Here are your rugby evening headlines for Monday, March 13.
Warburton lauds 'much-improved' Wales
Sam Warburton says Wales made it personal against Italy at the weekend and reaped the reward with a much-improved performance. The former Lions skipper believes Ken Owens’ team used last year’s shock Six Nations defeat at home to the Azzurri as major motivation out in Rome.
The end result was a 29-17 bonus point victory which he feels has relieved the pressure somewhat after three successive Championship defeats.
“They looked like a team - and I would have done exactly the same - who made it personal from the defeat 12 months ago,” Warburton said on the BBC. “They were very pumped up in the first 20 minutes. They were much improved.
“Italy created a lot of chances and looked great in attack, but they played out of their half too much and gave the ball away which Wales ended up scoring tries from. They were quite inaccurate and refused to kick.
"Rhys Webb, on his first start in the Six Nations for six years, was superb. He was hands down Man of the Match and managed the game really well. So, much improved from Wales, but Italy left a lot out there as well.”
The former flanker continued: “From the Welsh perspective, it just takes the pressure off a little bit. They hadn’t lost three games in a row for goodness knows how long. Four games in a row would have been the worst for 20 years. So I think it just gets the press off the players’ backs a little bit.
“Warren Gatland said pre-match ‘We will beat Italy’. People had Italy down as favourites, but I thought Wales would win."
Former WRU board member on misogynistic comments
Former Welsh Rugby Union board member Amanda Blanc has opened up on the misogyny she faced during her time in the role, saying that she was not listened to by those she worked with.
Blanc automatically became a WRU board member when she was named independent chair of the Professional Rugby Board in January 2020, but she stood down from the role less than two years later in November 2021.
Now CEO of Aviva Group, she appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and revealed the extent of sexism and misogyny she faced while sitting on the board.
"I spent two years on the Welsh Rugby Union board, and I would say that I'm a reasonable businessperson," she said. "I've been in business for a long period of time, but when you are just simply not listened to, some misogynistic comments.
"There was one which was 'what do you know about governance?'. Well, quite a lot actually. I've got 32 years of experience and I operate in a regulated business Nobody else was asked that question, but I was. I got an apology for that actually, a written apology for it."
Blanc said the current crisis at the WRU makes her "very sad" but claimed that it could have been averted if she had been listened to, having seen her calls for greater transparency about the treatment of women in rugby and the modernisation of the board fall on deaf ears.
"I still feel that genuinely, and I don't say this very often, if I had been listened to then we wouldn't have had the situation that would have happened over the last number of weeks, particularly in respect of the women's game," she continued.
"There was a women's review which was undertaken about the way that women were treated very differently to men. I called for the women's review to be made public and I called for the board's governance to be modernised, neither of those two things have happened and we find ourselves now in the situation where a lot of women have come forward to say that they were badly treated.
"It left me feeling deeply frustrated, very sad actually. But I am hopeful that with the review that's now being undertaken and I hope that I am asked to contribute to that review, that there will be change, but it needs to change."
Willemse out of Wales clash
France lock Paul Willemse will miss this weekend's Super Saturday clash with Wales. The Montpellier star has been ruled out of the final game of the championship in Paris with the FFR confirming that he is "out and back with his club".
However, no further details have been shared about the reason behind the forward's absence.
Willemse had started the first four games of the tournament for Les Bleus, including Saturday's historic 50-13 thrashing of England at Twickenham. He was replaced in the 49th minute of that game by Romain Taofifenua, although he did not appear to be injured.
The 6ft 7in star has yet to be replaced in Fabian Galthie's squad as France prepare for what is a must-win game if they are to retain their Six Nations title. Currently second in the table, they would likely need a bonus point win against Warren Gatland's side and then hope for Ireland to lose at home to England to get their hands on the trophy for the second successive year.
Grand Slam glory would ben 'stuff of dreams' for Sexton
Ireland skipper Johnny Sexton has said it would be "the stuff of dreams" to captain his side to Grand Slam glory this weekend.
Andy Farrell's men are on the brink of completing a Six Nations clean sweep going into their Super Saturday clash against England in Dublin, having overcome Scotland with a 22-7 win at Murrayfield at the weekend.
Fly-half Sexton has won the tournament three times and bagged a Grand Slam in 2018, but is yet to do so since being made captain following the 2019 World Cup. Now, he hass the opportunity to help seal the win in front of a home crowd at the Aviva Stadium, something which he says would be a dream come true.
"It was a very special day (against Scotland) but ultimately a semi-final and the big one is next week," said the 37-year-old. "It would be the stuff of dreams really. It's what you grow up wanting to do. I don't know why you grow up wanting to be captain of Ireland, maybe because the players you admire the most were captains, but to do it would be dream-come-true stuff.
"It's a great group of lads, so to lead them is very special," he added. Who wouldn't be proud? "It's going to be a big week, there will be lots of hype, plenty of distractions, tickets and family and all that and we need to get down to business and get a big performance."
Standing in Ireland's way is an England side that is hurting after their thrashing at the hands of France and Sexton is wary of the threat that Steve Borthwick's wounded side carry as they look for redemption.
"It's obviously dangerous because they've nothing to play for but it will mean a hell of a lot to us to play at home and to try and win something at home," he said. "The times when we have won things, they've all been away from home. That's something we acknowledged from the start that doesn't come around too often, so it will hopefully be a special day.
"They're going to be hurting. They're going to be wanting to show what playing for England means to them and they're a good team, they're a better team than they showed (against France)."
Tuilagi tipped to return as Lawrence ruled out
Manu Tuilagi could return to the fold for England in Dublin on Saturday after Ollie Lawrence was ruled out of the final round match with a damaged hamstring. 23-year-old Lawrence sustained the injury during the final quarter of Saturday's mauling by France and is now out of the championship after some impressive displays against Italy and Wales.
Guy Porter has been drafted into a 36-man training squad as centre cover but Tuilagi is also available having completed his suspension for dangerous play.
The 50-cap international has yet to play in this year's Six Nations having been overlooked for the opener against Wales and Italy a week later, and he was then given a reduced three-match ban for striking with the forearm on club duty for Sale.
But he would be a like-for-like replacement for Lawrence, bringing far greater experience than four-cap rookie Porter, who has yet to convince in an England jersey.
Despite England suffering their third heaviest defeat of all time, Steve Borthwick has so far opted against wielding the axe, with the remainder of the starting XV and bench in action against France being retained. The next indication of whether any players have paid the price for the seven-try rout will come when the squad is trimmed on Tuesday afternoon with Borthwick naming his team for the Dublin finale on Thursday.
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