Your rugby morning headlines for Sunday, January 30.
Jones piles pressure on Wales
England boss Eddie Jones has warned expectation will be high on Wales as they head into the Six Nations as defending champions.
Wales are without in excess more than 900 caps worth experience and are largely being written off as the tournament kicks off with their clash in Ireland on Saturday.
READ MORE: The truly formidable XV wales won't be able to field
However, Jones insists the pressure will still be there as Wayne Pivac experiences the pressures of being a defending champion for the first time.
Jones know about that with England and warned: “The expectation is higher as the champion. The media, the external expectation is higher.
“In a country like Wales, where rugby is the number one sport, when you’re the champion team, everyone expects you to keep winning.
“Wayne’s an experienced coach, he’ll know how to handle it and he’s got some good experienced players.
“Dan Biggar is your captain, he’s been on two Lions tours and he’s very experienced. They’ll know how to handle that.
“But we know this is going to be a tough tournament. Just look at the quality of the teams in it.”
Kearney dismisses Wales' prospects
Ireland legend Rob Kearney has dismissed Wales' title prospects this time out and warned they will head home from Dublin 'comfortably' defeated in Saturday's tournament opener.
Kearney, capped almost 100 times by Ireland and with three Lions Tests to his name, insists Wales aren't the force they were.
And he reckons it's a straight shootout between France and the Irish for the Six Nations this year.
“The two teams are playing so well at the moment and are unlikely to have too many slip-ups,” said the former full-back in the Irish Examiner.
As Wales head to Dublin to begin the defence of their title, Kearney claimed they are not “the force that they were over the last number of years.”
He stated: “I'd expect a relatively comfortable win for Ireland in that first game and that first game is always really important because it can just springboard your confidence into the rest of the tournament."
Predicting a France versus Ireland title shootout he explained Scotland “are always running high a little bit in terms of what they can achieve”, England are a side in transition and Wales simply aren't as powerful any more.
Sir Clive - Wales still have lots of talent
England World Cup winning coach Sir Clive Woodward maintains Wales still have a side brimful of talent despite their missing men.
Offering his Six Nations team-by-team insight in a column for the Mail, Woodward admits he doesn't know what to expect from Wayne Pivac's men this time around.
"They are a famine or feast team with Grand Slam years often being followed by an off-season," he started.
"With a long injury list, including perennial skipper Alun Wyn Jones, this year could be tricky for them."
But Woodward continued: "They still have a squad packed with talent and with supporters allowed back in the Principality Stadium they will always be formidable at home.
"Can their pack rediscover their strong scrummaging form and will they settle on the right combination in the back row, where they have so many terrific players?
"I don't see a title for Wales this year but any team with a back three of Liam Williams, Josh Adams and Louis Rees-Zammit will need watching very carefully indeed."
Sinckler ready for Scottish hostility
Kyle Sinckler is eager to feel the hostility awaiting England at Murrayfield on Saturday after a year spent playing in empty stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic.
England open their Six Nations with a fixture that is ripe for an upset as Scotland aim to continue their resurgence under Gregor Townsend.
The Scots have won two of the last four meetings and also fought out a stunning 38-38 draw in 2019, while clashes in Edinburgh in the game's oldest international rivalry have frequently gone down to the wire.
And even though he is often the main target for abuse from opposition supporters, Sinckler will relish the febrile atmosphere having spent two campaigns performing behind closed doors.
"Murrayfield is one of the toughest places to go. One because of how hostile it is - they're going to have fans back there - and two because of the rivalry between England and Scotland," the Bristol prop said.
"We have been to Murrayfield a few times and it has been very, very hostile. I remember coming off the bus once or twice and the fans are giving it to you straight away and chucking certain things.
"Emotions from the fans overboil sometimes, but for me it just shows how much it means to people and the power of sport.
"I love the hostility, it just makes everything a lot better in terms of the experience and it's definitely a lot better than playing in front of no fans. The more the better!
"You are always grateful for and appreciate the fans and none more so because of the experience we had over the last 18 months when we were playing in these big stadiums without supporters.
"You've got the reference point of what a Millennium Stadium is like with a packed house, or a Murrayfield with a packed house or a Twickenham, and then you play there and there is literally no-one and you are like 'this is weird'.
"I tend to get a lot of stick from the fans, especially the Welsh ones, but I love it, it's an unbelievable atmosphere.
"That's what the Six Nations is about."
Young delight at Evans after Cardiff stun Leinster
Cardiff boss David Young says Jarrod Evans showed 'fantastic bottle' after the last gasp kick that secured a dramatic 29-27 triumph over Irish powerhouses Leinster at the Arms Park.
The defending champions arrived in Cardiff having not lost to Wales' capital side since 2011.
But Evans stepped up to nervelessly slot over a 50-metre penalty on the angle after the clock had gone red to snatch a deserved and impressive Cardiff victory.
"We stood toe-to-toe with the champions. We had some good phases in the game and some poor phases but, if you can stick in the arm wrestle, these games can go either way," said Young afterwards.
"It was a fantastic kick by Jarrod. He showed a lot of bottle to get it over. Hopefully this can give the squad a lot of confidence because we haven't beaten them for 11 years.
"This is a fantastic win but we've set ourselves some standards. The important thing is to maintain those standards."
Want the latest Welsh rugby news sent straight to you? Look no further.
