Here are the latest rugby headlines on Tuesday, March 15.
Wales deny dropping Rowlands
Wayne Pivac has revealed the conversation he had with Will Rowlands as he told him he was being replaced in the Wales team by Alun Wyn Jones.
Dragons lock Rowlands has had an excellent Six Nations, but now loses his spot in the starting line-up against Italy to the fit again Jones.
“I have certainly told him he hasn’t been dropped and that he has got a different role this week,” said head coach Pivac.
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“We talk around three roles. You are either starting the match, finishing the match and adding the impact or you have got the role that nobody wants and you are there to prepare the side as best you can to get a result.
“Will has played well. He has had a lot of rugby this season and on this occasion he will finish as opposed to starting and he understands that.
“We looked at Will and Adam (Beard) and that both had played a lot of minutes. Adam runs our attacking lineout and Will runs the defensive lineout. Alun Wyn will take over that. Will will finish the game and he’ll play a role.”
Wales team named
Dan Biggar will win his 100th Wales cap in Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash against Italy.
Only six other Welshmen - Alun Wyn Jones, Gethin Jenkins, Stephen Jones, George North, Martyn Williams and Gareth Thomas - have clocked up a century for their country.
Jones, meanwhile, is poised to collect cap number 150 for Wales - an ongoing world record - after being named in the starting line-up. The 36-year-old has not played since suffering a shoulder injury during Wales' Autumn Nations series opener against New Zealand in late October.
You can read our verdict on the 'strange' Wales team here.
Jones had two operations, and most medical forecasts were that he would miss the entire Six Nations, but he is back ahead of schedule and partners Adam Beard in the second-row.
Fly-half Biggar captains a team showing seven changes following the 13-9 defeat against title and Grand Slam-chasing France last Friday.
Jones apart, other players called up are full-back Johnny McNicholl, wing Louis Rees-Zammit, centre Uilisi Halaholo, scrum-half Gareth Davies, hooker Dewi Lake and prop Dillon Lewis. Players dropping out include Liam Williams, Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Ryan Elias and Will Rowlands.
England drop winger
Max Malins will miss the climax to England's Guinness Six Nations after being omitted from the 28-man squad taken to Paris for Saturday's clash with France.
Malins has started all four previous matches in the tournament but is now dropped, leaving Elliot Daly, Louis Lynagh and Joe Marchant as the options to replace him on the right wing.
The 25-year-old Saracen was heavily involved in the opener against Scotland, emerging as one of England's most effective runners in the defeat at Murrayfield, but has struggled to impose himself since.
Jack Willis will have to wait until at least the summer tour to Australia to make his England comeback after also being left out of the reduced squad that will arrive in the French capital on Tuesday.
Sam Underhill has been retained among the 28, pointing to his likely selection to fill the void at openside created by Tom Curry's hamstring injury.
England's 28-man squad:
Forwards: A Barbeary (Wasps), O Chessum (Leicester), N Dolly (Leicester), A Dombrandt (Harlequins), E Genge (Leicester), J George (Saracens), J Heyes (Leicester), M Itoje (Saracens), N Isiekwe (Saracens), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Lawes (Northampton), J Marler (Harlequins), S Simmonds (Exeter), K Sinckler (Bristol), W Stuart (Bath), S Underhill (Bath).
Backs: E Daly (Saracens), G Ford (Leicester), G Furbank (Northampton), L Lynagh (Harlequins), J Marchant (Harlequins), L Northmore (Harlequins), J Nowell (Exeter), H Randall (Bristol), H Slade (Exeter), M Smith (Harlequins), F Steward (Leicester), B Youngs (Leicester).
Ireland on right track
Captain Johnny Sexton insists Ireland are on the right path regardless of whether they end up as Guinness Six Nations champions.
Victory over Scotland this weekend will guarantee the Triple Crown, but Irish dreams of topping the final standings are also reliant on England avoiding defeat to Grand Slam-chasing France in Paris.
Andy Farrell's men kept themselves in title contention going into the final round with a stuttering 32-15 success away to Eddie Jones' 14-man side.
Three-time Six Nations winner Sexton wants to improve on Saturday's Twickenham showing as Ireland attempt to underline recent progress with a memorable end to the tournament.
"I remember talking to you guys (the media) 12 months ago or longer and things weren't going great from a results point of view, but we were sticking in there and our confidence levels were the same as they are now," said the 36-year-old
"We're confident in what we're doing and where we're going.
"Will silverware make that any better or worse? It might validate it a little bit, but I still think we're on the right path.
"We're not really thinking like that. We're thinking it's a great opportunity for us and we need to keep building, keep improving every game we play.
"We showed some great things against England, but we hope we're a lot better this week."
Tigers get huge fine
Leicester have been fined £309,841.06 but avoided any points deduction after a Premiership Rugby investigation found they had failed to comply with salary cap regulations.
It was discovered that the league leaders had entered into an arrangement whereby a third-party company made payments to the image rights companies of Leicester players.
The payments that were made over the four seasons from 2016-17 to 2019-20 should have been declared as part of part of their salary cap, but they were not disclosed.
Leicester have been spared greater sanction due to the salary cap being exceeded by less than the 'overrun' limit.
It is when this ceiling, which ranges from £325,000 to £350,000 each season, is breached that formal charges are brought.
Leicester's highest 'overrun' was £147,750.00 in 2016-17 and their total across the four seasons was £391,941.06.
There will be no further disciplinary process or appeal after the Tigers accepted the outcome of the investigation.
In addition to the bulk of the fine, which is termed the 'overrun' tax and is calculated according to the amount of the overrun, Leicester have been fined £17,900 for failing to disclose information about the arrangements.
Only Saracens have been fined more after they were relegated two seasons ago for repeated salary cap breaches.
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