Your rugby evening headlines for Friday, April 1.
Pivac pays tribute to Cubby
Wales boss Wayne Pivac has paid tribute to Scarlets flanker James Davies, who has had to retire from rugby with immediate effect.
Davies has hung up his boots due to the ongoing effects of concussion and has not played since representing Wales against Georgia in the autumn of 2020. The larger-than-life flanker played an integral role in Pivac's Scarlets team that clinched the Pro12 trophy in 2017.
Read more: James Davies forced to quit rugby as Wales international can't risk 'unthinkable'
Pivac said: “It’s very sad to hear about Cubby’s retirement. I was fortunate enough to coach him at club and international level and not only is he a good player but he’s a great person. His enthusiasm and sense of humour are second to none and he is one of the game’s genuine characters. I wish him all the best for whatever comes next. I know that whatever he turns his hand to he will make a success.”
Wales Women set for record crowd
A bumper crowd is set to file into the Arms Park this weekend to watch Wales Women take on Scotland in the TikTok Six Nations.
Ioan Cunningham's side, now boasting a plethora of professionally contracted players, kicked off their campaign with a win over Ireland last weekend. They'll be looking to build on that when Scotland come to the Welsh capital on Saturday afternoon (4.45pm kick-off).
And over 4,200 tickets have now been sold for the match, eclipsing what is believed to be a previous record for a standalone women's standalone international rugby fixture in Wales - 4,113.
17 Wales players return to action
A significant portion of Wales internationals will be returning to the field for the first time since the Six Nations this weekend.
After Wales lost to Italy in Cardiff, the bulk of Pivac's side were given a bit of time off by their regional bosses. Some have already returned to action in recent weeks but over the coming days 17 of the squad will step out onto the pitch again.
The Ospreys are seeing a significant contingent return with eight internationals coming back into the starting line-up. Meanwhile, the other three pro teams are seeing returns for three players each.
Returning this weekend...
Cardiff: Josh Adams, Tomos Williams Seb Davies
Dragons: Ross Moriarty, Will Rowlands, Taine Basham
Scarlets: Ryan Elias, Wyn Jones, Jonathan Davies
Ospreys: Alex Cuthbert, Owen Watkin, Gareth Anscombe, Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard and Jac Morgan.
Bristol respond to salary cap report
Bristol have responded to reports that they are on the verge of a fire sale after an admin error put them at risk of breaching English rugby's salary cap.
The Telegraph reported that the club forgot to tell certain players that they were not taking up the option to renew contracts, resulting in them automatically renewing. That in turn is resulting in extra spend they were not accounting for.
However, the club themselves 'categorically' insist they will be within the £5 million cap.
A spokesman for Bristol Bears said: "Bristol Bears are aware of reports in the Telegraph on Thursday, March 31st. The club reiterates its commitment to salary cap compliance and we continue to work closely with PRL.
"We categorically state that we have been, we are and will continue to be under the salary cap. As per previous seasons, the majority of our recruitment for the 2022/23 campaign has been done early, with new arrivals and player retention details to be announced in the next few weeks."
