Your rugby headlines for Monday, October 24.
Roberts: I feel like I deserved Wales call-up
Dragons hooker Bradley Roberts admits he's disappointed not to be named in Wales' squad for the autumn internationals, and feels he's playing better than his peers.
In an open and honest interview with Scrum V, the 26-year-old insists he felt he deserved recognition this time, when his previous call-ups have come as a bit of a shock.
Roberts has two caps to his name but did not tour South Africa with Wayne Pivac's side last summer and was left out when the head coach named his team last week.
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"I'm very disappointed," Roberts told Scrum V. "It felt like this was the one where I deserved it the most. I feel like that last two times [call-ups] were a bit of a shock and I hadn't really earned it.
"But I felt like this time I was really putting my hand up and, on form, I really deserved it. But it wasn't meant to be, there is only so much I can do and the decision is not mine at the end of the day.
"I spoke to Wayne [Pivac] and he basically said that I was going well. Set piece is the thing that is big in international rugby and he said my set piece has improved but they still trust the other guys a bit more than me at the moment.
"There is nothing I can really do about that but keep trying to get better each day. That's the reason I came here, at the end of the day. I wanted to be involved as much as possible with the international team.
"The biggest thing for me at the moment is trying to find out where I can get the caps because I know there are a lot of guys there with money in the bank and I think I'm playing as well, if not better than them."
He may yet get the call to join up with the squad at the Vale Resort training base, though, with Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake suffering a shoulder injury in a defeat to Roberts' Dragons yesterday.
The other hookers in the squad are Ken Owens and Ryan Elias.
Farrell and May withdraw from England squad
By PA Staff
Owen Farrell and Jonny May have withdrawn from the England squad through injury.
England are spending five days at a training camp in Jersey to prepare for the upcoming Autumn Nations Series - with England Rugby announcing on Monday that Farrell and May will no longer travel.
Farrell suffered a concussion in Saracens' 22-20 Gallagher Premiership win over Exeter at the weekend, while May sustained an elbow injury as Gloucester beat London Irish 22-21 on Friday night.
Injured duo Henry Arundell and Will Stuart will still travel as they nurse foot and knee injuries, respectively.
Farrell will follow return to play protocols as Sale's Tom Roebuck earns a first call-up, with Adam Radwan and Henry Slade also recalled. The England skipper will likely return to the squad upon the completion of his recovery from the head injury.
Charlie Atkinson, who has recently been linked with Leicester, will join up with Eddie Jones' ranks as a training player
England face Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa at Twickenham between November 6-26.
South Africa and New Zealand set for London showdown
South Africa and New Zealand will face each other at Twickenham in their final match before the 2023 Rugby World Cup next year.
The two giants of Test rugby will go at it in London on August 25, just two weeks before the All Blacks kick off the global gathering against hosts France.
The Springboks will also face Wales a week before in Cardiff, in what will be the final warm-up match for Wayne Pivac's side, who have back-to-back clashes with England beforehand.
Ireland sweating the fitness of Tadhg Furlong
First choice Ireland tight-head Tadhg Furlong has emerged as a doubt for his country's autumn opener against South Africa next month.
Furlong was a late withdrawal from Leinster's match against Munster last weekend after rolling his ankle. He will now be assessed by Ireland's medical staff with a date against the world champions fast approaching.
Leinster boss Leo Cullen is quoted in the Irish Examiner as saying: “Tadhg is okay. He rolled his ankle on Thursday. When we were here (on Friday), I thought he would be okay. He didn’t do the team run, he was pretty confident he wanted to give it until this morning, he was confident he’d be okay.
“He woke this morning and there was still a bit of swelling, so it was the right decision, it wasn't worth the risk. A different type of game, a different type of year he would have played, that’s my take on things. But we gave him as much time as we could.”
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