The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world
These are your latest rugby headlines for Friday 3rd April.
Jones hopes to keep the sought-after star
Ospreys head coach Mark Jones is confident the club can keep Jack Walsh, amid interest from rivals Scarlets and English giants Exeter Chiefs.
Florida-born, Australian-raised Walsh will qualify for Wales on residency ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup if he signs a contract to stay in Welsh rugby – and Jones hopes he will be with the Ospreys.
“Yeah, we’re hoping he’ll be there,” Jones said when asked if Walsh would sign a new contract with the club. “We have good discussions with him.
“We’ve been very early, me and Jack, on the rugby side but also Dan works tirelessly on the contract side. We value Walshy a lot. He knows how much we care about him.
“It’s very clear from the way he trains, the way he prepares and the way he does it for us that he cares about the Ospreys. Both teams are doing everything they can to try and get that over the line but, look, he’s a professional.
“I fully understand and respect him wanting to make sure he explores all his options. You only get one very short career in rugby and we fully respect the sacrifices he’s making, but we’re still trying our best to make sure Jack is part of our team moving forward.”
Walsh has been a key player for the Ospreys over the past four years and Jones believes he can take his game to the next level.
“We’re hoping to keep him in the building going forward. He’s made great progress,” he said. “He’s 26 now and he’s just going to get better.
“We want to be able to use all the time he has put in with the previous coaches and the previous previous teams. I think that now he is ready to make a bigger stage every week in a consistent way now for the team and for many years. Let’s hope that he wears a black shirt.”
Recruiting has been difficult for the Ospreys amid endless speculation about their future, with the Welsh Rugby Union planning to ax one of Wales’ four clubs. But following confirmation that the Ospreys will play at St Helen’s next season, Jones is confident he can strengthen the squad.
“As you can imagine, hiring is tough,” he said. “When you look at players from other stable places where there are sure to be clubs and teams and competitions, it’s hard to sell Welsh rugby as an attractive product when all these things are hanging over you, especially for a long time.
“If you want to bring someone from overseas or you want to bring anyone from the English Premiership, it’s a challenge. But the thing that hasn’t been difficult is to keep – to try to keep our people in a building that we care about and people who love Osprey.
“Ospreys fans are really keen to stay,” Jones added. “They want to make it work, they want to work with me and Dan Griff to keep them, and their love for the Ospreys has been great.
“It’s been great to see how much they love playing for the club. It’s been a real pleasure but obviously we know we want to keep building the club.
“We want to keep our young squad but we want to add some quality there as well which shows the real intent at Ospreys about our future.”
Dyer signs new deal
Wales international Rio Dyer has signed a new two-year contract with the Dragons despite interest from English clubs.
The 26-year-old winger has returned to form for Filo Tiatia’s side during the improved campaign, which has seen the main man score seven tries in 14 games.
Although his impressive displays weren’t enough to see him rewarded with a place in Steve Tandy’s squad for the Six Nations, the 24-cap Welshman rediscovered his love for rugby during the off-season and is now hoping for more of the same after committing his future to the Rodney Parade side.
“The main reason I’m re-signing is last year I found real joy and peace playing for the Dragons and I’m loving my rugby again,” he said when his new contract was confirmed. “Another big inspiration was when we went to the community, we saw the children and what it meant to them to see us in the camps.
“It made me realize how important it is for me at that age to see my favorite players, and that brought me back to why I started playing rugby.
Now, I’m in a position to bring back the joy I had as a child to anyone who wants to be a Dragon, and that means a lot to me.
When the deal was announced, Dragons attack coach Matt O’Brien said: “We are delighted that Rio has extended his contract with us.
“Having come a long way, it’s great that Rio is willing to continue his development with us and see the steps we’re making as a team.
“He’s a great ambassador for the club, off and on the field, and you can see that in the way the fans and young rugby players in this area respond to him.
“Rio has come into real form this year and gives us a big threat in attack with his speed and one-on-one ability. Hopefully we can continue to see more of him in a Dragons jersey and help Rio get back to the international stage, where I feel he belongs.”
Louis Bielle-Biarrey named best player of the Six Nations
French player Louis Bielle-Biarrey has been named the Six Nations Player of the Championship for the second year running.
The 22-year-old received 44% of the public vote to claim this year’s award after scoring nine tries in five games, including four against England in the final.
Italian center Tommaso Menoncello, Irish center Stuart McCloskey and Scottish winger Kyle Steyn were also on the shortlist.
“I’m very happy, really. It’s still another reward for the team’s hard work throughout the competition,” Bielle-Biarrey said.
“We were able to defend our title. To win the championship two years in a row is no small feat. We are very happy that we did it.”
Welsh prop puts pen to paper
Cardiff prop Rhys Barratt has signed a new long-term deal with the club.
The 24-year-old was named the Arms Park Club Player of the Year at the end of the 2024/25 campaign and has established himself as a key member of the first team.
A product of Cardiff’s path, Barratt has starred for Wales U20s while being called up to train with the country’s top team.
After he signed a new contract with the club, head coach Corniel van Zyl heaped praise on the head, telling the club’s website: “Since I’ve known Rhys, he’s progressed well in terms of what we want and expect from Cardiff.
“As a young man, especially in terms of props, his biggest role is the setting-piece and he continues to improve in that area but what sets him apart is his overall goal.
“He has a good mind and willingness to learn and improve every day, but also to give his best for the team.
His rugby skills are also very good and with age and more time in this environment, he can continue to improve physically,” van Zyl added. “He can be strong, powerful and explosive.
“We are happy to keep him here. He is a great person, he has excelled and he has taken every opportunity and he has a very bright future.”
Barratt said it was an “easy decision” to sign a new contract with Cardiff, adding: “In terms of the pro game, this is my home club, it means a lot to me and I’m excited about what we can achieve in the next few years.
“I’ve enjoyed the last few years and my development here. It’s a great club with great players to learn from and compete with.“I’m very hungry to continue that development and Cardiff is the perfect place to do it,” Barratt continued.
“As a team, we continue to improve and I feel like there’s a lot more to come from us. I’m excited for what the future holds.“Thank you to everyone at the club for the opportunity to continue pulling on the Blue and Black, as well as everyone who has helped me along the way, since starting at Llantwit Fadre. It’s a great honor to play for Cardiff and I’m determined to give my best for the club and the fans.”
Etzebeth returns
South African star Eben Etzebeth will return to the rugby field for the first time in four months after being reinstated to the Sharks first team after a long layoff.
The former lock was handed a 12-week ban after striking Wales full-back Alex Mann during a concussion during Steve Tandy’s side’s 73-0 shutout of the Springboks at the Principality Stadium in November.
Caught on camera poking Mann in the eye with his thumb, Etzebeth was slapped with a suspension by the disciplinary panel and has since missed a large part of the Sharks’ campaign in the United Rugby Championship and Challenge Cup.
He will return to Europe on Friday night, however, having been named in the starting line-up to face Connacht in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup.
Etzebeth’s return comes as a huge boost to JP Pietersen and his side, with the head coach making 13 changes to the starting team that beat Cardiff at the URC last week amid mounting injuries.
Andre Esterhuizen, Siya Kolisi, Grant Williams and Bongi Mbonambi are among the top Springbok stars who have not made the trip to Ireland, and Pietsen chose a balanced but strong selection.
“Injuries test team structure, but it gives the next guy on the team a chance,” he said. It’s a test of how you bounce back as a team.
“We have recommendations, Eben is available, and hopefully his return is a big help for us.”
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