol ‘would have liked to have kept’ the Welsh goal
Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam says he would have “loved to keep” departing center Joe Jenkins, but the club are unable to match an offer made by Leicester Tigers.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that Jenkins – a Welsh qualifier – had signed for the Tigers ahead of next season, with head coach Geoff Parling saying he would “add a new dimension” to his side.
The 22-year-old is seen as a huge talent and is a player the Welsh Rugby Union has been monitoring for a year. A former England U20s centre-back, he is eligible to represent Wales through his father, who hails from Llanharan.
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Commenting on Jenkins’ exit, Lam admitted that the player was keen to stay at Bristol and they wanted to keep him there, but in the end they couldn’t match what their PREM Rugby rivals were offering.
“Joe has been a great influence around the club and we’ve been delighted with the way his game has developed over the last four years,” said the Bears boss. “Even though he had to fight with unfortunate injuries for a long time that prevented him, his attitude and his professionalism did not waver.
“Joe was desperate to stay, and we would have liked to keep him. However, at this point in his career, regular game time is important for his development.
“With strong competition in our midfield – including Benhard Janse van Rensburg, James Williams, Matias Moroni and Jack Bates – as well as exciting Academy talent such as England U20 Victor Worsnip and England U18 Will Moore emerging, we couldn’t match Leicester’s campaign,” Lam added.
“We are very proud of what Joe has achieved here, and everyone at the club wishes him well as he takes the next step in his journey with Leicester Tigers.”
When his departure was confirmed, Jenkins added: “This has honestly been one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. I’ve loved every minute of my time here in a very special environment.
“The team culture is something I will always cherish and to train and play with such a great group of lads, as well as learning from world-class players and coaches, has been amazing.
“Thank you so much to the supporters – playing at Ashton Gate in front of you all was a great honor and I appreciate the support you’ve given me.”
The English side confirmed the disaster
Rugby CHAMP team Bedford Blues have announced that a supporter has tragically died after falling ill during a match at the weekend.
Jonno Garland, a long-time supporter and season ticket holder with the club, fell ill during Bedford’s clash with Cambridge on Saturday, and the half-time break was extended as paramedics attended to a “sick first-half supporter”.
The club have now confirmed that Mr Garland has passed away, and tributes will be paid ahead of their next game against Cornish Pirates on Saturday afternoon.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of long-time and season-ticket supporter Jonno Garland following last week’s game,” read a statement from the club.
“Our thoughts are with Jonno’s wife, Sarah, his family and friends. We will observe a minute’s applause on Saturday in Jonno’s memory.”
Cambridge Rugby also paid tribute, with a club statement reading: “We are deeply saddened to receive confirmation that Jonno Garland has passed away following last week’s game against Bedford Blues.
“On behalf of everyone on this team, we extend our thoughts and condolences to Jonno’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
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Jenkins is back at Exeter while Feyi-Waboso is back
Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter will be boosted by the return of Wales star Dafydd Jenkins and England internationals Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Henry Slade when his side face Munster in the Challenge Cup this weekend.
Jenkins had to take a mandatory week off after taking part in Wales’ Six Nations campaign, while Slade missed last week’s win over Newcastle Red Bulls due to his wife Megan’s childbirth.
Meanwhile, Feyi-Waboso has not played since January when he injured his shoulder muscle in training with England ahead of the Six Nations, a setback that ruled him out of the tournament.
“Daf is back from his week off after the Six Nations, Henry Slade is back in full training and is available this week after the birth of his daughter, and Manny is in full training and available now,” Baxter said while giving an update on his squad’s availability.
“So it’s a nice addition to our three stocks. [Feyi-Waboso] was very good in full training last week. He is in full training this week, so that makes him available to play.
“He’s a really good guy. Things happen in rugby. You get on with it and use your downtime to adapt and work on the little things you can and try to get stronger.”
The Exeter boss added: “We’ve been unlucky this season, but if we can have our luck now with injuries and get through the next few weeks with this squad intact, we could end up going into the final third of the season with our kind of strong team players.
“And obviously it allows us to try to put our feet down and strive for what we can achieve this season because obviously the best players, you have them, the more chances you have, the more options you have.”
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