Here are your rugby morning headlines for Thursday, March 5.
Bridgend announce passing of ‘legend’ Olding
Bridgend Rugby have paid tribute to club stalwart Anthony Olding following his passing, with Wales internationals describing him as a “legend” whose legacy will live on.
In a heartfelt statement, the club said they were “devastated” by the news and thanked Olding for his tireless support both behind the scenes and in helping shape the future of the Ravens.
“We are immensely grateful for his support – from his role amongst the backroom staff to his involvement in shaping the club’s future,” the statement read. “He’ll always be remembered and his legacy will live on.
“Our thoughts are with Faith, Harry, Tyler and the rest of Anthony’s family at this incredibly tough time. Rest in peace, Anthony.”
Tributes have poured in from across Welsh rugby, including several former and current Wales internationals.
Matthew Morgan simply wrote: “What a legend.”
Scott Baldwin – now head coach of Bridgend Ravens in Super Rygbi Cymru – added: “Won’t meet another Ant. Gone but will never be forgotten. A true friend! You brought joy everywhere you went. Rest easy, mate.”
Ex-Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb said: “So sad. Great human being. Thoughts go out to his amazing family.”
Wales and Ospreys flanker Harry Deaves also shared his condolences, posting: “Sending all my love.”
Olding was a well-known and much-loved figure at the club, and the outpouring of emotion underlines the impact he had on those around him, both on and off the field.
Content cannot be displayed without consentTop rugby star banned after ‘brutal’ strike
French forward Guillaume Piazzoli has been handed a 19-week ban after a disciplinary panel found him guilty of a “brutal” knee strike during a Pro D2 clash last month.
The Provence Rugby flanker was shown his second red card of the season after kneeing Dax fly-half Romuald Seguy during a fixture on February 20.
A league disciplinary committee ruled that the 28-year-old committed an act of “brutality”, specifically citing a strike with the knee.
The offence was deemed to be at the top end of the severity scale, with an initial suspension of 20 weeks issued, plus an additional two weeks due to it being a repeat offence.
However, the ban was reduced by three weeks after Piazzoli admitted guilt, expressed remorse and demonstrated good conduct before and during the hearing. The final sanction stands at 19 weeks.
The punishment effectively ends his season, with Piazzoli not set to return to action until October 2026.
The back-rower, who recently signed a contract extension keeping him at Provence until 2029, now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Content cannot be displayed without consentParisse fires warning as he says Italy ‘better team than England’
Italian rugby legend Sergio Parisse has made a bold claim ahead of his country’s Six Nations clash with England, saying the current Italy team is “unit for unit” better than Steve Borthwick’s side.
The Azzurri have never beaten England in their history but this weekend represents perhaps their best opportunity yet to finally put an end to that record.
While England have suffered bruising defeats to Scotland and Ireland in the last two rounds, Italy have impressed in the tournament so far, beating the Scots on the opening weekend before highly commendable displays in defeat to Ireland and France.
Parisse played in an era where Italy were the whipping boys of the competition but that is certainly no longer the case, with the former skipper claiming that England “know the Italian threat is real” ahead of Saturday’s clash in Rome.
“For the first time that I can remember,” he told Planet Rugby. “England are under genuine pressure coming into this game. And that is not a small thing.
The dynamic has always been the same. England don’t really talk about the Italy fixture. It exists in their schedule, and they address it, but the conversation has never been about whether they win. It has always been about the margin.
“How many? That has been the question England ask themselves before coming to Rome. And for the first time, that question has changed. This is the first time England genuinely do not want to talk about the Italian threat, because the Italian threat is real and they know it.
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Highlighting the Italian scrum as “a weapon”, their lineout a “significant threat” and their breakdown and collision work “extraordinary”, Parisse adds that his nation has the “quality, belief and strength in every department” to beat England and make history this weekend.
“I know this road,” he continued. “Italy have gone into England fixtures with a great deal of confidence before. I was in some of those teams. We believed we could win. And we didn’t. I know how that feels.
“Which is exactly why I want to be precise about what I am saying now, because I am not simply being optimistic, I am looking at this Italy side and I am telling you, unit for unit, they are a better team than England.
“The scrum is theirs, the breakdown is theirs. The centre combination is without question one of the finest in world rugby. And the leadership in this group is real. It has been tested and it does not flinch.” He pauses.
“This would be one of the biggest scalps Italy have ever taken, because England are a side we have never beaten. The history of that is enormous, but this team has the quality and the belief and the strength in every department to end that history on Saturday. It is time for them to show exactly what they are.”
Farrell expects Ireland talks amid Saracens links
By Edward Elliot, Press Association, Dublin
Andy Farrell expects to hold talks about his future as Ireland head coach in the “near future” following reports linking him with Saracens.
The Gallagher Prem club last week dismissed claims they had offered the 50-year-old a coaching role for after the 2027 Rugby World Cup, branding them “disrespectful”.
Farrell, who is preparing for Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations match at home to Wales on Friday evening, was a Sarries player between 2005 and 2009 and also began his coaching career there.
His son – former England captain Owen Farrell – is back playing with the English side following a brief spell with French club Racing 92.
Farrell succeeded Joe Schmidt as Ireland head coach in 2019 and signed a new “long-term” deal with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) in December 2023 to continue until next year’s World Cup in Australia.
“I mean, you’d expect me to say that I’m here to just concentrate on the Six Nations and what will be, will be in the future,” he said of the links to Saracens.
“But I suppose it’s people (putting) two and two together and making five with the connections: good friends with the owner, Owen’s there, all of that.
“You can see why that’s happened but I suppose we’ll sit down and have discussions with the IRFU in the near future, that’s for sure.”
Brendan Venter will return to the director of rugby role at Saracens when long-serving Mark McCall steps down at the end of the season.
The Irish Independent last week reported Farrell, who guided Ireland to successive Six Nations titles in 2023 and 2024 before leading the British and Irish Lions to a 2-1 tour success against Australia last year, had been approached with a deal worth more than £1million per year.
In a club statement released last Thursday, Saracens said: “Andy has not discussed his future with anyone on the board or ownership group of Saracens and we can categorically state, despite numerous reports to the contrary in the press, that no offer has been made to Andy.”
Ireland are bidding to build on a record 42-21 round-three victory away to England when Wales visit Dublin as they chase the Triple Crown.
Farrell has made five personnel changes to his team, handing a first championship start to flanker Nick Timoney and recalling back-rower Jack Conan, prop Tom O’Toole, hooker Ronan Kelleher and left wing Jacob Stockdale.
With O’Toole, Timoney, Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey and Robert Baloucoune in the starting XV and Tom Stewart and uncapped scrum-half Nathan Doak among the replacements, there are seven Ulster players in the matchday 23 – a far cry from the opening match of the 2024 tournament when the province had no representation.
“It’s a fantastic news story, yeah,” Farrell said of the healthy Ulster contingent.
“It just goes to show that if teams are going well and playing good rugby then they will get selected.
“We have always said that selection is not really up to us, it is up to the players to show that they are worthy of the spot, the right to get in the room and then show us what they’ve got.
“It’s thoroughly deserved, all those lads who get to put the shirt on on Friday night.”