Here are the latest rugby headlines on Wednesday, March 16.
Six Nations TV claim
Six Nations boss Ben Morel has, along with his IRFU counterpart, claimed there is "no justification" for making the European showpiece rugby tournament a mandatory free-to-air competition.
The rugby bosses are reported to have made the comments to Catherine Martin, minister in Ireland with responsibility for media, as she reviews the list of sporting events which must be made available to view for free on TV. Ireland's games at Rugby World Cups must be free to watch, but Six Nations games do not fall under the same rules.
It's the same for the rest of the home nations, who fall under the UK Government's "crown jewels" list, whereby the Rugby World Cup is the only rugby event - along with its football counterpart, Olympics, FA Cup final, Wimbledon and the Grand National - protected.
Read next: The six contenders for Player of the Six Nations
The Times reports that Mr Morel and IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said in a joint letter to the Irish minister that there was "no justification” for making the Six Nations a mandatory free-to-air competition, saying: “This is presently more pertinent than ever due to the global coronavirus pandemic and the cataclysmic effect it has had on the financial stability of the Irish rugby union, its provinces and associated clubs.
"You will be aware that the IRFU is in the process of receiving financial support from the Irish government, and a listing of live free-to-air coverage of Irish international rugby matches would create an even greater dependency on such support. Throughout the Guinness Six Nations Championship’s 20-year history in its current guise, the competition has remained available on a free-to-air basis notwithstanding the fact it is not required to be so."
There had been fears that the current Six Nations broadcast rights cycle would see coverage go behind a paywall, but a new TV deal was announced after the 2021 tournament whereby BBC and ITV share broadcast rights for the men's, women's and under-20s' Six Nations tournaments from 2022 until after the 2025 competitions.
But what happens after that remains to be seen, with many feeling that private equity firm CVC Capital Partners coming on board to buy a stake in the Six Nations means they may consider turning to the likes of Sky, Amazon and BT to try and increase commercial revenue in future.
England star banned for 82-second red card
England second row Charlie Ewels has been banned for three weeks after his 82-second sending-off in the Six Nations against Ireland on Saturday.
An independent judicial committee ruled that a number of mitigating factors enabled Ewels to avoid a longer ban based on World Rugby's regulations concerning contact with the head.
The ruling means Ewels will miss England's next match against France on March 19 as well as Bath's games against Sale and Worcester Warriors this month - although the final match may also be substituted if Ewels undertakes a coaching intervention programme.
In a statement, the panel said it had determined that "the act of foul play was reckless as a result of the player's poor tackle technique", and noted that Ewels had admitted his tackle had been worthy of a red card.
The statement added: "The player never lowers, or attempts to lower, his body height before contact with the ball carrier resulting in a forceful clash of heads.
"The player had a good line of sight of the ball carrier and was in control of his actions coming into contact. There was no sudden and significant drop or movement by the ball carrier prior to contact.
On that basis, the Committee applied World Rugby's mandatory minimum mid-range entry point for foul play resulting in contact with the head. This resulted in a starting point of a six-week suspension.
"Having acknowledged mitigating factors including, the player's early acceptance of the red card, his remorse and contrition for his offending, his relatively unblemished disciplinary record over a long playing career and his good character and conduct at the hearing, the committee reduced the six-week entry point by three weeks, resulting in a sanction of three weeks."
Wales captain tests positive
Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap has tested positive for Covid-19 just 10 days before the start of the Women's Six Nations.
Lillicrap was due to attend the official launch of the tournament in London on Wednesday but had to withdraw at the last minute.
The number eight has returned home and will now follow protocols of isolation and testing.
Wales open their campaign against Ireland on March 26 in Dublin.
Henderson excited about winning silverware
Iain Henderson says it would be "unbelievably massive" for Ireland's current crop of players to lift silverware on home soil for the first time.
The Ulster captain is poised to make his maiden start of this year's Guinness Six Nations when Scotland visit the Aviva Stadium for Saturday's crucial round-five clash.
Victory over Gregor Townsend's men will secure the Triple Crown and leave Irish dreams of championship glory resting on England's ability to upset Grand Slam-chasing France.
While Ireland won the title in 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2018, they have not clinched a major trophy in Dublin since the 2004 Triple Crown - five years before any of Andy Farrell's present-day squad were capped.
"The chance of being able to lift silverware with any team, especially your country, is absolutely enormous," he said.
"I'm actually not sure if any guys have lifted silverware internationally at home. That would be unbelievably massive.
"I think the excitement that that has brought us leading into this week has been huge, it's a massive driver for us.
"But we've got to make sure that we set that excitement aside to ensure that we can concentrate on our game.
"The guys who've been involved for a number of years know how difficult it is to come across something at international level, some form of silverware.
"We've got to focus on the Triple Crown. And then obviously whatever happens after that will be an added a bonus. Hopefully England can do the job on France."
New 'smart' rugby ball to be trialled
Premiership Rugby Cup fixtures will from this week start trialling the 'smart' rugby ball which aims to transform the way data is processed by coaches, players and fans alike.
The ball, which has been in development for years, will be used for the last 15 matches of the cup competition, starting with three fixtures on Friday night - Bristol v Bath, London Irish v Harlequins and Newcastle v Leicester.
Chips inside the ball communicate with sensors around the stadium up to 20 times every second, with an artificial intelligence tool then automatically enabling "precise information and insights about the ball's movement when it is passed and kicked - such as speed, distance and hang-time, for example - to be seen in real-time", Premiership Rugby said.
The trial marks the first time the ball will be used in a professional competition in the northern hemisphere.
Phil Winstanley, rugby director at Premiership Rugby said: "We are constantly looking at innovations and ways to grow the game and we are delighted to have chosen to trial this new smart ball.
"We hope this new rugby ball will help provide a greater insight for a new audience, while deepening our relationship with our current fans.
"The smart ball also gives our players and coaches the ability to improve performance on the field and in training with unique data. Touring our clubs with the ball in recent weeks has shown us that the players and coaches can't wait to get started with it."
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