Here are your rugby evening headlines for Saturday, 8th July.
Wales star arrives in Switzerland for training camp
Taulupe Faletau has joined up with the Wales World Cup training camp in Fiesch.
The Wales squad flew out to Switzerland last Monday, with only Faletau, Owen Williams and Alex Cuthbert left behind.
Williams and Cuthbert didn't travel for personal reasons, with the pair likely to head out for the second training camp in Turkey later this month.
However, the plan was always for Faletau to join up with his team-mates midway through the Switzerland camp, having initially stayed behind to manage a slight calf injury and help out at home after the recent birth of his third child.
READ MORE: The quietly excellent Wales star, a barren spell and why that won't matter one jot to Warren Gatland
Biarritz announce another signing after landing Wales star
Biarritz have continued their business ahead of next season with the signing of former Harlequins and Wasps second-row Charlie Matthews.
The Pro D2 club have made a number of high-profile signings recently, with Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb and England centre Jonathan Joseph both having joined.
Jean-Baptiste Aldigé, president of Biarritz Olympique, announced that the second-row will join on a deal that will run until 2025.
Thousands sign petition to oust former Tory leader from SRU
More than 3,000 people have signed a petition demanding that former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson be removed from her new role with the Scottish Rugby Union.
Baroness Davidson was named as a director on the board of Scottish Rugby this week, with the move being met with disdain in some quarters as a petition has been set up on Change.org.
The creator of the petition, Scott McCarthy, claims there is a "conflict of interest" because the Tory peer "holds strong political biases that may influence decision-making within the SRU".
He says: "The presence of a politically polarising figure like Ruth Davidson within the SRU can lead to public skepticism about its independence from external influences or agendas unrelated to rugby development itself. Maintaining transparency in sports governance is paramount for maintaining public trust and support.
"We urge the Scottish Rugby Union to prioritise the best interests of Scottish rugby by removing Ruth Davidson from her position as Non-Executive Director. By doing so, the SRU can demonstrate its commitment to impartiality, expertise, and inclusivity within its governance structure."
On being appointed to the role, Davidson said: "As a lifelong Scotland fan, I am delighted to be joining the board of Scottish Rugby Ltd. From our community clubs through to the international teams, we have so much to be proud of – and so much further potential to be fulfilled.
"We have to match that potential with ambition and that means working collectively to ensure we are getting things right – from talent spotting to training, infrastructure to finance, safeguarding to leadership, to name but a few.
"I want to help grow the game in Scotland in any way I can and ensure the hard work which underpins it is directed in the most effective way possible."
Eddie can take Wallaby players to 'dark places'
Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says Wallaby coach Eddie Jones can take players to dark places to get the best out of them.
The two sides face each other on Saturday evening in the opening Rugby Championship match in Pretoria, with Jones taking charge of the Wallabies for the first time in his second spell as coach.
As such, no one really knows what to expect - least of all the Springboks - but Stick believes that Jones' ability to get the best out of them will come to the fore.
Moving forward, the idea of Jones taking players to 'dark places' will be of interest to Warren Gatland, given Australia are once again World Cup pool rivals of Wales.
“A Test against Australia is always big,” said Stick. “The match was sold out a long time ago, and the boys are excited. So it’s going to be a big game.
“They have a strong team and they’ll be up for it. We’ve tried to analyse them and we know what we’ve looked at won’t be 100 percent correct because Eddie [Jones] can take the players to dark places to get the best out of them.
“Having been involved with the Springboks in 2007 he also knows South Africa’s strengths, so we are expecting to face a team that is highly motivated and who will want to impress Eddie.”
