These are your rugby headlines on Friday, June 1.
Carre backlash
Wales have been accused of throwing Rhys Carre "under the bus" following their statement about his release from the extended Rugby World Cup training squad.
The Cardiff prop was described as failing to meet individual performance targets.
He will now not be considered for the tournament in France this autumn.
READ MORE: Rhys Carre's brutal axing, the weight target he was set and what led to that public statement
A Welsh Rugby Union statement read: "Following ongoing discussions between the player and the Wales coaching team, Carre has failed to meet individual performance targets set at the end of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations."
The news was met with a negative reaction from many Wales rugby fans, while former Welsh regional player Jason Tovey said on Twitter: "Throwing a player under the bus. #shockingplayertreatment."
Carre had spoken earlier on this year about his frustrations over the discourse surrounding his weight.
He told RugbyPass: "I’ve had a lot of discussions and arguments over the years about my weight and sometimes it’s really got me down, focusing on how much I weigh in the morning. There was a period when it felt that that was everyone’s focus; what the scales say in the morning rather than what I do for the rest of the day. I tried to put that to one side and focus on what I was doing on the pitch.
"I understand and agree that sometimes I’m not the fittest. I’m not the most 'repeatable' prop out there, but what I do is effective and if I can do that a couple more times a game, then in a year or two when I get into my prime, I’m going to benefit massively from that."
Georgia stun England
Georgia Under-20s beat England for the first time in their history, prompting wild scenes and a pitch invasion in Tbilisi.
In the second of their two-game tour, England were beaten 40-38, with the visitors having won the first match 41-36 in similarly tight circumstances.
But the result in the second will send out shockwaves, with just a few weeks left before the World Rugby Under-20 Championship, which starts in South Africa later this month.
England started well but the hosts rallied either side of half-time with Luka Kotorashvili putting the home side ahead for the first time after the turnaround.
The visitors were reduced to 14 men late on and managed to bring the scores within two points but dogged defending sealed a famous win for the Georgians, with a pitch invasion taking place at the final whistle.
A crowd of 1,813 celebrated with the players on the pitch.
"We've witnessed an absolutely thrilling match in Georgia today," Georgia Rugby president Soso Tkemaladze told Mail Sport following the victory.
"It was fiercely contested between two teams displaying exceptional skill, determination, and raw talent and offering a glimpse into the future of the game.
"This historic 'David and Goliath' moment gives us every reason to believe that Georgia has a right to be considered full members of the global rugby family.
"I want to thank (England Rugby CEO) Bill Sweeney for his support and for two great games."
Poll: How far will Wales go at the World Cup? Have your say here or below
Wallabies leaving no stone unturned
Australia front-row Allan Alaalatoa has lifted the lid on Eddie Jones' meticulous planning ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
The Wallabies will be group-stage opponents of Wales during the tournament in France, with Fiji also among those teams set to be competing to get out of the pool.
Alaalatoa says weekly meetings have been taking place with "leaders" in the Aussie squad.
“The leaders are getting together once a week with Eddie to talk about our learnings throughout Super Rugby but also about gameplay,” Alaalatoa told AAP.
“We’re continuing to get together once a week collaborating on ideas, what we’re feeling, what we’re seeing and what we’re learning.
“There’s no time to waste and as leaders, we’re trying to make the most of every opportunity when we’re not together as a team.
“We’ve got a lot of fathers in the crew, so they’re later in the night when the kids are asleep.
“It’s not something we’ve done in the past, so it’s good to keep in touch and understand what Eddie’s thinking because he’s a wise man, he gets the game.”
“No stone is left unturned. It’s going to take all leaders and even guys outside of that group,” experienced scrum-half Nic White added.
“No one person is going to be able to go over there and have made that much of a difference, (we’re) going to have a certain mentality around leading and everyone knowing their strengths and weaknesses. There’s a pretty cool feeling around Australian rugby at the moment.”
READ MORE:
Three Wales World Cup squad members now left with uncertain futures
Tonight's rugby news as next Wales call-up identified
Tomas Francis set to join Welsh rugby player drain
Wales' summer games against England and South Africa to go behind paywall
