Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby headlines for Thursday, March 2.
Anscombe set for early Ospreys comeback
Gareth Anscombe is set for an earlier than expected comeback with the Ospreys, easing fears he could miss a second successive World Cup. The 31-year-old fly-half suffered a shoulder-blade injury playing for Wales against Australia in November and has not played since.
There were initial reports his earliest recovery could not be expected before the summer’s home and away warm-up matches against England, barely a month before the global tournament starts. There was even a concern he could be at risk of being off limits when the world’s leading players gather in France.
READ MORE: The penny has finally dropped and this Welsh rugby crisis has a long way to run yet
But it looks as if those worries have been blown away, with the Ospreys hoping their playmaker could play some part against the Dragons in the United Rugby Championship on March 25 and/or against Saracens in the Champions Cup on April 2.
Anscombe was a favourite of Gatland's during his first stint in charge, with the New Zealander naming the fly-half when asked who Wales had missed at the 2019 World Cup.
“He’s making good progress,” said head coach Toby Booth. “He has been on the pitch this week for the first time since his injury. We’re hoping he can play a part around Dragons/Saracens. He and Dewi Lake are both ahead of schedule.
“The last few weeks are the most difficult on a long-term injury because it’s how a player reacts to the training intensity and the volume and that balancing act. But we have a good track record. Simon Church and Chris Towers run good medical and physical programmes. Normally when we get people back, they stay back, and that’s the most important thing.”
Lake is also back on the training pitch, with the Ospreys hoping he will return from his knee problem around the end of the Six Nations.
Thomas insists Wales and Gatland close to turnaround
Wales contact coach Jonathan Thomas believes things are not as far away from turning around for Warren Gatland's beleaguered side as it would appear from the outside.
Since Gatland's return to the position of head coach, Wales have lost all three of their Six Nations fixtures so far, setting them up for a possible whitewash and wooden spoon. With things also coming to a head off the pitch in terms of funding and contracts impasses as well, Welsh rugby is truly in a sorry state.
However, Thomas believes that, despite defeats to Ireland, Scotland and England, Wales potentially aren't a million miles away from turning things around against Italy and France in the final two rounds.
"International rugby, margins are really small," said Thomas. "When you win, you are never as good as you think, when you lose, you are never as bad as you think. You are never as far away from turning the corner as potentially people on the outside think you are.
"I think it is probably one of the best Italy teams I have seen. It's really impressive how they have grown and developed, and we know it is going to be a tough challenge."
As for injury news, Wales assistant coach Thomas said: "Cuthy [Alex Cuthbert] is to be assessed, he has got a foot injury, and at the moment it is not known how severe that is. That will be assessed, and I am sure we will have more towards the start of next week.
"We are pretty confident with Owen [Williams] and Gareth [Thomas], they are back in training. Owen was a little bit of a hip, a high-ball collision, Gareth was a bit of a back spasm, and we are confident about both of those players."
Three Wales internationals return for Scarlets
Wales internationals Johnny Williams, Josh Macleod and Tom Rogers all return from injury for the Scarlets' clash against Munster in the United Rugby Championship on Friday (7.35pm kick-off).
Flanker Macleod will captain Dwayne Peel's side, which contains three personnel changes and two positional switches from the bonus-point win against Edinburgh last time out.
Rogers comes onto the right wing, with Steff Evans moving to the lift. Ryan Conbeer is ruled out with the shoulder knock he picked up against Edinburgh. Johnny Williams is named on the bench having recovered from a calf injury suffered in October.
Joe Roberts and Ioan Nicholas again combine in midfield, while Dane Blacker gets the nod at scrum-half and Gareth Davies drops to the bench.
Up front, Kemsley Mathias, Shaun Evans and Sam Wainwright are again selected in the front row, while the return of Macleod from a knee injury sees Vaea Fifita shift to the second row to partner fellow Tonga international Sam Lousi.
In the back row, openside flanker Dan Davis will make his 50th Scarlets appearance.
Ken Owens, Wyn Jones, Rhys Patchell, Leigh Halfpenny and Kieran Hardy are unavailable as they are in Wales camp, while the following are injured: Ryan Conbeer, Daf Hughes, Tom Price, Jac Price, Aaron Shingler, Jonathan Davies, Scott Williams, Ryan Elias, Corey Baldwin, Alex Jeffries, Callum Williams and Samson Lee.
Scarlets: 15 Johnny McNicholl; 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Ioan Nicholas, 11 Steff Evans; 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Dane Blacker; 1 Kemsley Mathias, 2 Shaun Evans, 3 Sam Wainwright, 4 Vaea Fifita, 5 Sam Lousi, 6 Josh Macleod (capt), 7 Dan Davis, 8 Sione Kalamafoni.
Replacements: 16 Taylor Davies, 17 Steff Thomas, 18 Javan Sebastian, 19 Morgan Jones, 20 Carwyn Tuipulotu, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Dan Jones, 23 Johnny Williams.
'Girls may be put off rugby by sexism scandal'
Wales fly-half Elinor Snowsill admits she would not be surprised if girls were put off playing rugby amid claims of a "toxic" culture and sexism at the Welsh Rugby Union.
Chief executive Steve Phillips resigned following the allegations being aired in a BBC investigations programme in January, while an independent taskforce has since been established to examine the culture and behaviour of the WRU.
Snowsill, who was among the historic first dozen Wales Women players to be contracted by the WRU in January 2022, said the culture around women's rugby has now changed.
Speaking at a St David's Day rugby camp for girls, the 71-cap half-back told the BBC: "I wouldn't be surprised if some girls have thought, 'is it the right sport for me?' Things have changed, people are listening to us now in the last two years, I can't explain to you how different things are for us.
"A lot of the issues that have come to light now are not the case anymore. Yes there's still improvements to be made, but we're working with the union now, rather than sort of fighting against them."
Acting WRU chief executive Nigel Walker, formerly performance director, previously told a Senedd committee that the governing body had been "in denial" over warning signs of sexism, while new chair Ieuan Evans said the experience had been "sobering".
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