Here are the latest rugby headlines on Wednesday, February 1.
Sexton: 'It hurt so bad'
Johnny Sexton has revealed the hurt he felt at Warren Gatland's decision to exclude him from the 2021 Lions squad ahead of Saturday's Six Nations opener between Wales and Ireland.
Sexton was the big name omission from the Lions party that travelled to South Africa and has gone on to prove he is still one of the most influential number 10s on the world stage. The Irish legend insists he holds no animosity towards Gatland but admits it was a difficult call for him to take, with Dan Biggar, Owen Farrell and Finn Russell preferred.
He told the BBC: "That's gone now, isn't it. It's something that you never get back which is why it hurt so bad at the time.
"People make their decisions and at the time they probably make them for what they think are the right reasons.
"I met him at the launch [of the Six Nations] and there was no animosity or anything. We shook hands, said hello.
"I got on very well with him on the two previous tours [then Lions boss Gatland selected Sexton in 2013 and 2017] which is probably why it hurt so much, but it is what it is. Look, it's over now, it was a long time ago."
Shaun Edwards: Six Nations 'wide open'
Shaun Edwards reckons the 2023 Six Nations title chase is "wide open" despite France being reigning champions, revealing he will be telling his players to expect a war for the Super Saturday finale against Wales in Paris.
Les Bleus first travel to Rome to face Italy before going up against top-ranked side Ireland in Dublin. Then it's hosting Scotland at home in round three, before playing England at Twickenham and rounding off the tournament in Paris against Wales.
Former Wales defence guru Edwards, now part of head coach Fabien Galthie's France coaching staff, acknowledges that the men in blue have a target on their heads but insists the competition is as fierce as ever. "The teams are well-matched and all of world rugby is like that at the moment, with very, very close scores," he said in his Daily Mail column. "We have to go back to the basics of our game and make sure they are right, all over again."
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As for the meeting with his old team on March 18, Edwards will be telling his France players to forget about the Wales side they see on summer tours.
"My old boss, Warren Gatland, is back in charge of Wales and they start at home against Ireland, which is going to be a rip-roaring game. Whoever wins is going to get momentum. Gats would always say: ‘If we get early momentum in the competition, we can win it.’ And the whole of Wales would get behind them.
"I tell the French guys: ‘Forget the Wales you see on the summer tour and in the autumn. The Six Nations is what the emphasis is on in Wales and the whole country comes alive for it. So you have to be ready for a war against them.’ They’re going to be our last match, it’s in Paris, and I know that’s going to be some game."
Ireland vulnerability identified
Former back-rower Alan Quinlan admits Ireland could be vulnerable in a World Cup year due to players' lack of power and size.
Marginal Six Nations title favourites Ireland kick off their campaign against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday. They arrive as the world-ranked number-one team following a spell of sustained success that saw them claim a Test series triumph against the All Blacks in New Zealand, beat South Africa and Australia and also land a Six Nations Triple Crown. With the World Cup just seven months away, Ireland have certainly moved impressively through the gears ahead of the autumn tournament in France.
But ex-Munster player Quinlan, who won 27 caps during his Test career through to 2008, warns: "If there is any sort of worry or vulnerability about Ireland, it’s that power and size situation. If they are not on the money they can be vulnerable and they can be got at. Every team they play against is going to try to smash Ireland physically. That is the intrigue – how Ireland cope with dealing with that physicality.”
As for the flourish in the Ireland attack, Quinlan told Six Nations Odds: “There were a lot of question marks about the attack and the predictability about Ireland… but their game has developed to the point that they are not going to change the way they are now trying to keep the ball alive and attack and be ambitious."
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Gatland hails Farrell on eve of Wales v Ireland
Wales boss Warren Gatland believes that Ireland counterpart Andy Farrell's "great understanding" of a winning culture is integral to his coaching stature.
"Having worked with him on a couple of Lions tours, I think he has got a great understanding of what a good culture is and what a winning culture is," Gatland said. "Having come from his rugby league background and his experiences with Saracens and England and then going on to become [Ireland] head coach, I think his understanding of that is important.
"You are able to encompass all those elements to get a culture where you can get the best out of your players. He has definitely got the skill and the ability to be able to do that."
Although Wales will go into the Principality Stadium clash as underdogs, Ireland know they can expect a huge challenge. Wales have claimed four successive Six Nations victories at Ireland's expense on home soil, while the Gatland factor also cannot be ignored. His second stint as Wales head coach begins just over three years after the first one ended. When he last held the post between 2008 and 2019, Wales won four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and reached two World Cup semi-finals.
"I suppose the free hit for us is that the expectation and pressure is on them [Ireland] to win as favourites," Gatland added. "It hasn't always been the easiest tag for Irish and Welsh teams in the past to carry going in as the favourites. You can get an upset because there is a huge amount of history and rivalry between those two nations and there has been a lot of close games."
IRFU commits to 40% female committee
The Irish Rugby Football Union has unanimously approved a proposal to achieve 40 per cent female representation on its committee by the end of the year. The recommendation will be taken to the IRFU annual council meeting in July for consideration and the adoption of the necessary law changes to effect this decision.
In the meantime, the IRFU will engage with the four provinces and other stakeholders on the details of the proposal.
Only three of the current 23 committee members are female (13 per cent), with a further member co-opted. However, the IRFU was already on course to increase female representation to between 20 per cent and 25 per cent by July.
IRFU chief executive Kevin Potts said in a statement: "The IRFU has committed to achieving 40 per cent gender representation on the Union committee by the end of this year. Today's announcement is further affirmation of our commitment to women in rugby in Ireland. We will continue to work with our four provinces and all of the stakeholders across Irish rugby to this end."
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