Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, May 25.
Wales coach studies video evidence of players
Wales defence coach Mike Forshaw has been poring over videos of Wales' World Cup hopefuls in recent weeks to identify who may have what it takes to make the final cut. Forshaw attended a number of matches at the tail end of the season with Warren Gatland and has spent hours studying footage of players he was previously unfamiliar with.
The former rugby league player admitted Wales' disappointing Six Nations campaign left him "frustrated at times" and suggested the squad's physical conditioning will be a big focus when players start reporting for duty from today. He told Rugby World magazine he had been closely monitoring around 16 players over the past couple of months, some who made it into the initial extended World Cup training squad and some who didn't.
"I'm just trying to keep up to speed with all the players I have not met yet and look at what they are about by watching them," he said. "I'm looking at all the individual clips of players I've not coached, so just downloading games.
"I've got about 16 players who I'm really focusing on and watching deeply. Not just from a defensive point of view but what is their effort like? What are they doing off the ball? Because it's not all about defence.
"It's important that I look at how they chase kicks, what they are like off the floor, what they are like physically - when the ball goes away from them, are they still in the game? Have they got that feel? There's quite a bit I would look at."
Fifty-two players will be part of the Wales set-up over the coming weeks, including a host of new names, before that number is first cut in July and eventually whittled down to 33 in August. A gruelling time awaits all at training camps in Switzerland and Turkey, before two warm-ups against England and one against South Africa..
Looking back at the Six Nations, Forshaw added: "I thought we played particularly well in the first half of the first game against Ireland. I thought we did alright in the first half of the second game against Scotland but dropped off. We seemed to struggle when we played back-to-back weeks and that's something as a staff we will be talking about going forward, from a physical point of view, where we need to be before we hit the World Cup."
The latest edition of Rugby World Magazine is available now.
English champions apologise after police called to bar
Leicester Tigers have publicly apologised after police were reportedly called to a large gathering at a bar that included some of the club's players.
Leicestershire Police said officers were called to a report of damage being caused inside Revolution bar in New Walk, Leicester, at 11.56pm on May 15. Leicestershire Live report police arrived to find smashed glass and spilt liquid but no injuries were reported.
A spokesperson at Revolution Bars Group: "We are aware of the incident that took place on Monday, May 15, involving some players from Leicester Tigers. We have since received a full apology from the club for the actions of the players. The police were in attendance on the evening and we have also launched our own investigation. As far as we are aware at this point, none of our guests nor employees were assaulted during the incident."
A club spokesperson said: "We are aware that players were in the vicinity of the bar when the police were called. We have spoken to the bar and apologised. We have not had any official contact from the police regarding this incident and if we were to find any reason for disciplinary action we would do that."
Police inquiries are ongoing.
Jones doesn't care about England anymore
By Duncan Bech, PA England Rugby Correspondent
Eddie Jones has "no emotional attachment" to England as he prepares for his first appearance at Twickenham since being sacked by the Rugby Football Union. Jones takes charge of the Barbarians against the World XV in a star-studded fixture on Sunday that is a brief interruption to his duties as Australia head coach.
England's decline last year, winning just five of 12 Tests, compelled the RFU to sever ties in December but the 63-year-old still departed with the highest win record of any Red Rose boss with 73 per cent. Now he has turned his attention to reviving the Wallabies ahead of a possible quarter-final appearance against the side he oversaw for seven years at this autumn's World Cup. In doing so, all connection with England has been severed.
"I don't watch England. I want that team to do OK, but there's no emotional attachment to that team any more," Jones said. "I've been lucky enough to coach internationally and when I go to a team I love the team I'm coaching, but then when I move I don't have any regrets, any bad feelings.
"England are just one of the six teams in the Six Nations. I watch them, I think about them like all the teams - how I would coach them if I had that team? And then if we come up against them I've already got something in my head."
England are now overseen by Steve Borthwick, who was Jones' number two with Japan before being appointed to his coaching staff for his first World Cup cycle in charge at Twickenham. Jones was a regular at Leicester's training ground when Borthwick joined the Tigers as director of rugby, but their communication has since dwindled. "It's dried up a bit," Jones said.
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