![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0_GettyImages-1715820408.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe latest rugby news from Wales and around the world<\/p>\n
Port Talbot-born Williams has landed a new role<\/p>\n
These are your latest rugby headlines on Tuesday, August 11.<\/p>\n
Welsh coach lands job in England<\/p>\n
Welsh coach Richie Williams has joined Premiership Women’s Rugby side Gloucester Hartpury as an assistant coach.<\/p>\n
Williams, who was born in Port Talbot<\/a>, was most recently attack coach at Champ Rugby side Chinnor, having spent more than a decade there as a player, while he also worked as a coach at Oxford University last year. Before that, he had served as Cambridge’s director of rugby, leading them to the Champ during a six-year stint.<\/p>\n Having also previously worked with the Hungarian Rugby Union, England Counties U20s, and both Belgium and England Universities’ sevens teams over a 20-year career, Williams has now joined head of rugby Dan Murphy’s staff at Gloucester Hartpury.<\/p>\n JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really excited to be joining the club and to have the opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and coaches,” he said as his appointment was confirmed.<\/p>\n “Gloucester Hartpury is a prestigious club with a strong reputation for success and player development, and that was a big attraction for me. I\u2019m looking forward to bringing my experience into the environment and helping the players continue to develop.<\/p>\n “I\u2019ve really enjoyed working in attack and backs environments throughout my career, so the opportunity to contribute to an exciting style of rugby and work with this group was one I couldn\u2019t turn down.\u201d<\/p>\n Murphy added: “Richie brings a huge amount of experience from across the game, both in England and internationally. His work at Cambridge, where he helped guide the club into the Championship, speaks for itself.<\/p>\n “He\u2019s also worked extensively in player development and pathway environments, which is really important for us given the number of young players we have coming through.<\/p>\n “His experience in Attack and Backs coaching will complement the existing coaching team really well, and we\u2019re looking forward to seeing the impact he can have on both the players and the way we want to play.”<\/p>\n Last season saw Gloucester Hartpury miss out on a PWR final for the first time since 2023, with the squad in transition following the departure of several senior players at the end of the campaign.<\/p>\n Ireland international out for months<\/p>\n Ireland lock Iain Henderson will spend months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on his hip, his club have confirmed.<\/p>\n The 34-year-old Ulster skipper will miss the start of the 2026\/27 United Rugby Championship season following the successful operation, having not played since being sent off in his side’s draw with the Stormers in May.<\/p>\n A two-time British & Irish Lions tourist, Henderson won the last of his 86 international caps for Andy Farrell’s side against New Zealand in November.<\/p>\n Issuing a squad injury update on Tuesday, Ulster released a statement which read: “Ulster Rugby can confirm that captain, Iain Henderson, has successfully undergone hip surgery this summer and as a result, will be unavailable for a number of months.”<\/p>\n The province added that three other players had also had operations during the summer break, with the trio now “undergoing a period of rehabilitation”.<\/p>\n Back-row forwrd Bryn Ward, who won his first Ireland cap against Japan last month, has gone under the knife for a shoulder injury.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, number eight Juarno Augustus and centre Jude Postlethwaite had surgery for ankle and knee injuries respectively.<\/p>\n ‘Formidable’ Springbok dies<\/p>\n Tributes have been paid to former South Africa international Piston van Wyk, who has died at the age of 82.<\/p>\n Van Wyk, who represented Northern Transvaal and Natal at provincial level, played 15 Tests for the Springboks between 1970 and 1976 and faced the British & Irish Lions in 1974.<\/p>\n The versatile hooker passed away over the weekend and has been remembered as a “formidable” scrummager who “embodied the resilience and pride” of the South African jersey and “leaves behind a legacy that extends far beyond the scoreboard”.<\/p>\n Paying tribute to van Wyk, president of SA Rugby Mark Alexander said: \u201cIt is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of Piston van Wyk, a former Springbok whose legacy is etched into the proud history of South African rugby.<\/p>\n \u201cPiston\u2019s career was marked by his formidable scrummaging strength, his unwavering commitment to the team and his memorable performances against some of the world\u2019s toughest opponents.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom his debut in the green and gold to his standout contributions in numerous Test victories, Piston embodied the resilience and pride of the Springbok jersey.<\/p>\n “His presence on the field was a source of inspiration and his dedication to the game reflected the values of discipline, humility and sportsmanship.\u201d<\/p>\n Extending his condolences to van Wyk’s family, Alexander added: \u201cLeaving behind a legacy that extends far beyond the scoreboard, his name will forever be remembered among those who helped shape the path for future generations of players.<\/p>\n \u201cWe extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. May they find comfort in knowing that his contribution to our sport and our nation will never be forgotten.<\/p>\n “Piston van Wyk\u2019s memory will live on in the hearts of all who cherish the game of rugby and the values it represents.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here<\/a> and our WhatsApp channel here<\/a> for all the breaking news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world Port Talbot-born Williams has landed a new role…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":735241,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[32009,27009,5903,30347,101,7168,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-735240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-gloucester-rugby","tag-ireland-rugby-team","tag-rugby","tag-south-africa-rugby-team","tag-sports","tag-todays-updates","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=735240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/735241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=735240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=735240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=735240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}