Here's your round-up of the latest rugby headlines for Wednesday, March 9.
Faletau calls on Wales to match 'bully' France
Taulupe Faletau has warned Wales they risk being bullied by France if they don't match their ferocious pack in Cardiff.
Wales host a Les Bleus side still gunning for a Grand Slam on Friday night, and will likely be strong underdogs despite their home advantage.
But Faletau believes Wales can spring a surprise at the Principality Stadium and put a dent in France's championship hopes in the process.
"You just have to match them," he said. "Their pack is pretty strong, the games we have watched them play, they are really direct and you have to match that. If not they are just going to bully you the whole game.
"That's where I think we can match that and you have to be alert the whole time to their strike runners. They are dangerous and if you switch off they will capitalise.
"You have to be switched on mentally and physically."
Tomas Francis to learn fate
Tomas Francis will find out whether he is involved in Wales v France later today when Wayne Pivac names his team.
Wales welcome Grand Slam-chasing Les Bleus to the Principality Stadium on Friday night, and Pivac names his team at lunchtime. You'll be able to follow live updates here.
Francis is available for selection even though the review into the handling of his head injury in the England game is still ongoing. There was a major outcry over Ospreys prop Francis being allowed to return to the field at Twickenham given the state he had been in following a first half clash of heads with team-mate Owen Watkin.
TV footage captured the tighthead staggering near his own try line and he appeared to have to use the pads of the posts to hold himself up after getting back to his feet.
He initially remained on the pitch after being checked by a medic before being removed to undergo a HIA, which he duly passed, resulting in him returning to the pitch around 10 minutes later.
"I think the review is still being carried out," defence coach Gethin Jenkins said earlier this week. "The people in charge and the medical people will have gone through all that and I’m sure the review will see what comes of it.
“But the player has passed all protocols, he’s done his gradual return to play, he’s ticked off all his contact boxes and he’s available for selection."
Scotland hit with van der Merwe ban
Scotland winger Duhan van der Merwe is set to miss the rest of the current Six Nations campaign following his red card for Worcester Warriors against London Irish on Saturday.
The 26-year-old has received a three-week ban after he was dismissed for connecting with the face of Scotland team-mate Kyle Rowe with his forearm.
His ban means he will miss Scotland's Six Nations games away to Italy this weekend, and against Ireland on March 19.
"The player had sufficient time and opportunity to have executed a lawful hand-off but failed to do so," independent disciplinary panel chairman Jeremy Summers said in a media release from the Rugby Football Union.
"The contact he then made to an opponent's head was direct, at speed and involved a leading forearm, all of which are factors pointing to high danger and a red card in the World Rugby Head Contact Process."
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England hopeful on Curry and Dombrandt
England are hoping to have Tom Curry and Alex Dombrandt available to for Saturday's clash with Ireland, after including both forwards in their latest 26-man squad.
Curry came off at half-time against Wales after failing a head injury assessment, while Dombrandt has been in isolation since testing positive for Covid-19 last week.
Sam Underhill's absence from the latest squad perhaps points to some optimism that Curry may return, while Exeter's Sam Simmonds is on hand to start in the back row should Dombrandt remain unavailable.
Marler dismisses underdog tag
Joe Marler has dismissed suggestions that England will be the underdogs against Ireland this weekend.
Head coach Eddie Jones had previously labelled the Irish as the "most cohesive side in the world" in the build-up to Saturday's clash at Twickenham, adding that the visitors would be considered favourites.
However, Marler clearly doesn't agree.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt like an underdog at Twickenham,” he said.
“Unless it was, maybe New Zealand in 2016. But there haven’t been many times at Twickenham.
“I look at it and think, ‘I know how good Ireland are. I know how good their tightheads are. I know how good their pack is. I know how good their attacking system is.’
“We all look at that and we know how good they are so we have to be right on the money.
“We have to be sugar hot” – he avoids a more abrupt word beginning with ‘s’ – “in order to get the win.
“And it helps that we are at home, with the Twickenham crowd. So that’s my answer. Eddie can obviously say whatever he wants, in whatever way he wants to."
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