Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby headlines for Friday, February 11.
Pivac wary of Watson threat
Wales boss Wayne Pivac says Scotland flanker Hamish Watson will present a 'massive challenge' for his side on Saturday.
It could well turn out to be a intriguing back-row battle, with Watson set to go up against two openside specialists in Taine Basham and newcomer Jac Morgan.
“It is a massive challenge, isn’t it?” Pivac said.
“Hamish Watson is a fantastic rugby player and has been at the top of his game for a number of years.
“No matter who we have put out over the last couple of years, Watson has been right in the thick of a Scotland-Wales game.
“It will be a big test for young Jac, but one I know he and we are looking forward to.”
Wales go into Saturday's game on the back of a chastening defeat to Ireland in Dublin last weekend, but Pivac insists he's confident his side will respond against a Scotland side that hasn't won in Cardiff since 2002.
“I certainly believe there will be more to come from this team. One thing about this group is they are not hiding from anything.
“A lot of it is not rocket science. It is getting our techniques right and making sure we apply ourselves in the game.”
Wales seek clarification on scrummaging calls
Pivac has also confirmed that Wales sought clarification from World Rugby on several scrummaging decisions made out in Ireland by referee Jaco Peyper.
“If we think there are areas which didn’t go our way, there is a channel we use which is through to Joel Jutge (head of match officials) at World Rugby,” he said.
“We did that on Monday and we had a very, very rapid response. We don’t need to tinker too much with the scrum because we felt we were going very well in that area of the game, but probably didn’t get the decisions we felt we should have.
“We’ve been told to keep going, and we feel we are on the right track there.
“We think a couple of decisions should have gone our way early on in the game. If the response back was different, we would be looking to make some change, but we are not making change, so that probably answers that one.”
Galthie says Ireland the team to stop
France boss Fabien Galthie says the absence of Johnny Sexton won't make Ireland any less of a challenge for his side.
Sexton is once again sidelined for the clash with Andy Farrell's men, but Galthie is nevertheless taking little for granted, naming a forward-heavy squad for Saturday's sold out clash at the Stade de France.
Indeed, Galthie believes Ireland are the team to beat in this year's tournament - even without their influential number 10.
“Honestly, in our preparations for the match we had Johnny Sexton at 10 in the Irish side,” Galthié told reporters. “[But] we know Joey Carbery … “
“Ireland are a very structured team, they are the best nation in Europe. Basically, they will maintain the same offensive and defensive structures, despite Sexton’s absence.”
'Food poisoning' the only way to stop Smith
Marcus Smith's Italian Harlequins team-mate Tommaso Allan has given an insight into the England fly-half ahead of his side's clash with the Azzurri this weekend.
Allan would be in with a shout of lining up opposite Smith this weekend, had he not opted to stay with his club side to get some matches under his belt.
But when asked how Italy stop Smith, he laughed as he told the Daily Mail: "I don’t know. Maybe food poisoning?"
Smith was at the centre of boss Eddie Jones' latest controversial decision, when he was replaced against Scotland despite manoeuvring England into a winning position.
England went on to lose and there has been plenty of discourse about that particular decision in the days since the match.
"Marcus will brush that off," Allan told the newspaper.
"He won’t think about it too much and I’m sure he’ll have had a chat with Eddie about it. Whatever Eddie told him, I’m sure he’ll take it on board and work harder.
"Marcus demands a lot on the field, but off it, he’s a very good guy. He’s a really great individual — that’s probably his best attribute.
"He’s an awesome kid and up there with the best players I’ve played with. He has heaps of experience for someone who is still 22.
"You never know what he’s going to do. He’s so spontaneous he puts the opposition defence in a lot of doubt. I’m sure he’s going to cause havoc this weekend."
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