Here are the latest rugby headlines on Wednesday, October 19.
Dwayne backs his snubbed Wales internationals
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel has backed Wales internationals Gareth Davies and Jonathan Davies to come out firing in a bid to prove a point after missing out on autumn squad selection.
Pivac said he knows what the No. 9 can and can't do, while centre Davies has slipped down the midfield pecking order of late.
"Obviously Gareth would be disappointed," Scarlets boss Peel said ahead of his side's trip to face Connacht on Friday. "He didn't get an opportunity in the summer, he's started three of our five games.
READ MORE: Will Rowlands ruled out of Wales captaincy mix as Sam Warburton backs contender
"Look, I like Gar, I'm a great fan of his, he's a competitor, and one thing I know about Gar is that he'll compete now and he'll see it as a real challenge to make sure he gets back in that squad.
"From my end, we've got a couple of weeks now, we play a game next week and then there's a couple of weeks' break and then we go to Africa. During that time Gar will be playing more rugby and I'm sure he'll put his best foot forward."
As for club captain Davies, Peel said: "Anybody who knows him would say he'll never give up. He's played in every minute of every game this year, he's captain of the club, he's a great person to have in our group. I'm sure the door's not closed for him."
Phillips urges WRU to help stricken players
Former Wales international Mike Phillips has urged the WRU to help the regions come to the aid of stricken players from Worcester and Wasps.
Both English Premiership clubs have been decimated in recent weeks, with Wasps making 167 people redundant on the spot. They follow fellow Premiership club Worcester into administration, with the league now operating as an 11-team competition.
Wasps had already been suspended from the Premiership, following Worcester in seeing their season put on hold.
Phillips expressed his sadness over the situation, adding "everybody wins" should some of the players be picked up by the regions.
Phillips tweeted: "Really sad to see what is happening with Worcester and Wasps. Why don’t the WRU help the regions financially to pick up some quality players who now need a job? Everybody wins!"
Pivac to remind Wales squad of off-field values
Wales boss Wayne Pivac will remind his squad of the national team's values after Cardiff took action against some of their players following an investigation into unacceptable behaviour at a local pub.
Wales' 35-man Autumn Nations Series squad and management will assemble early next week ahead of November Tests against New Zealand, Argentina, Georgia and Australia. Asked about Cardiff's particular episode, Pivac said: "Behaviour standards are dealt with on day one. I will do a presentation on Monday that will remind them of the values of the Welsh national team, values that we live by 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"We had a (summer) tour away in South Africa, when we had a great time on and off the field. We worked hard in training and played reasonably well on the field, then enjoyed each other's company.
"The sorts of things that you hear that have gone on from time to time, in this day and age are unacceptable, and no one condones it. We certainly wouldn't in our environment. People wouldn't last long."
Biggar 'has a lot to give' to new club
While Wales will have a new captain for the autumn Tests after current skipper Dan Biggar was ruled out due to a knee injury, Wayne Pivac has weighed in on the skipper's club future and insisted the 32-year-old Northampton fly-half will remain an integral part of Wales' set-up heading into next year's World Cup and beyond.
Biggar will end a four-year stint at Saints next summer, and he is unlikely to be short of offers in Britain or abroad. Racing 92 are reported to be stepping up their efforts to sign him over the coming weeks.
Pivac said: "He is a family man, and an option would be to come home, but it is nothing more than that in the discussions at the moment. It is one for his agent and clubs to talk about.
"He has got a lot to give. He is really, really enjoying playing outside of Wales, and he is entitled to do that because he's got 60-plus caps. The world is his oyster.
"I just want him to be in a good environment where player well-being is at the forefront. Wherever he goes, Test rugby is at the forefront of his mind, and no doubt with Dan being Dan, that will be echoed with whoever his new employers may be. In other words, being available for Wales as often as he can. For me it's about a good environment, well-coached, and that's the priority.
"He is just exploring his options. At the end of the day, people have to make you an offer. You can't just say, 'I want to play here or there'. Those are discussions that will be going on behind the scenes."
Wales out to seize quarter-finals spot
Wales Women are out to seize a Rugby World Cup quarter-final spot with a win over Australia in their final pool game on Saturday.
If Ioan Cunningham's side can beat the Wallaroos to finish second in their group, they are guaranteed a spot in the last-eight and even if they lose, they stand a chance of still progressing as one of two best third-placed sides.
Lock Gwen Crabb believes if Wales take their opportunities, they can ensure their World Cup journey in New Zealand continues.
"We need to be more clinical, capitalise on our opportunities and the results will come after that," the second-row said. "Absolutely bring on Australia, it's good for us we've got the opportunity to go again, that quarter-final place is still there for us and we've just got to go and take it. It's there for the taking now."
Pubs could run dry during autumn internationals
A pub manager has warned bars in Wales may run dry due to beer delivery strikes hitting hard during the autumn internationals.
A scheduled strike of GXO drivers, who deliver 40 per cent of the UK's beer supplies, is due to take place between October 31 and November 4. Wales' clash against New Zealand is on November 5, the day after the strike ends.
Speaking to BBC Wales, Nick Newman, who works for Croeso pub group and manages the Blue Bell pub, warned stock is likely to run extremely low.
He said: "There's no question about it, it's just a question of logistics - for the rugby kick off on the Saturday lots of businesses could run dry. Our businesses are by and large are quite small and compact, there are a few with large cellars but they're far and few between."
Read more:
Wayne Pivac Q&A: Why I picked Macleod over Thomas Young and Dyer over Keelan Giles
Wales' autumn rugby squad in full as five uncapped players named and captain Dan Biggar out
Wales captain steps away from game 'sad and angry'
Revolutionary new rugby ball to be used in autumn internationals and change fan experience
