Here are the latest rugby headlines on Friday, November 11.
'Wales defeat was wake-up call we needed'
Wales second-row Adam Beard believes the heavy defeat to New Zealand last time out was the wake-up call his team needed.
Beard will line up once again at lock alongside Will Rowlands when facing Argentina this Saturday (5.30pm kick-off).
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has since taken aim at the Welsh regions and warned that players aren't in good enough condition when they join up with Wales, believing they will perform better the longer they have been together. Read his full comments here.
Asked if the public reaction and comments from coaches after the 55-23 defeat to the All Blacks was a slap in the face, Beard said: "[It] probably was that wake-up call we needed, coming off the back of being in club rugby. It was that slap in the face we should have been ready for. Discipline was one and physicality was another. You can't give that many easy ins in a game or you'll have 50 points put on you. [We've had] a lot of honest conversations, a lot of physical training to get us in the right mood for Saturday. The boys are looking forward to it and putting in a good performance."
Asked how important it is for players to be in camp together for longer compared to clubs, Beard added: "It's obviously huge. The more time you spend together, the more prep, you'll obviously have those better connections. I think we had three or four weeks prior to the South Africa tour.
"It's obviously a bit different coming from regional to get that one week together. You've got to gel pretty quickly and get those connections. Look, that's part and parcel of rugby, unfortunately. You've got to deal with that and come out on top. That doesn't give us any excuses for the performance against New Zealand. We know we have to better in all aspects. We're not really blaming that side of it."
Wales will be looking to combat Argentina's physical pack on Saturday, expecting them to use their driving lineout as a weapon. Beard added: "We're looking to bounce back. Hopefully if we get stuff right on the pitch and bring the physicality and mental edge, I'm sure we'll win."
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Argentina captain ruled out of Wales clash
Argentina captain Julián Montoya has been ruled out of the clash with Wales following the captain's run.
Hooker Montoya is replaced in the starting line-up by Agustín Creevy, while Pablo Matera will take over the captaincy.
Los Pumas said on social media on Friday: "After morning training, it was decided that Julián Montoya would not be part of the match against Wales as he persisted in pain after the left rib injury suffered against England. In his place, Agustín Creevy will enter and the captain will be Pablo Matera."
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Tipuric eyes coaching despite 'goldfish bowl' for Pivac
Justin Tipuric insists he would like to return to coaching after his playing days are over – even though he reckons Wayne Pivac lives his life in a goldfish bowl.
Wales captain Tipuric famously combined playing with coaching at his village club Trebanos in his younger days. This weekend the Ospreys flanker will captain his country for the fourth time when he leads them into action against Argentina at the Principality Stadium in a match which will be shown in extended highlights form on Saturday evening on S4C.
But when he hangs up his boots, Tipuric, 33, is considering a return to coaching and believes not even getting a close-up view of the harsh focus on Pivac has been enough to put him off.
“Being a head coach in Wales is like being in a fish bowl," he said. "It’s probably one of the hardest jobs in world rugby, along with coaching New Zealand. I’m not sure what comes after rugby, but coaching is definitely something I want to have a taste of. Doing the Wales job is a different question, though, and luckily Wayne is there for that at the moment.”
He said of his time with Trebanos: "I loved the coaching. It is such a great club and there’s a great atmosphere there,” says Tipuric. “I always want to be there to help the club do well. But it’s one of those things now, I have a young family and I’m away a lot with the rugby, so something had to give. But it definitely gave me a taste for coaching. I started doing bits and pieces when I was 19. I was quite young, and it was quite an experience. Coaching some stubborn 30-year-olds being that young is definitely not for the faint-hearted."
As for former skipper Alun Wyn Jones, who Tipuric says he uses as a sounding board, the new captain does not believe those who are predicting that 37-year-old Jones has reached the end of his international road, having been left out of the squad to face the Pumas even though the second row forward is fully fit. Jones will celebrate his 38th birthday midway through next year’s World Cup, but Tipuric reckons his regional teammate can still make it to France.
“I don’t see why he wouldn’t come back from this setback stronger,” he says. “He’s been excellent for us at the Ospreys all year and he is such a big figure for us all. He will continue to push himself. Age is just a number when you look at him. Whenever he puts his mind to something, he normally succeeds in it. He’s such a professional, I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
- S4C will show extended highlights of Wales v Argentina from 8.30pm on Saturday night.
Finn Russell starts after Scotland recall
Finn Russell will start for Scotland at fly-half against the All Blacks on Sunday after being recalled by head coach Gregor Townsend earlier this week.
An injury to Adam Hastings against Fiji last time out saw Racing 92 half-back Russell summoned back to the Test arena having initially been omitted. Blair Kinghorn is named on the bench, with Scotland looking to beat the All Blacks for the first time in their history.
Russell is joined by hooker Fraser Brown and centre Sione Tuipulotu, who also come into the starting XV. The team features seven Scotland players who were involved in a narrow home loss to the All Blacks back in 2017, the last time the two sides played.
Scotland: 15. Stuart Hogg, 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Chris Harris, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Duhan van der Merwe, 10. Finn Russell, 9. Ali Price, 1. Pierre Schoeman, 2. Fraser Brown, 3. Zander Fagerson, 4. Richie Gray, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. Jamie Ritchie, 7. Hamish Watson, 8. Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: 16. Ewan Ashman, 17. Rory Sutherland, 18. WP Nel, 19. Jonny Gray, 20. Jack Dempsey, 21. Ben White, 22. Blair Kinghorn, 23. Mark Bennett.
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