These are your rugby headlines on Wednesday, November 23.
Jenkins backs Costelow to be a 'big player' for Wales
Wales assistant coach Neil Jenkins has backed talented young fly-half Sam Costelow to be a "big player" for Wales in the years to come.
Without Dan Biggar in this Autumn Nations Series, Gareth Anscombe, Rhys Priestland and Costelow represent very different options for Wayne Pivac at outside half.
And Jenkins, who knows a thing or two about playing in that No 10 shirt, believes Scarlets man Costelow is a talent for the future.
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"It’s always tough when you lose Dan as he’s world-class, but it opens the door for others like Gareth, Rhys and Sam," Jenkins said ahead of the clash with the Wallabies this weekend.
"They’re obviously different ends of their career. Sam is just starting his career and I think he’s going to be a big player going forward. Gareth and Rhys are top-end players and I think they’ve played well for us.
"We’re lucky in that area that we have good players to step in. You want competition and players battling it out. We have other tens as well in Jarrod (Evans) and Callum (Sheedy) at Bristol."
The Wallabies are set to be forced into making a raft of changes after a brutal defeat by Ireland, with as many as six players potentially unavailable for next week's clash with Wales.
Hunter Paisami, Dave Porecki, Rob Valetini, Andrew Kellaway, Nic White and Taniela Tupou are all doubts for the fixture in Cardiff. Jenkins, however, does not buy the notion that it will make them an easier outfit to face.
"It doesn’t matter who plays for Wales or Australia. It’s a Test match. It’s your best possible team you can put on the park that day. It’s going to be tough game. You have to be ready," he added.
"They lost against Italy, but they possibly should have won against France, they had chances to win against Ireland, and should have beaten New Zealand in the Rugby Championship. They are a good outfit. They’re very dangerous, and we have to be right on the money in everything we do to minimise their opportunities, and when our chances come along to take them."
Unions served with legal action this week
The sports law firm representing more than 225 players suffering from neurological impairments will this week serve proceedings against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and Welsh Rugby Union.
Rylands Garth say its claimants "contend that these defendants were negligent in failing to take reasonable action in order to protect players from permanent injury caused by repetitive concussive and sub-concussive blows".
Over 20 players involved in the litigation - including England World Cup winner Steve Thompson and former Wales captain Ryan Jones - have spoken publicly about their brain injuries from playing the sport.
In a statement, Rylands Garth said that many players "now suffer from various irreversible neurological impairments, including early onset dementia, CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), post-concussion syndrome, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease".
Allegations raised by the claimants include a failure by the three governing bodies to take any proper steps as the game turned professional to respond to a disregard for player safety and brain health at club and international level, or take adequate steps to inform, educate or warn the claimants about risks of permanent brain damage.
Wallabies 'chewing at the bit' to face Wales
Back-five forward Jed Holloway, who started at No 6 for the Wallabies against Ireland last weekend, says Australia are keen to end their northern hemisphere tour on a high after a difficult month on the road.
Narrow defeats to France, Italy and Ireland, coupled with a one-point win over Scotland in their opening Test of the autumn, have placed Dave Rennie's side under pressure to perform with the World Cup less than 12 months away.
And Holloway says they are likely to take that disappointment out on Wales this weekend.
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“I think we need wins and we’re so close," he said. "I think that’s what’s driving the boys to finish this tour off the way we want to. It’s been well documented, the disappointments over the last, the French week, obviously Italy is a big one and then on the weekend, but we know as a group is we’re right there and we’re taking the right steps to put in a good performance. So really striving for that is what’s driving us and motivating us for this week.
“Any win at this level is super important but it would mean a huge amount to the group but also to the coaches and to all the staff here because we know the work that we’ve been putting in. We’re genuinely trying to tick every single box to get that result. It’s hard to describe what it would mean because it would be massive to get a result on the weekend. We know that we’ll be put in the best position to do that from the coaching staff. It’s now on us as players to go deliver that whatever team we roll out.
“It’s not like we’re defeated and we’re keen to get home. The boys are absolutely chewing at the bit and to get out there and to get a result. We know that Wales lost to Georgia last week, so they’re going to want to make amends for that as well. So we’re gonna need to be ready and I personally am looking forward to it. And yeah, I can’t wait to get out there on Saturday."
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Other allegations surround failures to reduce the amount of contact allowed in training, reduce the number of games per season, devise and implement rules to limit the number of substitutions of non-injured players, thereby reducing the risk to players of heavy collisions, devise and implement a brain injury-specific player passport system and ensure that claimants were subjected to regular monitoring.
Rylands also represents 80 rugby league players as part of a separate potential claim against the Rugby Football League.
Lawsuits in Ireland commenced last month, and a French lawsuit on behalf of those who have played rugby in France was launched on Tuesday.
Rylands said: "This claim isn't just about financial compensation. It is also about making the game safer and ensuring current and former players get tested, so that if they are suffering a brain injury they can get the clinical help they need.
"The players we represent love the game. We aim to challenge the current perceptions of the governing bodies, to reach a point where they accept the connection between repetitive blows to the head and permanent neurological injury, and to take steps to protect players and support those who are injured."
England satisfied with officiating
England are satisfied with the established channels for clarifying officiating decisions as they prepare to face a South Africa side who enter Saturday's showdown without director of rugby Rassie Erasmus.
For the second successive year, Erasmus will have no matchday involvement with the Springboks at Twickenham after receiving a two-game ban for publishing a series of sarcastic tweets criticising referees.
Wayne Barnes, who oversaw South Africa's defeat by France on November 12, received abuse on social media as a result of Erasmus' comments.
The mastermind of the Springboks' 2019 World Cup triumph has only just returned from a year-long suspension for releasing a one-hour video critiquing Australian referee Nick Berry during last year's Lions tour.
His conduct has drawn a stinging rebuke from 2007 World Cup-winning captain John Smit, who said: "It's hard to defend him. It's made us, as a rugby team, so easy to dislike."
England forwards coach Matt Proudfoot, who was part of Erasmus' staff until being recruited by Eddie Jones at the end of 2019, believes that one of the most esteemed posts in the global game comes with an obligation attached.
"The Springboks brand is a brand designed to bring hope to the country," Proudfoot said.
"As South African custodians, the role is to preserve the brand of the Springboks in a country where rugby is as feverish as it is.
"When I lived in South Africa I was a proud South Africa supporter and I think that's what the brand of the Springbok means. And that's what it should be."
Proudfoot insists England are happy with their level of contact with World Rugby's head of match officials Joel Jutge.
"World Rugby has been great in the way it has communicated to us. We've got a process that we follow. It's really constructive," Proudfoot said.
"We have a very clear line of communication to Joel Jutge. I sent him clips after the game on Sunday night and he replied to me first thing on Monday morning.
"There's a clear line of communication if you want to deal with something that you want clarification on, particularly in a week that you can give it to your players and train it.
"It's productive for us because we get the right information and we can utilise that information.
"For us it's about affecting decisions on the field by exhibiting the right behaviours. There are a lot of interpretations of the laws, so we'd rather get the right interpretation from World Rugby. That's why we follow the process."
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