Here are the latest rugby headlines on Wednesday, March 8.
'Cardiff players considering going semi-pro and taking second jobs'
A number of Cardiff Rugby players are considering going semi-professional to then take a second job amid drastic budget cuts and salaries being driven down across Welsh rugby, Sam Warburton has claimed.
Cardiff's budget for next season is dropping by around £2million, and director of rugby Dai Young is already resigned to losing Jarrod Evans, Willis Halaholo and Dmitri Arhip. WalesOnline reported last month that some players earning up to £250,000 had learned there would only be £30,000 in the pot to pay them next term.
Warburton told The Ruck rugby podcast: "I spoke to my brother who's a physio at Cardiff. Lads are considering getting a job as a trade and then playing semi-professional so they can top up those salaries by £15,000, and they'll be earning more money than being a professional rugby player. They've got families they need to look after. It's not because they're throwing their toys out of the pram, they can actually earn more money elsewhere."
Wales centre Willis Halaholo has spoken openly about the challenges, having an injury, being out of contract and not receiving a new offer which is enough for his family.
"Willis is another example, he would have been a good earner at Cardiff, deservedly so, he's been a massively influential player and brilliant signing," Warburton added. "Willis has unfortunately got an injury. He's got four young girls, he's going to have to either accept a contract which could be 90% down on what he was on before, or he's now going to look at the logistics of relocating and getting four girls in different schools and nurseries, and getting a house. It's just a nightmare for these players. You hear these stories. They are real."
Will Rowlands ahead of rehab schedule
Wales' reigning rugby player of the year Will Rowlands is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a shoulder injury and could well feature for the Dragons in their European clash with Glasgow Warriors in April.
Rowlands, 31, has been out of action since suffering a shoulder injury in the autumn international win against Argentina in November. Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan has now confirmed his growing optimism that Rowlands can make a return before his confirmed summer departure to join French giants Racing 92. With 23 caps to his name, he falls foul of the Welsh Rugby Union's new 25-cap policy, although it is not unfeasible that he could receive special dispensation to compete at the Rugby World Cup this autumn despite this.
Dragons are next in league action against Ospreys on Saturday, March 25, before the Challenge Cup last-16 knockout tie with Glasgow on Saturday, April 1.
“Will is absolutely flying,” revealed Flanagan. “He is well ahead of schedule and will play some rugby for the Dragons this season, I am sure of that. We all know the game that we would like him back for, but he is touch and go for that.
“We are guided by the medics and with Will being a national player, we are guided by Wales as well. Will is getting the best treatment, but he is flying and we are hopeful he will be back soon. His rehabilitation sums up the guy, he is signing for one of the biggest clubs in Europe because he is such a good player and such a good professional.”
Savea banned for throat-slitting gesture
All Blacks star and Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea has been banned for a week for making a throat-slitting gesture at an opponent during Friday's Super Rugby match against Melbourne Rebels.
The 29-year-old had been heading to the sin bin when he made the gesture at Ryan Louwrens. Savea apologised after the fixture, which ended in a 39-33 victory for the Hurricanes, saying the gesture was "out of character".
Combined with the yellow card, a disciplinary committee deemed the incident to merit a warning and a week's suspension, meaning the back-rower misses the Hurricanes' home game against Auckland Blues on Saturday.
"I can understand the fans are furious around the gesture I made," Savea told Stan Sports. "Kids are watching us, we're in the heat of the moment. Usually that's out of character for me, so I put my hand up first and I apologise for that. We're trying to clean up the game. There's no excuse for me, I've got to be better."
England international set to welcome new half-back partner Evans
England international and Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care is ready to welcome Welsh fly-half Jarrod Evans to the English set-up with open arms.
Cardiff director of rugby Dai Young has admitted the region cannot table a competitive contract offer to the No. 10 amid budget cuts, and he is expected to join Quins.
"I feel really sorry for Dai Young and the regions," Care told the Rugby Union Daily podcast. "They are only going to be able to fill that squad with kids or guys who are going to hate it but are going to have to take it because there's nothing else. What kind of culture are you creating then, unless you just fill it with kids but you are not going to be competititive?
"It's such an awful situation, I feel desperately sorry for them. Hopefully there will be clubs around for them to play. I don't know if the Jarrod Evans to Harlequins is done but we'd be delighted to have him come and join Quins. If there's more spaces for these lads to come and play rugby and be at a good level then let's try and make it happen."
Marcus Smith wins duel with George Ford for England No. 10 understudy role
Marcus Smith has won his duel with George Ford for the role of fly-half understudy to Owen Farrell for England's biggest test of the Guinness Six Nations yet. Smith was battling to keep his place on the bench for Saturday's Twickenham showdown with France but he has been included in a reduced 27-man squad at the expensive of his playmaking rival.
Having started against Scotland in round one and then being limited to brief cameos off the bench for Italy and Wales, he was released to play for Harlequins against Exeter while Ford remained in the England camp. A man-of-the-match display against the Chiefs on Saturday underlined his star quality and the 80 minutes have been good enough to get him the nod over Ford, who returns to Sale to accumulate more game time as he finds his way back from an Achilles problem.
"George has been wonderful but we just felt that at this moment in time he's going to need some more minutes at his club," defence coach Kevin Sinfield said. "George hasn't been long back in the fold. He has been outstanding and we have no doubt that if he was to stay, he'd be great for us. But we think that at this moment in time the best thing for him is to get minutes at Sale. I thought Marcus was outstanding against Exeter, but he has trained like that over the last six weeks. We've seen first-hand what he's been capable of and he's in the mix against France."
Steve Borthwick names his starting XV on Thursday lunchtime, with Farrell set to continue as starting fly-half and captain.
Courtney Lawes will be missing after the Northampton forward was ruled out of the remaining two rounds of the tournament because of a shoulder injury. It extends a miserable run of injuries that has seen Lawes' season also heavily disrupted by concussion, neck, glute and calf problems. The 34-year-old only made his England comeback as a final-quarter replacement in the 20-10 victory over Wales in round four but those 12 minutes will be his only game time in this tournament.
READ NEXT:
Teenage Welsh rugby player to undergo brain surgery after incident during match
England international stunned by 'how bad' Wales are and bemused by coaches
The David Buttress interview: Calls to axe region simply blow my mind
Time has come for Warren Gatland to change and pick Wales team of the future
