Here are the latest rugby headlines on Friday, June 16.
Hansen: Rugby is at a 'crossroads'
Former Wales and New Zealand coach Steve Hansen has claimed that rugby is at a "crossroads", adding that he fears for its future unless changes are made.
The World Cup winner told Newstalk ZB’s Sportstalk that the stop-start nature of the sport means that the National Rugby League is a better product to watch.
“I don’t know about falling out with the game but I think they’re falling out with a few things that are happening within the game, that’s frustrating people. It can be hard to watch at times,” said Hansen.
“There’s no dispute that Super Rugby has to change. It’s pretty predictable and still stuck where it was four or five years ago. You go through the quarter-finals and it wasn’t that exciting as you knew who was going to win. Some of the ideas that have been floated by New Zealand Rugby and Australia are quite good ones, so let’s hope people are more flexible enough and more open enough to hear those ideas and maybe put them in place."
When asked about where he saw the game in 20 years, Hansen admitted he was worried about the short-term future, adding: “I haven’t stopped to think about where it’s going to be in 20 years, I’m more worried about where it’s going to be in five. I think we’re at the crossroads. Unless we make some strong changes and start listening to the people that want to come along and watch it then it will just be the participants playing it.”
Damning report on WRU sexism problems published
The Welsh Rugby Union has received six grievances in the last five years relating to either sexist, racist or homophobic behaviour while three members of staff have been subject to disciplinary action following allegations of such behaviour, a damning new Senedd report has revealed.
The WRU employs some 224 staff directly, while there are 430 in the wider WRU Group which includes Principality Stadium staff.
The Senedd's Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee's report published on Friday, entitled "allegations concerning the Welsh Rugby Union". Read the full story here.
France find new attack coach
Patrick Arlettaz will take over as France attack coach following the World Cup.
Arlettaz recently stepped down as coach of Perpignan and will now replace Laurent Labit. Labit and fellow France coach Karim Ghezal are taking over at Stade Francais after the World Cup ends in October.
Arlettaz “will start his job ahead of the 2024 Six Nations tournament for a period of four years”. The 51-year-old former centre, who won one cap in 1995, had been with Perpignan since 2012, first as an assistant and then as head coach from 2019.
Wales Women could contract more players this year
Wales Women could see more players contracted by the Welsh Rugby Union as they prepare to head to World Rugby's inaugural WXV tournament.
Ioan Cunningham's Wales side have shown over the past 18 months just what can happen if you inject resource and treat an entity professionally. Twelve full-time Welsh Rugby Union contracts in 2022 increased to 25 a year later, and after soaring to a record high of sixth in the world thanks to a second consecutive Six Nations third-place finish (best of the rest behind runaway leaders England and France), Wales are now preparing to head to New Zealand this autumn for the inaugural World Rugby competition, WXV, aimed at increasing competitiveness among women's Test sides before the next World Cup in 2025 in England.
Interim WRU performance director Huw Bevan said: "The women's programme is growing at a rate. Finishing third in the Six Nations was a big achievement. Now WXV is going to be a challenge. It's the best teams in the world out there and we don't want to go there to make the numbers up, we want to go there to be competitive.
"How we go about that is really important. We've looked at providing some more contracts moving forward into WXV to enable them to be even more competitive. Ioan and his staff have done a brilliant job with that group of players."
Northampton snap up England World Cup hopeful
By Andrew Baldock, PA Rugby Union Correspondent
Northampton have announced the signing of England World Cup hopeful Tom Pearson. Back-row forward Pearson was left without a club when London Irish went into administration last week after being suspended from all competitions by the Rugby Football Union.
The 23-year-old helped Irish to a fifth-place finish in the Gallagher Premiership, delivering numerous eye-catching performances. He was named in England's first World Cup training squad of the summer by head coach Steve Borthwick, while Pearson ended last term with Premiership and Rugby Players' Association young player of the season honours.
"I will always be incredibly grateful to London Irish and treasure my time there," he said. "They gave me a shot two years ago coming out of university when I was an unknown and probably a bit of a risk.
"It's tragic to not know the true potential of that team we had, but I want to thank all the players, staff, and the fans for everything they gave me over the last two years and for helping me create lifelong memories. From my very first conversation with (Northampton rugby director) Phil Dowson, he has been extremely honest and clear on the direction he wants Saints to go as a club.
"He really made me feel like I would fit in well in Northampton with the playing group and the style of rugby the team plays. He has also got clear ideas on where my game can improve, and I want to push on and develop as much as I can as a player."
Premiership hails 'landmark moment' after turbulent season
By PA Sport Staff
Premiership Rugby has launched a Sporting Commission in what chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor believes is "a landmark moment" for the organisation. The seven-strong group will be chaired by Nigel Melville and includes former England captain Tom Wood.
Massie-Taylor and Premiership Rugby's rugby director Phil Winstanley, meanwhile, will be joined by Women in Football director Jane Purdon, Ministry of Justice board member Mark Rawlinson and financial services executive Carys Williams. As part of its remit, the commission will now rule over matters such as season structure, Premiership Rugby regulations and player-loading. It will also have full delegated authority from the Premiership Rugby board to decide on matters relating to sporting and regulatory issues, as well as impose sanctions in accordance with Premiership Rugby regulations.
The move comes after the most damaging season in Premiership history saw three clubs - Wasps, Worcester and London Irish - enter administration.
A 13-club league less than a year ago now stands at 10 teams, with the commission, which has decision-making powers, set to transform Premiership Rugby's operations.
PRL said the commission's objectives included that decision-making on sporting and regulatory matters "operates in the best interests of the league as a whole and independent from the clubs."
Massie-Taylor said: "Launching the Sporting Commission is a landmark moment for Premiership Rugby as we transform our ways of working.
"Improving our governance structures with independent thinking and scrutiny is key to strong foundations and our future success.
"Having already met as a group, it is clear that the energy and expertise of our independent experts will help Premiership Rugby deliver change."
And Melville, who is also chairman of Premiership Rugby's investor board, added: "Putting together this innovative new group has been possible thanks to the efforts and support of our Premiership Rugby clubs.
"Our goal has always been to strengthen our governance and make internal decision-making more agile, whilst also bringing about greater independence to any contentious issues."
The commission will meet eight times a year or more, and provide a quarterly update to the investor board.
