Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, December 8.
Jamie Roberts slams player treatment as 'disgrace'
Wales legend Jamie Roberts has branded the treatment of Welsh players in recent months "a disgrace" and revealed they have been unnerved by the uncertainty surrounding their futures.
Dozens of Welsh players are still in limbo amid a freeze on contract negotiations as the Welsh Rugby Union and four regions try to nail down a financial settlement going forward. A verbal agreement on a six-year funding deal which is likely to see salaries hit was announced on Monday but nothing has been rubberstamped as yet.
That announcement came less than 24 hours after the Welsh Rugby Players' Association finally spoke out and demanded a resolution immediately. It talked of the huge impact the situation was having on player welfare.
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Roberts, speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast, described what was happening as "brutal".
He said: "It's hard. I have conversations with players and there are some out of contract who don't know where they are playing. That is a brutal situation to be in as a professional rugby player. They have families to support, mortgages to pay and bills to pay like the rest of us. Not knowing what the future holds is very daunting and it can be unnerving.
"It's hard and it's such a shame the players have been put in that position. I think it is a disgrace really that they are having to go through those emotions. As a main stakeholder in the game they deserve better than that. There's a lot of turbulence in the game at the moment."
Ospreys boss warns of rugby 'austerity'
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth has warned "there’s going to be austerity out there, for sure" as the Welsh Rugby Union and the four professional teams look to finalise an agreement on the future of the game in Wales.
There is a verbal pact in place for a six-year settlement for the professional arm of the sport in Wales. Quite where a nailed-down deal will leave the budgets of Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets remains to be seen, however.
Booth was asked if it was a reality that players would have to face up to reduced contracts next summer.
He replied: “Well, you can’t spend what you haven’t got. And it’s going to mean people are going to have to choose very, very carefully, because there’s going to be some austerity out there for sure. Everyone has to sharpen their pencil, to be fair, and we’ll see what that looks like, hopefully in days and not weeks.”
He said he had sympathy for players and staff amid uncertainty over their futures, with no region yet able to enter into negotiations over new contracts, with the Ospreys having a huge number of squad members heading towards free-agent status.
“People are very distracted because there’s a lot of uncertainty about their futures. I can be as empathetic around that as I like, but when you’re going home and your missus is slapping you on the shoulder about the mortgage and what’s going to go on, that provides different issues for everybody.
“One thing I would say is that there’s been no sign of a lack of effort and that’s what is really pleasing.
“We have 30-plus of these players to deal with when we can and we also want to reward the people who have played well and who have long-term futures at the Ospreys and for Wales. So from our point of view we want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.”
He continued: “It’s multi-layered, very difficult and very emotional for everybody. People are trying to sort it out. I have a massive empathy for our players, but the only thing I can say to them is I’m absolutely delighted with the fact that on effort and evidence it’s not detracting them from wanting to be good rugby players.”
Josh Adams on Gatland's return
Josh Adams believes there will be "excitement" at the reappointment of Warren Gatland as Wales coach, for both players and the Welsh public.
Gatland returns to the role he left following the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with successor Wayne Pivac being sacked earlier this week.
"There'll be a fair few fresh faces who haven't worked with him [Gatland] before," Cardiff winger Adams told the BBC as he prepares to face Brive in Europe on Saturday. "And it'll be exciting for them and for the Welsh public to see Warren back."
The 59-year-old New Zealander, who led Wales to three Grand Slams during his previous 12-year tenure, will take charge of next year's Six Nations and Rugby World Cup, and potentially the 2027 tournament.
"He knows how to get the best out of players," said Adams, 27, who has played 40 Tests for Wales and one for the Lions. "I can't quite pinpoint exactly what he does to do that but he always gets a reaction, he's very good at that. He's a very good coach, his record speaks for itself, so it will be interesting."
During Pivac's final year in charge, Wales won just three out of 12 games, with a post-autumn review dictating that a changing of the guard was necessary nine months from a World Cup.
"It's never nice to see anybody lose their job in any sport, especially your national side," Adams said. "There's obviously tough decisions people above us had to make which was for them and we have to respect them. As a playing group our focus turns back to our club sides and putting a string of performances together, because we all know how quick the Six Nations comes around from the autumn and being back in the swing of international rugby.
"It's difficult to put finger on [what went wrong]. There could be a number of aspects why. Obviously playing for Wales is special to us all, so making sure you're fronting up and representing your country in the right manner, that's all you can do, any decisions away from the game is above our heads so you have to keep your heads down and respect them."
Baxter believes a Steve Borthwick appointment would show pathway to England
Rob Baxter believes it would be "fantastic" if Steve Borthwick's work in the Gallagher Premiership underpins his expected appointment as England head coach. Borthwick, a former England forwards coach and ex-England captain, has transformed Leicester since joining them in 2020, masterminding a Premiership title triumph last season.
Australian Eddie Jones was sacked as England boss on Tuesday, less than nine weeks before England's Guinness Six Nations opener against Scotland and just nine months before the World Cup starts. His seven-year reign came to an end following a Rugby Football Union review of the Autumn Nations Series, which produced defeats against Argentina and South Africa, plus a draw with New Zealand, and 43-year-old Cumbrian Borthwick is the clear favourite to take over.
"If it is Steve - and I don't think any of us have been told - and it has been based on how he has worked through in the Premiership, that for me would be fantastic," Exeter rugby director Baxter said. "It would show there is a genuine pathway within this country, and there is a general feeling across the board that that is what we are trying to achieve.
"I have always been surprised that you have to have come from an international coaching environment to have the credentials to be able to deal with the difficulties you are going to get thrown on a day-by-day basis. You may have to be a different character to deal with the spotlight that gets put on pretty much everything you say and the interviews you do and the selections you make.
"At Exeter, if I make a selection it might get ripped to pieces by 10,000 people. If you make a selection for England it might get ripped apart by a million people. That is the challenge, isn't it? The challenge isn't the day to day, it is that bigger environment."
Reflecting on Leicester's Premiership success last term, Baxter added: "There is a simple way of looking at this - teams that are successful tend to enjoy what they do. Look at what Leicester achieved last season, and it didn't look like the Leicester players weren't enjoying that success and enjoying what they were doing.
"However Steve wants to coach or lead the team, you will see it in their level of performances whether they are really buying into it and really enjoying it. I am not going to sit here and tell you I know how Steve Borthwick coaches, because I don't, and I can't tell you I know anybody in the (Leicester) dressing room, because I don't. But at the same time, if you had watched the Leicester guys last season you wouldn't have thought that was a joyless experience those guys were having, would you? That is the indicator of where things are."
Scotland suffer Darcy Graham injury blow
Scotland and Edinburgh winger Darcy Graham has been ruled out until February because of a knee injury. Graham suffered medial ligament damage during his club's defeat by Munster on Saturday.
Edinburgh have confirmed he will miss the club's festive fixtures against Glasgow and is "expected to be sidelined until February". Graham will be a major doubt for the start of the Guinness Six Nations. Scotland kick off their campaign against England on February 4 before hosting Wales seven days later and then taking on France in Paris on February 26.
The 25-year-old will also miss Edinburgh's Heineken Champions Cup pool campaign, which starts against Saracens in London on Sunday. Graham's medium-term absence will be a major blow for club and country - he has scored 13 tries in 10 matches this season.
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