Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby headlines for Wednesday, December 28.
Marler sparks upset and outrage
Joe Marler left fellow players disgusted and now faces being banned for verbally provoking Bristol flanker Jake Heenan during Harlequins' 15-12 defeat at the Stoop.
Heenan was visibly enraged and upset after a verbal exchange with the England prop, which in turn ignited a big scuffle.
Bristol captain Steven Luatau had urged referee Karl Dickson to punish Marler for his comments, but the official deemed them to only be against the spirit of the game. Luatau later said Marler's actions were "absolute bulls**t" and asked him for an apology.
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Marler replied on Twitter: "Yep. You’re right. I’m sorry @HeenanJake - p**s poor from me. Owe you a pint/coffee in the new year."
He will now discover later today if he is to be cited by the match commissioner for the incident.
“I brought Jake over from New Zealand to Connacht and to Bristol. He’s like a son to our family and I have never seen him like that,” Bears director of rugby Pat Lam said.
“It’s best to say one of the areas we are all trying to work on is the spirit of the game. I love Joe Marler but something was said and there was a reaction from Jake I have never seen before.
“We are all custodians of the game – players, coaches – and one thing we all value and we all work hard to keep is the right values and spirit. Jake reacted to something that was said. That’s all I know what happened.”
Harlequins head coach Tabai Matson said he was aware of the incident but insisted he was unaware of the nature of Marler’s comments.
“Joe does tease people. I don’t know what was said but Joe’s quite antagonistic. He’s hard to play against and I thought Karl Dickson handled it well,” Matson said.
Wales star hoping for final send-off
The Dragons hope Will Rowlands will be able to have one final send-off game for the region at the Principality Stadium for Judgement Day in April.
Rowlands has revealed he is not expected back until April, casting doubt on whether he will play for the region again before moving to Racing 92 next season.
“We’d love to see him in a Dragons jersey again, even if it’s only for a send-off game,” coach Dai Flanagan told the South Wales Argus.
“He has been great since he has been here and is one of the best if not the best second rows in the world, so why not get him back for a game?”
The Dragons only have two scheduled games in April as things stand, away to Ulster on April 14 and at against the Scarlets at the Principality on April 22.
New Zealand rugby 'between a rock and a hard place'
Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says New Zealand Rugby need to exercise caution in deciding whether to keep current boss Ian Foster after the World Cup.
Foster's current contract takes him beyond the upcoming World Cup in France, but a poor run of form earlier in the year has sparked growing speculation over his position, with Crusaders coach Scott Robertson among those mentioned as a possible option to take over.
Hansen says New Zealand are caught in the dilemma of knowing they could lose their preferred candidate if they wait too long, but warns a decision over Foster's contract could risk alienating the current coach.
"If you're going to name a new coach before the World Cup's over, then you've got people looking at who is the boss and looking at two different people. That is a possible derailer and you don't want that," he said.
"They need to sit down and if they make a decision to do it, they would have to put some boundaries around what the incumbent coach could and couldn't do.
"Basically I think he should be told, then leave it at that until such time as the World Cup is over and then announce it.
"The ironic thing is that if they win the World Cup, what do they do with Ian Foster if they've already appointed someone? So they're in between a rock and a hard place."
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