Here’s your rugby evening headlines for Thursday, April 27.
England the French prostitute continues
According to Rob Baxter, director of the rugby division of the Exeter Chiefs, the move to Montpellier by British prostitute Luke Cowan-Dickie is still ongoing.
Reports from France suggest that the French champions may call off the transfer after the British and Irish Lions are said to have missed their medical after going out drinking the night before.
Baxter told BBC Radio Devon: “Something has been massively overblown relative to the proportions.
“I thought he was going to France again just to finish a few things the French wanted to investigate about some of his injuries. But he didn’t pass the medical examination, he was did not come to the medical examination.
READ MORE: The Wales international will be absent from the World Cup training squad unless he provides proof in six days
“I’m not saying it’s completely blasphemy, because everything has a little bit of it behind it, but as long as he doesn’t show up and they tear up the contract and throw it away, that’s 100 per cent no must be the case.
“Did he drink in a bar at some point? I would say probably yes, other than that maybe a bit of a press license [that] maybe added a few things that happened.”
New All Blacks coach ready to pick foreign players
New Zealand’s incoming head coach Scott Robertson is ready to recruit foreign players for the All Blacks.
Under current policies, a player cannot represent the All Blacks when signing for a team outside of New Zealand, but those policies could change when Robertson takes over from Ian Foster after the World Cup.
“There is one thing they [NZR] told me to be a little forward thinking and challenging the norm here. So we’re going to have conversations,” Robertson said. “You have to be one step ahead. If you’re one step behind and then change the rules, that’s when you’re caught.
“So they will definitely get my opinions and thoughts. I’ll show the board and where I think the game is likely headed. But a lot of that will happen after I take the role.”
Shingler is ready for the final hurdle
Scarlet’s back row Aaron Shingler says he hopes to end his professional career with some silverware as he prepares to retire.
The Wales international will hang up his boots at the end of the season, with the Scarlets still hunting for the Challenge Cup. They face Glasgow in the semi-finals this weekend, with hopes Shingler will get through that game and reach the final in Dublin before the curtain on his career falls.
“I think it’s going to be very emotional and I hope it is,” Shingler told the Scrum VU podcast.
“There’s so much going on in my mind, it’s going to be like an out-of-body experience.
“This week I stood up and told the whole team how long I’ve been here and in fact only won one title.
“You don’t have many chances and there’s no semi-final for me anymore, this is my last chance. I put them under pressure, when it’s all or nothing, just a different mindset and this is all or nothing for me.
“If it doesn’t happen let it be, but if it does, it’s a great way to end.”
Wales seeks to secure WXV . eligibility
Wales Women are intent on securing their spot in the top tier of World Rugby’s new WXV competition this fall.
A third place in the TikTok Six Nations will ensure Ioan Cunningham’s team the opportunity to play in WXV 1 – the top of the new global league. That particular place will be a group competition between the top three sides in the Six Nations and the Pacific Four Series.
Should they qualify, that would see Wales compete against teams like England, France and then three from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Going into the Six Nations final match against Italy, Wales need just a single point to secure third place.
“Our goal at the start of the Six Nations was to have two wins to go into the final game against Italy,” Cunningham said.
“We make no secret of the fact that we have set our sights on three wins in this tournament.
“We showed in front of two of the best teams in the world, England and France, that we could play against the best, but knew we needed an 80-minute performance at Parma. .
“Italy has won us in the last two games and is two places ahead of us in the world rankings, but we are excited about the challenge ahead.”
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