Here are the latest rugby headlines on Tuesday, July 19.
Jones approached by Wallabies
Eddie Jones has been approached by Rugby Australia over the possibility of becoming Wallabies boss after next year's World Cup, according to reports.
The 62-year-old has operated as head coach of England for seven years and is set to guide the 2003 World Cup winners into the global showpiece next year. However, the Sydney Herald report that the governing body of rugby in Australia have contacted Jones over the possibility of succeeding current boss Dave Rennie.
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The report claims RA chiefs are unhappy with the overall performance of the Wallabies under Rennie - who took charge in 2020. His contract expires after the 2023 World Cup.
It comes just days after England came from behind to secure a 2-1 summer Test series victory over Australia.
Thomas Young arrives at Cardiff
New Cardiff recruit Thomas Young has returned to the Welsh capital to link up with the Arms Park outfit for pre-season as he prepares to end his international exile.
The Wales back-rower came through the Blue and Blacks' pathway system to make a total of 19 appearances for the club’s first team before departing for Gloucester in 2014. The Aberdare native's next move was to Wasps, where he spent eight years before returning to Cardiff this summer. He first linked up with the squad for pre-season training last week, and insists he is ready to make his mark.
“I’m obviously very happy to be back here," he said on Monday as he kicked off a new week of training. "It’s a case of being the same, yet different. There’s a few boys here that I already know but there’s also been a lot of change. I’m really happy.
“This was the club I grew up supporting, and I was a ball boy here as well a few years ago. So it’s nice to come back and I’m really looking forward to getting started. It’s nice to come somewhere where you know people, and they obviously gave me some stick as soon as I walked in.
“But as I say, I’m happy to be here and hopefully we can push on and have a good season. I came through the academy system and before that I was here watching, for obvious reasons. To come through the academy and age grade system, it was always a goal to play for the Blues, as it was at the time.
“Things worked out a bit different but now I had the opportunity to come back. I want to make sure I take the opportunity and show what I can do."
The former Wasps flanker fell foul of the Welsh Rugby Union's 60-cap rule for the latter stages of his career in Coventry. He was ruled ineligible to play for Wales after he signed a contract extension with his English club when he had just three caps to his name (he had not received an offer from a Welsh region at the time).
He then spent 18 months in international exile but was granted special dispensation to play for Wales in the autumn of 2021, when he had agreed to join Cardiff the following season, although that did not extend to the 2022 Six Nations and Wales head coach Wayne Pivac did not apply for it given the availability of players at his disposal at the time. His return to Cardiff will make him eligible again should Pivac wish to draft him in.
Gareth Anscombe meets newborn son for the first time
Gareth Anscombe has met his newborn son Theo for the first time after he was born while the Wales fly-half was en route to South Africa.
His second child with wife Milica was born on June 26, with Anscombe missing the birth by a matter of hours after delaying his trip to the Rainbow Nation for as long as possible in the hope of being on hand to welcome the new arrival.
Anscombe actually met his son via video call after landing in South Africa, but has finally got the chance to give him a cwtch back in Wales after returning home from tour, during which he slotted the decisive kick to secure Wales' first win against the Springboks on South African soil.
Posting a picture of himself cradling his baby boy, Anscombe wrote on Instagram on Monday: "Meeting my little man for first time".
Anscombe had delayed his flight to South Africa having been given permission to stay at home for a couple of extra days. But, lo-and-behold, he narrowly missed the arrival of his newborn, who was welcomed into the world on the same day Anscombe touched down in South Africa. Theo joins the Anscombe family along with his big sister, Teifi, who was born on September 18, 2020.
Justin Tipuric back in training
Justin Tipuric is in pre-season training with the Ospreys as he builds up to make his rugby return having not played since June 2021, when he damaged his shoulder on British and Irish Lions duty.
The Ospreys and Wales openside didn’t play a single game in 2021-22 after sustaining a scapula problem, which was so unusual that head coach Toby Booth said the nature of it hadn’t been seen in rugby before.
Initially, the Ospreys were hopeful Tipuric may have made a return around the festive period last year, but he hit a setback and has had to play a waiting game since then. But after starting running again towards the end of last season and building his fitness through boxing, Tipuric is now involved in pre-season training in a welcome boost for all backers of the back-rower. The acid test will, of course, come when he takes contact on the shoulder.
He was among players to be pictured enjoying a welcome cool-down with ice-cream on Monday following training.
Ireland 'peak too early' talk rubbished
Former Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan has rubbished chatter of Andy Farrell's side potentially peaking too early ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.
Ireland pulled off a stunning series win away to New Zealand at the weekend and were officially ranked the top side in the world on Monday but despite this some quarters of the rugby community are wary they may peak too early for the 2023 tournament in France.
Prior to the last World Cup, impressive Ireland form under Joe Schmidt saw the team become the world's top-ranked team 12 months before the tournament began in Japan in 2019, where they disappointed on the world stage as they exited in the quarter-finals after a 46-14 hammering by the All Blacks.
Nonetheless, O'Sullivan - who coached the Irish between 2001 and 2008 - does not believe Ireland should be worried about peaking too soon for France.
"I find that a difficult conversation because you've got to do what you've got to do," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Sportsound Extra Time.
"You can't say, 'we don't want to win that Test series because we might peak too soon'. You've got to take what's in front of you. You've got to take the historical moments because they will stand us in good stead down the track.
"When we play New Zealand again, they are going to be more worried than we are. Ireland have emerged now as a team well capable of putting together really good gameplans and executing them under pressure - and the defence has improved as well."
He does, however, believe New Zealand will return to their form of old by the time the World Cup kicks off.
"If we played New Zealand again next week, we'd probably beat them again," he added. "But I think, come the World Cup, things will even up again. There is a lot of water to flow under the bridge between now and next year."
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