Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, November 17.
Warning to Wales fans
Some Wales fans have been warned they face rail disruption on Saturday after the match against Georgia.
Fans travelling east after the match are advised to head straight to the train station after the game rather than enjoy a post-match drink in the pubs around Cardiff.
Great Western Railway (GWR) has advised supporters to "board trains immediately after" the fixture concludes. Industrial action involving Network Rail signallers is set to affect fans attending the game in Cardiff as well as those attending the England v New Zealand game at Twickenham.
GWR has said it will only be able to operate a reduced service with a queuing system in place with all journeys east of Cardiff having to be completed by 6.30pm. That means last trains to London, Reading, and Bristol will leave much earlier usual with the last train to London leaving at 4.23pm.
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With the queuing system in place at Cardiff Central, supporters are being told to make their way to the station as soon as possible immediately after the match where there will be extra GWR services available. Trains will run hourly from Cardiff to Swansea up to 9.40pm as these are unaffected by strike action. Transport for Wales is unaffected and will operate its normal timetables.
GWR director of performance and train service delivery Daryn McCombe said: "If you’re travelling back towards London and Bristol there is only a limited time that we’ll be able to get you home after the match. The temptation might be to stay behind for some food and drink but with a queueing system in place, a limited number of trains, and a limited operating window we’d encourage supporters to make their way to the station straight after the match to avoid missing the trains we are able to operate towards London and Bristol."
England have 'best player in world'
Manu Tuilagi has been hailed as the best player in the world as the destructive England centre looks to produce another stellar display against New Zealand. Tuilagi is set to be restored to the midfield for Saturday's Twickenham showdown after being given a supporting role from the bench in a thumping victory over Japan which nudged the autumn back on track.
His occasional centre partner Henry Slade believes the All Blacks will be wary of the threat he poses after seeing him cut loose in their 2012 and 2019 defeats to England.
"We have a really good relationship off the field and that translates on to it," said Slade, who played as a replacement full-back against the Brave Blossoms. "Manu's a great guy and what he brings to the team is pretty obvious in terms of how powerful he is. I don't think there's any other centre like him in world rugby.
"In my view, he's the best player in the world because of what he can give you. For a guy who doesn't do weights... he doesn't do any and he's one of the most powerful guys I've ever met, so it's pretty scary what he could be like.
RPA call for 30-game limit
The Rugby Players' Association is calling for a limit of 30 games per season to reduce injury risk.
New research funded by the RPA indicates that players making "31 match involvements" in a campaign face a "significantly higher injury burden" in the following year. The study, entitled "The Influence of Match Exposure on Injury Risk in Elite Men's Rugby Union," and conducted by the University of Bath, defines match involvement as "any time spent on the field".
It builds upon a previous study conducted in 2017 and utilises data from the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby.
RPA welfare director Richard Bryan said: "The RPA position is that season match limits should be reduced to a maximum of 30 match involvements of any kind for a player, in order to reduce injury risk. Going forward it is essential that this research, and other research on match/training exposure and injury risk, continues to be refreshed along with the assessments and conclusions reached for both the men's and women's game."
Farrell reaches 100
Owen Farrell will find relief from a week of acclaim over his impending 100th cap for England by losing himself in Saturday's clash with New Zealand. Farrell's acute discomfort with praise will reach a peak the previous evening when Eddie Jones' squad gather to honour their captain with words and a presentation organised by his Saracens team-mates.
The 31-year-old who grew up dreaming of playing for Wigan, the rugby league team captained by his father Andy, is instead poised to join Jason Leonard and Ben Youngs among England's Test centurions.
"I'm not too good at listening to stuff about myself. The sooner we get on to the game, the better," Farrell said. "You're not used to hearing people say nice things about you. A lot of it normally goes unsaid. I don't think it'll go on for too long. If you let it, this week can be a lot. I don't intend on being like that, I intend on doing my job like the rest of the team."
Sexton not bothered by individual accolade
Ireland captain Johnny Sexton insists he would rather beat Australia than be crowned world player of the year. Fly-half Sexton has declared himself fit to face the Wallabies after missing last weekend's underwhelming 35-17 success over Fiji due to a dead leg.
The influential 37-year-old has guided his country to a Six Nations Triple Crown, a historic tour win in New Zealand, the top of the global rankings and victory over world champions South Africa this year. He was previously named World Rugby's men's player of the year in 2018 but, ahead of Saturday's autumn finale in Dublin, said he is more interested in producing on the field than individual accolades.
"It's always nice to be recognised like that, I'm not going to lie," Sexton said of his nomination. "It's not something you go searching for but to be recognised in that area is very special.
"I would prefer a win and to play well on Saturday than win that, because ultimately at the end of the day it's opinion. Whereas what you produce on Saturday is what you see and it's the only thing you can control. All my focus is on that and to be recognised is enough."
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