The latest rugby news and headlines from Wales and beyond
Joe Jenkins of Bristol Bears makes a break in their victory over Bath(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Saturday, March 21.
Welsh-qualified centre set for big move
Welsh-qualified centre Joe Jenkins is on the verge of signing for Leicester Tigers, WalesOnline has learnt.
The former England U20s centre has come through the ranks at Bristol Bears and has impressed when given an opportunity in the first team but has been held back by injuries.
While a deal has not yet been completed WalesOnline understands the 22-year-old is closing in on a move to Leicester Tigers for the 2026/27 season.
Jenkins was born in Halifax but is eligible to represent Wales through his father’s Llanharan roots.
The young talent, nurtured at Monmouth School, vied for a spot with the Dragons U16s and, though initially unsuccessful, was scooped up by Bristol’s keen eye for potential.
Jenkins etched his name in Bristol Bears history when he became their youngest ever starter in the Gallagher Premiership, facing off against Saracens in November 2022 aged just 18.
Back in 2023 the then Wales U20s head coach Byron Hayward said Jenkins wanted to wear red at senior international level.
“I spoke to Joe’s dad back in November because he is definitely a player we are interested in,” revealed Hayward back in February 2023. “He’s Welsh-qualified.
“He said Joe felt obligated to England because he’d come through their U18s programme, and they had rehabbed him through a knee injury which is totally explainable. I understand and quite admire his loyalty.
“He is 100% Welsh and assured me that Joe wants to play for Wales at senior level and sees himself as a Welshman. However, at this moment in time he felt a loyalty to England because they’ve looked after him.”
If Jenkins does sign for Leicester he will join a strong Welsh contingent at the club which will include Wales backrowers Aaron Wainwright, Tommy Reffell and Olly Cracknell.
Scarlets can still make the play-offs, says Wales wing
Scarlets wing Tom Rogers says his side can still make the United Rugby Championship play-offs following their 36-17 victory over Zebre in Llanelli.
Nigel Davies’ side are 14 points off the play-off places with just five games remaining and face an uphill task to say the least, but Rogers still has faith. Official URC stats give the Welsh region just a one per cent chance of making the play-offs.
“It was nice to come back and play with the boys,” he told S4C.
“It was a good game and we are chuffed to get the win. The boys were gutted after last week.
“We knew we had to win today and we did it. Fair play to Zebre they are a very emotional team. They did well to come back into the game.
“I think we need to score more tries and not let teams back into the game. The top eight is the challenge. That’s what we said at the start of the season. It will be hard work but we think we can do that.”
The Scarlets will realistically need to win all of their remaining matches to have any chance, which include home games against Cardiff, Bulls and Dragons, as well as away trips to Leinster and Ospreys.
Despite being part of Wales’ Six Nations squad Rogers did not take to the field at any point in the Championship but he is desperate to get back into the team.
“The boys has been building from week to week,” he said.
“I was gutted that I wasn’t able to take part in the games but I will do my best to get back into the team.”
“We were one step off,” says Cardiff boss
Cardiff coach Corniel van Zyl admitted his side were off the pace during their heavy 40-7 defeat to the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
The Bulls scored six tries in total with Marcell Coetzee, Johan Grobbelaar, David Kriel, Embrose Papier, Elrigh Louw and Ruan Vermaak touching down while Handre Pollard and Kriel contributed 10 points between them from the kicking tee.
All Cardiff could muster was a single try from Harri Millard and two points from the boot of Callum Sheedy.
“We expected a lot of transition in the game, either from kicks or just general turnovers, which was the case,” he told the Cardiff Rugby website.
“But they were just one or two metres ahead of us, one split second quicker in their reactions, and that ultimately made the difference.
“They found space around the contact area, put us under pressure and scored a few tries. It’s disappointing because that’s how we planned to play, but we were just slightly off – and at this level you pay the price.
“It’s a different environment, a different place. You end up doing things you don’t normally do due to the high altitude. That’s something that’s always a challenge for us as a coaching team, and as players to adapt to.”
Cardiff must now regroup ahead of facing the Sharks in Durban next weekend.
“We don’t target specific games to win, we try to put our game on the pitch, fight for the jersey and enjoy it. We know what we need to improve, and we’ll take that into next week. We probably didn’t do that consistently today, but we’ll keep working.”
“The yellow card was massive,” he admitted. “It’s something we pride ourselves on not giving away, but it happened and they scored twice off the back of it. That really put us under pressure.”
Cardiff’s task was further complicated by early injuries to key personnel, specifically lock George Nott and scrum-half Aled Davies, as their changes disrupted the rhythm and leadership on the field.
“Losing George (Nott) early on and then Aled Davies was tough. They’re key players for us, they drive standards and the way we play, so that had an impact.”