Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby news for Wednesday, May 24.
Welsh rugby 'needs' Wainwright to succeed Faletau at No. 8
Dragons boss Dai Flanagan says versatile World Cup hopeful Aaron Wainwright has settled in the No. 8 jersey as he bids to become the successor to Wales legend Taulupe Faletau.
Wainwright is one of eight specialist back rowers selected by Warren Gatland for the upcoming World Cup training camps this summer, which will likely form the basis for several big selection calls ahead of the World Cup later this year.
Wainwright was last deployed for Wales as a blindside flanker, but Flanagan believes it is at No. 8 where he has really thrived.
“Aaron seems to have had a new lease of life in that No. 8 shirt,” said Flanagan, who gave Wainwright a trio of starts in that position at the end of the campaign. “Welsh rugby needs him to come through in that position, Toby has been superb for many years and the more competition for that jersey the better. You see how comfortable Aaron is with ball in hand and his collisions were superb against the Scarlets at Judgement Day, sitting in the middle of the field and being able to manhandle some people.”
Axed Welsh player considers new career after difficult meeting ended things
Former Wales U20s openside Ben Fry is considering a career move away from rugby after being released by the Dragons after five years on the senior scene.
Fry, 24, had four starts for the Welsh side in the 2022/23 campaign and was recently released following a difficult conversation after a training session.
"They said ‘can you come up to the office?’” he told RugbyPass. "Dai Flanagan, the head coach, and Rob Burgess, the head of recruitment, were there. They just said 'we can’t afford you for next year.’ What can you say? I liked Dai. Maybe I just didn’t suit his style of play."
He has had offers to play in the English Championship, but with a son approaching his first birthday he wants to remain close to him and will begin a new career if a rugby option doesn't materialise this summer.
“There was a potential option with Jersey, but, with the little one and stuff, it’s quite far for me to go. I was grateful for the interest – of course I was – but I wasn’t really willing to move that far away from my boy," he said. "I’m based in Wales, I like playing rugby in Wales. I know the game isn’t in the best state here at the moment, but I’d love to stay if it’s possible.
"There are options outside the game. One of the Dragons’ sponsors is Dragon Studios, in Bridgend, a firm who have companies that do work involving carpentry for film sets. I’ve gone down there to have a look and been offered a job from July onwards if nothing happens on the rugby front. It’s brilliant of them and I can’t thank them enough. In the meantime, I’m still training in the gym every other day and I’m doing four running sessions a week, so I’m ready to go if anything comes up in rugby."
Sale call on Sir Alex for Premiership final message
Sale Sharks have called upon the motivational powers of former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of their Gallagher Premiership final against Saracens. Sir Alex visited Sale's Carrington training base on Tuesday, where he addressed the squad, who are preparing for their first Premiership final since 2006.
Asked how the visit materialised, rugby director Alex Sanderson said: “We’ve got a special Man United red phone like the bat phone in the corner of the office for emergencies.
“No, I got a call from Ged [Sale part-owner Ged Mason] asking about it and it fell into place. They are good friends with a shared investment in racehorses. We thought we would try and wring a little bit of gold out of Sir Alex – and he didn’t disappoint.
“He had the lads on the edge of their seats and he came up with some real good bits of advice – not new stuff, but when it comes from Sir Alex’s mouth, it is gospel, isn’t it? It is small percentages of what you can add, an increased feeling of how special this week is. It was good to have him in and good to have him in our corner.”
Dallaglio hits out at RFU over Wasps saga
England legend Lawrence Dallaglio insists Wasps will find their way back to the top of the English game, and has hit out at the RFU for not doing enough to help the financially stricken club. Wasps fell into administration in October amid debts spiralling beyond £95million, before being bought by Chris Holland.
However, they failed to find the backing to relaunch in time for next season, and were last week removed from the league structure. Should they reform, they will have to start at the bottom of the grassroots pyramid .
“The RFU say they’ve been doing everything to help Wasps — they’ve been doing very little to help, actually,” Dallaglio, a club director, told the Evening Standard Rugby Podcast. “The phone’s been very quiet. The reality is that rugby is a busted flush [financially]. People obviously only want 10 teams in the league, because if they wanted something different, they would create it. If you want to let brands like Wasps and Worcester go, good luck to you. At the moment Wasps will drop down the leagues. If we have to get promoted 10 years on the trot, we’ll do that.”
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