These are your rugby headlines on Saturday May 27.
Premiership club face imminent suspension
London Irish could be suspended from the Gallagher Premiership next week, with players at the debt-laden club told they could be left without jobs as a proposed takeover is yet to materialise.
Despite finishing fifth in the table this season, the Exiles look set to become the third club to be forced out of the league in less than nine months, with Worcester and Wasps collapsing into administration last autumn.
Negotiations around a proposed takeover by an American consortium have been going on for several months, with a deadline of next Tuesday (May 30) set by the RFU either for this takover to be agreed or for current owner Mick Crossan to commit to funding next season.
However, MailOnline reports that players have now been told at a virtual meeting, which Crossan did not attend, that the proposed purchase has not progressed as had been hoped, with no funds or confirmation of such received by the club ahead of the long Bank Holiday weekend.
As a result, the squad were also told that there is not expected to be a breakthrough to the situation at the 11th hour, with players now facing the prospect of having to find employment elsewhere.
Irish's suspension would see the Premiership reduced to 10 teams, a move that many within the league have backed for some time and have recently gained support, with senior officials reportedly warming to the idea.
It would also mean that a host of top talent, including former Wales U20 lock Ed Scragg, would be forced to move on, with domestic teams as well as those in France already put on red alert.
Among the biggest stars looking for a new club would be England stars Henry Arundell and Will Joseph, as well as rising star and former Cardiff Metropolitan university back row Tom Pearson.
Morgan not ruling out return after putting career on hold
Former Ospreys star Harri Morgan has said he is “never writing rugby off” after stepping away from the professional game last month.
The 23-year-old bravely revealed that he attempted to take his own life in February after losing both his grandparents and picking up injuries, with the anxiety and stress leading to severe depression.
Talented scrum-half Morgan confirmed that he was putting his career on hold and has since thrown himself into health and wellbeing, launching his own online fitness business and either cycling, running or rowing 10km each day of May to raise money for rugby mental health charity LooseHeadz.
But while he has enjoyed the weeks he has spent away from professional rugby, which have also seen him undergo counselling, he has not ruled out a return, saying he hopes to be involved in the game “in some capacity”.
Speaking at a LooseHeadz promotional event, he said: “There’s definitely potential [for a return]. I’m never writing rugby off. It’s my passion and something I love.
“I’ve just set up my own online fitness programming business, so that’s what I’m putting all my energy into at the moment, as well as all the different types of fundraising challenges I’ve been doing.
“But I’ll potentially be looking to get back into the game in some capacity. What that might be exactly, I’m not sure at the moment, but I’m just taking it step by step.”
With Morgan now coming out the other side, he also expressed his thanks to those from across the rugby world who have supported him since his emotional announcement.
“The support network I’ve had across rugby has been brilliant, from the bottom right to the top,” he said. “I have a really good link with my local rugby club and they’ve been amazing, and the Ospreys, my teammates, the coaches and staff have all been excellent with me.
“The last few weeks have been really good. I’ve just been keeping active, trying to connect with as many people as I can and speak to others. It’s been a challenge, obviously, but it’s been a good experience”.
Springboks icon could return for Wales clash
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi has been tipped to return to full fitness ahead of this year's Rugby World Cup just weeks after suffering a season-ending injury that saw him go under the knife.
The flanker seriously injured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the Shark's URC clash against Munster last month and underwent knee surgery, putting his place in the defending world champions' squad in serious doubt.
However, the 31-year-old has been backed to be passed fit in time for the tournament in France in September, while he could even feature in the Springbok's warm-up match against Wales on August 19th as well as those against Argentina and New Zealand.
Providing an update on Kolisi, coach Jacques Nienaber said he was "hitting his markers" in his recovery and was on track to be fit in time to help his side defend the title they won in Japan four years ago.
"You will recall that Siya was injured back then as well and did not play through most of the build-up to the [2019] tournament," he said.
"He didn’t lead the team when we won the Rugby Championship that year, and from memory he only played off the bench in our final warmup test in Pretoria before our departure and then he played in the game we played against Japan in Japan two weeks before the start of the tournament.
“We’ve been through this before and we know that Siya can play at a World Cup and do a good job of leading the team as that was what happened in 2019.”
South Africa's Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus added that Kolisi was being given right up until the tournament to prove his fitness, but expressed hope that he would be ready to go weeks before their first pool game against Scotland.
"The bottom line is that he is our captain. We won't replace him as captain, we will have stand-in captains," said Erasmus. "We are hoping, given the way he is hitting his markers, that he will be able to play in one of those [warm-up] matches.
Ford plays down Farrell duel ahead of final
George Ford has said Saturday's Gallagher Premiership final is about far more than a battle between him and England teammate Owen Farrell.
Ford is hoping to lead Sale Sharks to glory in their first appearance in a Premiership final in 17 years, but faces a stern test as his side come up against Farrell's Saracens team who are in search of their sixth title at Twickenham after losing out to Leicester Tigers in the same fixture a year ago.
But while the duel between the two fly-halves, who between them have 187 caps for England, has been given top billing ahead of this weekend's final, Ford says he is focused on the team game and not on any individual rivalries.
"We understand Owen has an unbelievable influence on the Saracens team, but he is one of only 15 men on the field at that particular time," the playmaker told the PA news agency. "There are threats everywhere, and we are like that ourselves.
"I am one of only 15 at a time for Sale. I never see it as just a match-up between me and him. There is so much more that goes into a game of rugby.
"Obviously, both of us will want to do our job as well as we can, of course we do, for our team, and that is making as many good decisions and executing as well as we can.
"He is a great friend, and we understand we are just a cog in a machine of two teams, I suppose, that hopefully have an influence on the game one way or another. That consistency that he (Farrell) plays at very rarely dips. You see the influence he has on the teams he plays in and the way he drives it.
He added: ""A lot of the stuff in rugby comes down to not just one player against another, it comes down to many things. Who has got momentum, who's got speed of ball, who has got field position, who's building pressure the most? And then it is about who executes better in those moments.
"Saracens have added variety to their game, everybody knows about that, in terms of the last 12 months, the way they play with the ball. But it comes down to who executes the best under pressure, because both teams are going to try to put each other under pressure. Who can handle that?"
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