Here are the latest rugby headlines on Wednesday, October 26.
Welsh teams 'have more security' than English sides amid funding update
United Rugby Championship boss Martin Anayi is hopeful Welsh sides have more financial security than their English counterparts amid a positive update on the Welsh Rugby Union/regions' funding deal negotiations.
Anayi said offers are being made and negotiated. The WRU has not yet reached a financial deal with Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets and Dragons despite negotiations lasting many months and hopes they would be concluded before this season kicked off. It means the regions still do not know budgets from 2023-24 onwards.
"We're very hopeful for a funding deal to be struck," said Anayi, speaking on a media call for the BKT United Rugby Championship. "That's how I see it... it's an exchange of services for money between the union and the regions. The unions are getting access to their players that they require to be successful and Wales have been doing that for a long period of time. In return for that they pay the region and so it's the continuation of that long-term model that they're in discussions and negotiations with at the moment."
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Anayi believes the model helps cushion teams from the threat of entering administration in the way rugby fans have seen with Worcester and Wasps in the English Premiership.
"What I can say from a league perspective, if a club in Wales does go into administration then the union is a shareholder, the union is obliged to provide the amount of teams that we currently have to the competition. That's probably why in the past you've seen the union step in to the Dragons, that's why you've seen in the past in Italy, for example, the union (Italian Rugby Federation) step in to Zebre. That gives, hopefully, a level of security that perhaps they don't have in England.
"It's just very important we have 16 teams in our competition. It's going very well at the moment and we want the Welsh teams to be stronger. And of course once they have their deal secured, that's their long-term future secured, then we'll be happy with that - it gives a better place to start from in terms of those teams being competitive and ultimately going to win the URC, which is what we want them to do."
The Professional Rugby Board, which runs the professional game in Wales and is made up of representatives from the WRU and the four regions, sees its independent chair Malcolm Wall as well as WRU group chief executive Steve Phillips sit on the URC board, as each organisation has a vested interest in the other.
Of the funding model negotiations, Anayi added: "We get briefed regularly... our understanding is the funding model will be agreed. We don't want to be necessarily directly involved in that, but it's important that we have four really strong regions in Wales and that they're competing successfully in the URC.
"At the moment what we're seeing is the Dragons beat the Ospreys and Cardiff beat the Stormers, and I'm sure we'll see a resurgence from the Scarlets as well. So we want that to continue, we want a deal to be struck... I think the WRU and the regions are going to resolve it, that's my understanding. Offers have been made, they're being negotiated. Obviously it's in the context of the regions needing the funding, but my understanding is that there will be no problem with that."
Scarlets welcome back Wales duo
Scarlets will have Wales duo Aaron Shingler and Tom Rogers back for the United Rugby Championship visit of leaders Leinster this Friday in Llanelli.
Wing Rogers, 23, has returned from a hamstring injury having last featured against Ospreys on September 17, while flanker Shingler, 35, will make his first appearance of the season after recovering from a knee injury.
"He actually had a good pre-season, he just tweaked a bit of cartilage in the knee and that's kept him out for a long while," Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said of Shingler. "He just loves playing games, he's a competitive guy. He leads by actions as well. We used him starting and off the bench last year, he came off the bench quite a bit, but he has bite and he's a competitor."
As for back-three man Rogers, Peel said: "Tommy Rogers is someone who had a great end to last season, he's a guy who is elusive with ball in hand. I'm delighted he's back in the fold training because he's a good athlete, he can create things and he's getting better every day. I've noticed a big change in him in terms of his off-field behaviours in terms of the work he's doing off the field as well, his attention to detail and wanting to get better. That comes with age and maturity. He's a player who's quite versatile as well, can play wing and full-back."
Leinster are unbeaten this season, while Scarlets are 15th after only one win in six games so far.
Steve Tandy backs Jamie Ritchie's Scotland captaincy
Steve Tandy has backed Jamie Ritchie to embrace the Scotland captaincy as the Edinburgh flanker prepares to lead the national team into their autumn series. The 26-year-old was appointed skipper of his club this term and now he will perform the same role for his country after Gregor Townsend handed him the honour last week in place of previous incumbent Stuart Hogg.
Ritchie, who spent six months on the sidelines earlier this year with a serious hamstring injury, will captain the Scots in their Tests against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina at BT Murrayfield over the next month.
"He'll do a fantastic job, he's super competitive," said defence coach Tandy. "I think he leads and people follow him, and he's an outstanding rugby player as well. He plays really well in a Scotland shirt. It's a great opportunity for him to lead his country and to start at home as well.
"He's embraced it so far, he doesn't change a lot, he wants to drive standards anyway. He's maturing, and he's around lots of experienced guys and he doesn't need to change too much. He leads anyway, and he'll naturally grow and embrace the moment."
After a promising 2021, Scotland have had an underwhelming 2022 so far but Tandy is "unbelievably excited" about getting the chance to develop the squad further over the next month as they step up preparations for the Six Nations and next year's World Cup.
"It's just building, rather than a fresh start, just building momentum against outstanding teams. It's great to get back to Murrayfield in front of full houses and we're excited to grow our game over the autumn period."
Scotland kick off their autumn series against Australia this Saturday.
Ireland not ruling injured stars out of South Africa clash
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says that none of his squad's injured players have been ruled out of next week's Autumn Nations Series opener against world champions South Africa. The newly-installed world number one team return to Test match business when the Springboks arrive in Dublin on November 5.
It will be Ireland's first game since an historic Test series-clinching victory over New Zealand in Wellington just over three months ago. Ireland also face Fiji and Australia during their autumn schedule, with a number of players at varying stages of recovery.
Full-back Hugo Keenan, scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and prop Tadhg Furlong are among those with injuries, although Keenan and Gibson-Park will be reintegrated to training this week alongside the likes of Jacob Stockdale and Tadhg Beirne.
Ulster's national squad contingent of Robert Baloucoune, James Hume, Rob Herring, Michael Lowry, Stuart McCloskey, Tom O'Toole, Nick Timoney and Kieran Treadwell, meanwhile, returned from South Africa on Monday night.
The Irish Rugby Football Union said "they will be managed over the coming days" following recent illness issues experienced by the Ulster squad while in South Africa for United Rugby Championship games.
"Some players don't need that much game time. Some players are able to just hit it straight from the word go, some players need five or six games to hit the ground running," Farrell told reporters on Tuesday. "It's up to us to assess that. We are not a massive playing group as well, so needs must at times. Certainly, nobody is ruled out at this stage."
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