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Rio Dyer is staying at the Dragons(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
These are your latest rugby headlines on Friday, April 3.
Jones confident of keeping wanted star
Ospreys head coach Mark Jones is confident the club can retain utility-back Jack Walsh amid interest from arch-rivals the Scarlets and English giants Exeter Chiefs.
Florida-born Walsh, who was raised in Australia, will qualify for Wales on residency grounds before the 2027 Rugby World Cup if he signs a contract to remain in Welsh rugby – and Jones hopes that will be with the Ospreys.
“Yeah, we are hopeful that he will be,” said Jones when asked whether Walsh will sign a new contract with the region. “We are having some good dialogue with him.
“We’ve been really upfront, both myself and Jack, just around the rugby stuff but also Dan’s working tirelessly on the contractual side of it as well. We really value Walshy. He knows how much we care about him.
“It’s pretty clear by how he trains, how he prepares and how he performs for us that he cares about the Ospreys. Both parties are doing their absolute best to try to get that over the line but, look, he’s a professional player.
“I fully understand and respect he wants to make sure he assesses all his options. You get one very short career in rugby and we fully respect he is doing his due diligence, but we are still beavering away as hard as we can to make sure Jack is part of our squad moving forward.”
Walsh has been a key player for the Ospreys over the past four years and Jones believes he can take his game to another level.
“We are hoping that we can keep him in the building moving forward. He’s made big progress,” he said. “He’s 26 now and he’s only going to get better.
“We want to be able to capitalise on all that time that he’s put in with the previous coaches and previous teams that have gone before. I think he’s now ready to perform on a bigger stage week in week out on a consistent basis now for the team and over a number of years. Let’s hope that’s in a black shirt.”
Jack Walsh of Ospreys(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)
Recruitment has been difficult for the Ospreys due to constant speculation around their future, as the Welsh Rugby Union plans to cut one of Wales’ four professional clubs. But after confirmation that the Ospreys will be playing at St Helen’s next season, Jones is hopeful he can strengthen the squad.
“As you can imagine, recruitment is tough,” he said. “When you are looking at players to come in from other settled environments where there is certainty around teams and squads and competitions, of course it is difficult to sell Welsh rugby as an attractive product at the moment with all these things hanging over you, especially long-term.
“If you are looking to bring somebody in from overseas or you are looking to bring in anyone from the English Premiership, it is a challenge. But what hasn’t been difficult is retention – trying to keep our people in the building that we care about and people who love the Ospreys.
“The players that love the Ospreys are really keen to stay around,” Jones added. “They want to make it work, they want to work with myself and Dan Griff on retaining them and their passion for the Ospreys has been massive.
“That bit has been great to see, how much they love playing for the club. It has been a real pleasure but obviously we do know we want to keep building the squad.
“We want to keep our young squad but we want to add some quality in there as well that shows a real intent on the Ospreys about our future.”
Dyer signs new deal
Wales international Rio Dyer has signed a new two-year contract with the Dragons despite interest from English clubs.
The 26-year-old wing has returned to top form for Filo Tiatia’s side during an improved campaign, proving a key figure having scored seven tries in 14 games.
While his impressive displays were not enough to see him rewarded with a place in Steve Tandy’s squad for the Six Nations, the 24-cap Welshman has rediscovered his love for rugby over the course of the season and is now hoping for more of the same after committing his future to the Rodney Parade side.
“The main reason I’m re-signing is over the last year I’ve found true joy and peace playing at Dragons and have been loving my rugby again,” he said as his new contract was confirmed. “Another major incentive was when we went out to the community, seeing the kids and how much it meant to them seeing us at the camps.
“It made me realise how much it meant to me at that age seeing my favourite players and that brought me back to the reason why I started playing rugby in the first place.
“Now, I’m in a position to give back the joy I had when I was a kid to anyone else aspiring to become a Dragon and that means a lot to me.”
As the deal was announced, Dragons attack coach Matt O’Brien said: “We’re delighted that Rio has extended his contract with us.
“Having come right through our pathway, it’s pleasing that Rio is keen to continue his development with us and can see the strides that we are making as a team.
