These are your rugby headlines on Saturday, December 31
Rees-Zammit concern
Gloucester head coach George Skivington says they are concerned about the injury Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit picked up in the Cherry and Whites' Christmas Eve defeat to Leicester Tigers.
Rees-Zammit went off in the opening 10 minutes with an apparent ankle injury and comes straight after he suffered a blow to his hip last month.
Skivington lost Rees-Zammit, Santi Carreras, Adam Hastings and Lloyd Evans to injury against the Tigers but it is the damage to the Welshman that is most concerning.
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“Zam is the one that stands out, and is the most niggly," he said.
“I’d say that is the one causing most concern. The trouble is all the scans are delayed as the places are all closed over the holidays.
“It is a percentage game and we have done a lot of training with people in various roles while we wait to see who comes through and who doesn’t.”
Just six weeks out from the Six Nations, Warren Gatland will be sweating on the results of those scans.
Young knows all about Ospreys threat
Cardiff boss Dai Young says Sunday's opponents Ospreys have as good a pack as any in Europe and namechecked Rhys Webb as one they'll have to watch at the Arms Park.
The Blue and Blacks head into the clash on the back of a last-gasp win over the Dragons last weekend, and now back on home turf, Young hopes to give supporters something to really cheer about.
“We have two teams coming off the back of wins and you can’t get much better than that. It’s all teed-up for a really big game," he said ahead of the match, which is heading for sell-out in the Welsh capital.
“Bragging rights are always nice, but more so for the supporters than anyone else.
“For us, we know the challenge and what the Ospreys are going to bring. To be fair to them, they were a step up for us last season and we struggled to handle the challenge up front - and they were worthy of doing a double over us last season.
“We know that we’re going to have to step up again. Ospreys have pretty much got the Welsh pack in there, when you look at them. When they’ve got that, they’re as good as any pack in Europe.
“They don’t come second-best in the scrum against many teams and their driving maul is always a weapon. We know that’s the challenge for us, and we know that’s what’s coming. We need to stand up to that.
“Last season we couldn’t but hopefully we can this season. We certainly don’t underestimate how good this pack of forwards are, and then you’ve got Rhys Webb darting either side of it as well, causing problems.
“They are a really good side when they get their best team out on the field, and they take some beating. I’m sure they won’t be far off full strength, so we know what’s coming our way.”
English champions stunned
Impressive Sale beat Leicester 40-5 as interim head coach Richard Wigglesworth suffered his first defeat since taking over from Steve Borthwick.
The Sharks bounced back in fine style following their surprise loss at Newcastle last time out, keeping the pressure firmly on Gallagher Premiership leaders Saracens.
An eye-catching victory was secured thanks to a combination of enterprising forward play and a water-tight defence.
Defences were on top in the early stages of former scrum-half Wigglesworth's return to Sale.
The Sharks' rearguard were particularly steadfast as the current Premiership champions probed for an opening, applying plenty of pressure.
The hosts were forced to dig in hard to repel numerous Leicester mauls as the packed home crowd were gripped.
The first points of the contest were not registered until the 17th minute, and they came from the boot of Sale's Robert du Preez following a high tackle.
Du Preez was deadly accurate from close in to secure a 3-0 advantage.
The Sharks continued to plug away, and after 25 minutes Du Preez notched another three-pointer from 25 metres after a set-piece.
Sale earned further reward after 32 minutes when Du Preez obliged with the boot again, stretching the advantage to nine points.
The hosts finally bagged a try five minutes before the break, when Tom O'Flaherty dived over by the posts following a neat offload from Luke James, and Du Preez's routine conversion meant Sale went in with a healthy 16-0 lead.
The intense physicality from both teams continued in the early exchanges of the second period before Sale gifted Leicester their first points in the 47th minute.
Handre Pollard sauntered home after intercepting a loose pass, though the South African World Cup winner fired wayward with his conversion attempt.
It did not take long for Sale to respond.
Seven minutes later it was 23-5 after Simon McIntyre powered over from close range, with du Preez coolly adding the extras.
As the hour mark passed, time was beginning to run out for the Tigers.
Wigglesworth's side were back on the offensive, but again the Sharks' back-line was rock solid.
When Sale registered a penalty try with 13 minutes to go Leicester's game was all but up.
The visitors collapsed another maul from the now dominant hosts, with the lead extended to 30-5.
Replacement Ewan Ashman's late pushover try, and du Preez's score out wide, capped a brilliant night for Sale as the defending champions spiralled to a crushing loss.
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