The latest rugby stories making headlines for Sunday, April 12.
Dragons huddle after their victory(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Sunday, April 12.
Dragons ‘representing Wales’ after reaching last four
Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia says his side are representing Wales after reaching the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
The Men of Gwent reached the last four after beating Zebre in Parma on Saturday night, winning 35-32 to set up a trip to Montpellier.
“We’re very happy,” said Tiatia. “We’re representing the people of Gwent, but also Wales as well.
“I’m really proud of getting over the line. The last few minutes, we needed to tighten up on a couple of things.
“But all in all, I’m really proud of the effort, of all the players and I’m really grateful that we got through.”
Dragons co-captain Angus O’Brien said: “I’m just absolutely elated, it means so much to us as players, the club, everything.
“It meant an awful lot and it was important that we backed up last week to show that it was a one-off. It wasn’t perfect by any means but it’s knockout rugby.
“I’m really proud with how we came out in that second half, we tidied up a few things that we spoke about in the changing rooms. To come away with the victory, I’m absolutely elated.”
Wales trio join club staff
Mumbles RFC have announced Wales international trio James Hook, Alun Wyn Jones and Richie Pugh will join the club’s first team as support coaches.
In a post on X, the Swansea club confirmed its new coaching structure, with former Osprey Lloyd Evans joining the club as head coach, being helped by player-coaches Tom Sloane, Jon Fox, Steff Jones, James Little Hales and Luca Caplin.
Hook, Jones and Pugh will come on aboard as support coaches.
Lloyd said he was “looking forward to work with a talented group of young players and re-establishing links with some of his previous team mates who are now on board as player & block coaches”.
Hook already coaches at the club with the under-16s, while Pugh is the current head coach of Wales Under-18s.
Wales have ‘improved’ despite defeat
Wales head coach Sean Lynn says his side have clearly improved from last summer’s winless World Cup campaign, despite starting the Women’s Six Nations with defeat.
He saw his side go down 24-19 in their Six Nations opener at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. However, it was a better showing than their World Cup campaign last year.
“The fight and the character that those girls showed at the end, to be playing phase after phase from their own try line, is what we’ve been going after,” said Lynn.
“For me it was a Test match, the improvement we’ve made from the World Cup to where we are now, you can clearly see it.
“I was super proud of them all.”
He added: “Everything is just a mind shift, we are doing everything for each other, there’s new voices coming in, new faces – and that’s players and staff.”
Franco Smith proud of Glasgow players despite Champions Cup knockout
By Press Association Sport Staff
Franco Smith was proud of his Glasgow players for raising the expectation levels despite being knocked out of the Investec Champions Cup following a 22-19 defeat at home to Toulon.
Warriors had been favourites to progress from their first-ever home quarter-final in this competition, but Toulon proved too strong on the day as they handed the hosts a first home loss for 12 months.
Smith admitted it was a huge disappointment to have their European journey end at this stage but praised his players for changing the mindset to the point that many people had expected them to defeat the three-time European champions.
The head coach said: “I’m obviously disappointed with the result. That goes without saying, I suppose.
“We worked really hard in the last years to get this right. We set ourselves up for a good run-in, but there’s still work to be done.
“The expectation that’s grown, we created that as a team so I’m very proud of that.
“I said it to the boys in the changing room, ‘we created the expectation’. People thought that we could win this competition and that is a big mind shift.”
Stafford McDowall, Ollie Smith and Gregor Hiddleston crossed over for the hosts, while Gael Drean replied with a brace before Jean-Baptiste Gros and Nacho Brex sealed the win for Toulon.
Smith added: “Maybe the motivation we take from this is to believe we can make that next step.
“I’m not saying we didn’t show that today but the fact that we played at home and everybody’s coming out here and everybody’s excited about that, that little expectation, it comes into the changing room.
“You saw it in the first five or 10 minutes, little knock-ons or little things that go wrong and we must learn to deal with that as a club.”
Glasgow are set to lose a number of senior players in the summer including Huw Jones, Jack Dempsey, Johnny Matthews and Adam Hastings.
But Smith insisted this was not their only shot at European success.
He added: “We’ve lost big players before, I don’t think that’s the end of it.
“Jack, Huw, Johnny and Adam, they’ve contributed massively but the understudies are there. The next guys are there to take over.
“I’m absolutely not concerned. This is a solid club. We believe in significance, not in success. We will continue to produce a very good product, regardless of some of the results.”