“He’s a great ambassador for the club, on and off the field, and you can see that with the way the fans and young rugby players around the region respond to him.
“Rio has hit some real form this season and gives us a big threat in attack with his speed and one-on-one ability. Hopefully we can continue to see more of that in a Dragons jersey and help Rio get back into the international set up, where I feel he belongs.”
Louis Bielle-Biarrey named best Six Nations player
France winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey has been crowned Six Nations Player of the Championship for teh second year running.
The 22-year-old secured 44% of the public votes to claim this year’s award after scoring nine tries ion five games, including four against England in the final match.
Italy centre Tommaso Menoncello, Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey and Scotland wing Kyle Steyn were also on the shortlist.
“I’m just really happy, honestly. It’s yet another reward for the team’s hard work throughout the tournament,” Bielle-Biarrey said.
“We were able to defend our title. Winning the tournament two years in a row is no small feat. We’re very happy to have done it.”
Welsh prop puts pen to paper
Cardiff prop Rhys Barratt has signed a new long-term deal with the region.
The 24-year-old was named the Arms Park side’s Breakthrough Player of the Season at the end of the 2024/25 campaign and has established himself as a key member of the first team.
A product of Cardiff’s pathway, Barratt has starred for Wales U20s while he has also previously been called in to train with the senior national squad.
After he signed a new contract with the region, head coach Corniel van Zyl heaped praise on the loosehead, telling the club’s website: “Since I have known Rhys, he has developed really well in terms of what we want and expect from a loosehead at Cardiff.
“As a young man, particularly in terms of props, his biggest work on is the set-piece and he is continually improving in that area but what sets him apart is his overall intent. The way he goes after players and teams is brilliant.
“He has a great mindset and willingness to learn and improve every day, but also to give his absolute all for the team.
His rugby intelligence is also very good and with age and more time in this environment, he can continue to improve physically,” van Zyl added. “He can be stronger, more powerful and explosive.
“We are delighted to keep him here. He is a great person, he has excelled and taken every opportunity and has a very bright future.”
Barratt said it was an “easy decision” to sign a new contract with Cardiff, adding: “In terms of the pro game, this is my home club, it means a huge amount to me and I am excited by what we can achieve in the next few years.
“I have been really pleased with the past couple of years and my continued development here. It is a great group with some brilliant players I can learn from and compete with.“I am really hungry to continue that development and Cardiff is definitely the right environment for me to do that,” Barratt continued.
“As a club we are continually improving and I feel like there is a lot more to come from us. I am excited by what the future holds.“I am really grateful to everyone at the club for the opportunity to continue pulling on the Blue and Black, as well as everyone who has helped me along the way, from starting out at Llantwit Fadre. It’s a huge honour to play to Cardiff and I’m determined to give my all for the club and the fans.”
Etzebeth returns
South Africa star Eben Etzebeth will return to the rugby field for the first time in over four months after being brought straight back into the Sharks’ starting line-up following his lengthy suspension.
The veteran lock was handed a 12-week ban after eye-gouging Wales back rower Alex Mann during a scuffle in the closing moments of the Springboks’ 73-0 demolition of Steve Tandy’s side at the Principality Stadium in November.
Having been caught on camera making contact with Mann’s eye with his thumb, Etzebeth was slapped with the suspension by a disciplinary panel and has since missed a big chunk of the Sharks’ campaign in the United Rugby Championship and Challenge Cup.
He will make his return in Europe on Friday night, however, having been named in the starting side to face Connacht in the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Etzebeth’s return comes as a big boost to JP Pietersen and his side, with the head coach making 13 changes to the starting side that beat Cardiff in the URC last weekend amid a mounting injury toll.
Andre Esterhuizen, Siya Kolisi, Grant Williams and Bongi Mbonambi are among the top Springbok stars that have not made the trip to Ireland, with Pietsen opting for a balanced but strong selection.
“Injuries test the character of the squad, but it gives the next guy in the squad an opportunity,” he said. “It’s a test of how you bounce back as a group.”
“We’ve got some reinforcements back, Eben is now available and hopefully his return is a big help for us.”
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