Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby headlines for Saturday, June 24.
Wales players set for crucial week ahead of first training camp
Wales have finished their mini-camps as World Cup preparations enter the next phase that could see players cut from the squad.
After five weeks of mini-camps that began on May 24, Monday will see Warren Gatland have his full training squad present at the team's base at the Vale Resort.
Dan Biggar and Nick Tompkins will be the last of the squad to join up, having finished their club seasons later in France and England respectively.
There'll be a week in camp, with Wales then traveling to Switzerland on July 3 for a two-week training camp. After that, they head to Turkey in late July ahead of the August warm-up matches.
Warren Gatland had previously said that the initial squad of 54 would be cut down to somewhere in the mid-40s ahead of the trip to Switzerland.
There's no confirmation on when or if Wales' squad will still be cut after some departures. Following the international retirements of Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb, as well as the withdrawals of Rhys Carre and Cory Hill, the size of the squad is now 49.
Presuming Gatland does still reduce the squad, the cut will happen before July 3 - leaving players with little time left to seal their spot on the plane.
Poll: How far will Wales go at the World Cup? Have your say here or below
Ospreys-Cardiff talks
Talks have been held between Cardiff Rugby and Ospreys owners Y11 Sport that could result in some form of merger.
Bosses from the capital city club and Ospreys majority owners Y11 Sport have been involved in exploratory discussions amid Welsh rugby's ongoing financial difficulties.
The talks come four years after the Ospreys and Scarlets came close to merging before the plug was pulled on the deal at the last minute amid anger from fans. No official approach about a merger deal has been made to the PRB this time.
You can read the full story here.
Wales begin U-20s campaign
Wales begin their under 20s World Championship today with a daunting but exciting match against New Zealand in South Africa.
After their opening game against Baby Blacks in Paarl in the Western Cape of South Africa this Saturday, Wales face matches against Japan and France as the world's showpiece age-grade tournament returns for the first time since 2019.
Ospreys hooker Lewis Lloyd is handed his first start, while Evan Hill, Seb Driscoll and Harri Wilde are set for debuts off the bench.
There are a few changes from the side that finished the U20s Six Nations in Oyannax back in March, with Archie Hughes, Harri Houston and Louie Hennessey starting.
“It’s an exciting side which I think has a lot of potential,” said head coach Mark Jones. “It’s a case of if that team can click and we can get the cohesion we want, it is a good-looking team.
“The attitude of the boys has been excellent; they have really committed to the stuff we’ve been working on and they have shown quality a lot of the time but we know we have ground to make up.”
Wales U20s: Cameron Winnett (Cardiff Rugby); Llien Morgan (Ospreys), Louie Hennessey (Bath Rugby), Bryn Bradley (Harlequins), Harri Houston (Ospreys); Dan Edwards (Ospreys), Archie Hughes (Scarlets); Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths (Dragons), Lewis Lloyd (Ospreys), Ellis Fackrell (Ospreys), Liam Edwards (Ospreys), Jonny Green (Harlequins), Ryan Woodman (Dragons - capt), Lucas De La Rua (Cardiff Rugby), Morgan Morse (Ospreys).
Replacements: Sam Scarfe (Dragons), Josh Morse (Scarlets), Louis Fletcher (Ospreys), Evan Hill (Ospreys), Seb Driscoll (Harlequins), Tom Florence (Ospreys), Harri Wilde (Cardiff Rugby), Harri Williams (Scarlets).
WRU tackle trial a decent start: Popham
Former Wales forward Alix Popham says a WRU trial to lower the tackle height in the community game is a 'positive step', but says it doesn't go far enough to protect players from head injuries.
The 43-year-old was diagnosed with early onset dementia in 2019, and was one of nearly 200 players to bring legal action against rugby's governing bodies for negligence.
"In my eyes it's a positive step forward," Popham told the BBC.
"But it's not the 100% answer that's going to make rugby safe.
"What I've learned over the last three years since my diagnosis is information that should have been given to me and my fellow teammates as professional rugby players - every hit is causing a bit of damage.
"So lowering the height isn't going to give head-on-head impacts but they're still allowing two people to make that tackle lower down, which can cause head-on-head down there or lower down so we're not getting away from it 100%."
RFU "shooting itself in the foot" over Worcester and Wasps collapse
Worcester MP Robin Walker the Rugby Football Union is "shooting itself in the foot" over demise of Midlands clubs Worcester and Wasps.
Walker has told Parliament that suggestions both sides start again as phoenix clubs in lower leagues doesn't make commercial sense, and has urged rugby to look at the model of fan-owned football clubs as a potential solution.
"Most of us with experience of the business world would understand a phoenix situation to apply when, and only when, the former owners of a business, or related parties to them, seek to bring a business out of administration," he said.
"But the current RFU guidelines require any new investor, even when they have no relation to the previous ones, to spend a long period in special measures and with extra supervision.
"A level playing field for supervision and greater transparency with the regulator is absolutely right in professional rugby. The saga of the Warriors under previous ownership very much demonstrates the need for this.
"But I worry that in creating extra hurdles for new investors to take a club forward and provide the investment to keep a club in professional rugby, the RFU is shooting itself in the foot when it comes to the sustainability of the professional game.
"Supporters' trusts have played a crucial role in getting many football clubs back into contention. Wimbledon and Wrexham are notable examples and many Warriors supporters are keen to see what can be done to use this model in rugby.
"The new owners of the club and the stadium, Atlas, have themselves stated that they want to see fan ownership play an increased role in the future of the club.
"I would strongly urge Atlas to sit down with the newly-formed supporters' trust and see how they can work together to achieve this.
"But for any investor to put money into rugby, there needs to be clarity about the proposition and right now there does not seem to be that clarity."
