Here are the latest rugby headlines on Monday, December 26, 2022.
Rees-Zammit injury scare
Louis Rees-Zammit went off injured within the opening 10 minutes of Gloucester's Christmas Eve defeat to Leicester Tigers.
The Wales winger suffered an ankle injury just six weeks before the Six Nations begins. The severity of the injury is not yet known but the ankle was heavily strapped.
Rees-Zammit had only just returned from a hip problem he picked up last month and has had a number of ankle issues over the past couple of years.
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Wales hopefuls look to impress
A number of Wales Six Nations hopefuls go head to head with their biggest squad rivals today as Warren Gatland watches on from New Zealand ahead of picking his Six Nations squad.
The Dragons v Cardiff match sees Ross Moriarty, who was left out of the autumn squad, take on Taulupe Faletau at number eight. Josh Adams starts at full-back for Cardiff in a back three that will go up against Wales wing rival Rio Dyer.
Elsewhere, the likes of Aaron Wainwright, who fell out of favour with Wayne Pivac, and the in-form Thomas Young will be looking to impress the new Wales coach in their back row battle.
Dragons coach Dai Flanagan said: "There's been real excitement ahead of the game. Everyone wants to play, and we've see an edge around the place.
"Cardiff have a fantastic squad. You look at the individuals and they have superstars all over the field."
Dai Young said: "We have a good record against the Dragons, but we have rode our luck on a number of occasions recently and there are games where they probably deserved to win.
"They have continued their improvement this season, they have the strongest squad they have had in a long time and Dai Flanagan's brought further positivity and confidence to their ranks.
"We will definitely need to be at our best and are preparing for a hugely physical challenge."
You can see the full Dragons v Cardiff team news here.
Big names clash in Swansea
Further down west the second Welsh derby of the day (Ospreys v Scarlets) sees some of the biggest names in Welsh rugby take the field. Justin Tipuric is directly up against Josh Macleod, who needs to impress Gatland quickly if he is to maintain his place in the Wales squad.
Rhys Webb v Dane Blacker at scrum-half is another intriguing battle as both men hope to catch Gatland's eye. Webb is on form and has a huge amount of experience but Blacker is close to winning his first Wales cap and it could be one or the other when Gatland names his Six Nations squad in three weeks.
The benches are loaded with experience and will give Gatland the chance to assess which of his ageing players he thinks still need to be at the centre of his plans. Ken Owens and Alun Wyn Jones will be key men when the game reaches its business end.
You can see the full Ospreys v Scarlets team news here.
All Blacks superstar to quit for Japan
Richie Mo’unga and Shannon Frizell have become the latest All Blacks to announce they are quitting New Zealand and moving to Japan.
Crusaders star Mo’unga has signed a three-year deal with Japanese side Toshiba Brave Lupus and Frizzell is joining the same team.
It's a big blow for New Zealand who will no longer be able to pick their first choice outside-half after the Rugby World Cup. While other All Blacks have taken sabbaticals in Japan before while also committing their long term futures to New Zealand Rugby, this is different. Mo’unga has signed a long term deal in Japan and at 28 is probably unlikely to play for his country again after next year.
“It´s a touchy thing when people are going overseas but you can´t hide away from the fact it´s life-changing for me and my family,” Mo´unga told the New Zealand Herald.
“My job as a father and a husband is to provide for my family and put them first in decisions. That´s basically what I'm doing.”
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