Here are the latest rugby headlines on Wednesday, September 7.
Thomas Young to run out for Cardiff
Thomas Young features for Cardiff after his summer move from Wasps, lining up at No. 7 when Dai Young's men welcome Zebre Parma to the Welsh capital for their final pre-season clash this Friday (7.15pm kick-off).
Cardiff will begin their new United Rugby Championship campaign a week later against Munster, and in preparation Young has made three personnel changes to the starting line-up which was defeated by Gloucester last week.
Welsh international Thomas Young replaces Shane Lewis-Hughes in the back row and James Botham switches to the blindside while captain Josh Turnbull retains his place at No. 8. Tongan lock Lopeti Timani is named as a replacement this week, and Keiron Assiratti is given the nod at tighthead after coming off the bench last time out.
In the backline, Samoan international Rey Lee-Lo starts at outside centre having missed last week’s outing following the birth of his child.
Wales internationals Rhys Carre, who toured South Africa this summer, and Willis Halaholo are named among the replacements, the latter having recovered from a hamstring injury suffered towards the end of last season.
Cardiff: Jacob Beetham; Owen Lane, Rey Lee-Lo, Max Llewellyn, Aled Summerhill; Jarrod Evans, Lloyd Williams; Corey Domachowski, Kristian Dacey, Keiron Assiratti, Matthew Screech, Seb Davies, James Botham, Thomas Young, Josh Turnbull (capt.)
Replacements: Liam Belcher, Rhys Carré, Will Davies-King, Lopeti Timani, Rory Thornton, Teddy Williams, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Gwilym Bradley, Ellis Bevan, Rhys Priestland, Uilisi Halaholo, Mason Grady, Jason Harries, Matthew Morgan
Stuart Hogg absence explained
Exeter have revealed that Stuart Hogg did not travel for Scotland's summer tour of Argentina because of an operation to remedy an injury which left him playing through pain last season.
There was no mention of an injury when Gregor Townsend named his squad, but Exeter have now made the revelation just days from the start of their new Gallagher Premiership campaign on Saturday against reigning champions Leicester.
Exeter head coach Ali Hepher said: "He had an operation on a knee, just a tidy-up. He was playing in a lot of pain towards the end of last season and now he will be clear of that and hopefully should be available in a couple of weeks’ time. He is looking full of energy and wants to get back on that rugby field where he enjoys being."
URC explains Qatar plan
The United Rugby Championship views staging non-competitive games in Qatar as the first step towards establishing itself in the region.
Chief executive Martin Anayi has ruled out taking URC or European matches to the Arab nation in the immediate future but is willing to explore other possibilities in the wake of signing a three-year sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways.
While partnering with the state-owned airline will help with the logistics of travel, following the entry of South African teams into the URC, there are hopes it will also enable tentative expansion into the setting for this year's football World Cup.
"It's a process actually and I know that sounds super-corny," Anayi said at the 2022-23 tournament's launch in Slough. "Our championship games, whether that's URC or Champions Cup games, are so important to our clubs and the fans of those clubs that to take any of those games away from a home crowd is really difficult.
"We've had this conversation around 'can you take games to the US', which is slightly less challenging logistically or from a conceptual point of view because there have already been games in the US. It's going to be really, really hard to take a championship game there, but can you take baby steps?
"Can we have winter training camps like football have in Qatar? Can you take pre-season matches to the air-conditioned stadiums and take full advantage of the legacy that they want to achieve there? Can you set up new competitions? Can you help Qatari rugby?"
URC share an office in London with Six Nations and Premiership Rugby in a recent move designed to coordinate efforts to grow support for the game, particularly by enticing international fans to follow the club game.
Welsh clubs play in honour of Barry John's brother
Tumble and Cefneithin will play for the inaugural Alan John Memorial Cup this weekend, in memory of Barry John's brother who died after a short illness this summer.
Cefneithin RFC said on Twitter: "On Saturday, we make the short journey up Heol Bryngwili to play near neighbours Tumble RFC. This will also be the inaugural fixture for the Alan John Memorial Cup which will be competed for by the teams in any future fixtures in memory of a great servant to both clubs."
Alan had started with Cefneithin before heading for Stradey Park and, after a short stint back with Cefneithin, later joining Tumble. There, he acquired legendary status as a player and then as a coach who, with his brother Clive, oversaw a golden era for the club, with a remarkable 17 trophies arriving.
