Here are your rugby evening headlines for Sunday, May 31.
Wales star ends career in triumph
Former Wales scrum-half Lloyd Williams brought the curtain down on his professional career in the perfect fashion as Worcester Warriors completed one of rugby’s most remarkable comeback stories to be crowned Championship winners.
The 36-year-old, who announced earlier this month that he would retire at the end of the season, helped guide Worcester to a 27-14 victory over Bedford Blues in Sunday’s Championship final at Goldington Road.
It was a fitting farewell for one of Welsh rugby’s most popular figures, with Williams lifting silverware in the final match of a career that spanned almost two decades.
The triumph capped an extraordinary season for Worcester, who only returned to competitive rugby this campaign after the club’s collapse in 2022. Written off by many before a ball had been kicked, they completed a stunning rise from rugby exile to Championship champions in their very first season back.
Williams started at scrum-half and played a key role as Worcester overcame Bedford on their own patch.
After a fiercely contested opening half, Worcester edged into a 17-14 lead at the break thanks to tries from Hugh Bokenham, Tim Anstee and Will Reed.
Bedford had threatened to spoil the party and twice crossed themselves through Joey Conway and prolific winger Dean Adamson, but Worcester’s experience gradually began to tell.
The decisive moment arrived midway through the second half when Siva Naulago crashed over beneath the posts after a brilliant break from Louis Brown, extending Worcester’s lead to 24-14.
Veteran centre Billy Twelvetrees then added a late penalty to put the result beyond doubt before Worcester saw out the closing minutes to spark emotional celebrations at the final whistle.
As the clock ticked down, Worcester repeatedly recycled possession before kicking into touch to confirm a title success few could have imagined 12 months ago.
Players, staff and supporters flooded onto the pitch at full-time to celebrate a historic achievement.
For Williams, it represented the perfect ending.
The former Cardiff Rugby scrum-half spent 13 years with his hometown club, making a record 261 appearances and helping them lift the European Challenge Cup in 2018.
On the international stage he won 32 caps for Wales, claimed three Six Nations titles and was part of World Cup squads in both 2011 and 2015.
One of the most memorable moments of his Test career came at Twickenham during the 2015 Rugby World Cup when his brilliant break created Gareth Davies’ famous match-winning try against England.
Speaking after announcing his retirement, Williams admitted the decision had not been easy.
“It’s kind of a heart and head decision,” he said. “The heart tells me to keep on playing, but my head is saying I need to start looking after my body and start focusing on the next chapter.”
Reflecting on his final season, he added: “I’ve had a fantastic year here at Worcester, it’s something I’m really proud of and will look back with a lot of fond memories.
“The fact that this year will be my lasting memory of professional sport as a player is seriously special.
“To see the fans turn up the way they did, the way we showed up — the whole occasion was pretty special.”
Top Springboks star on crutches amid worrying scenes
Stormers head coach John Dobson has admitted there are fears over the fitness of star fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu after the Springbok was left on crutches following his side’s United Rugby Championship quarter-final victory over Cardiff.
The South African outfit booked their place in the URC semi-finals with a convincing 44-21 win in Cape Town, but the result may have come at a significant cost.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu, regarded as one of the brightest talents in world rugby and a key figure for both the Stormers and South Africa, appeared to injure his ankle while scoring a second-half try.
The 24-year-old was unable to continue and was later seen on crutches, raising concerns ahead of next weekend’s semi-final against Leinster in Dublin.
Speaking after the match, Dobson admitted the early signs were not encouraging.
“It looks pretty serious, to be honest,” he said. “He’s obviously going for a scan. The doctors have given me some feedback, but it looks like a proper ankle injury.
“He was cramping a bit before then and looked uncomfortable when he started running back. We haven’t confirmed anything yet, but it’s concerning.”
The potential loss of Feinberg-Mngomezulu would be a major blow for the Stormers, who have relied heavily on the gifted playmaker throughout the campaign.
“It’s a big blow,” Dobson added. “But whenever we take a knock, this group tends to pull together and fight.”
The injury concerns do not end there for the South African side.
The Stormers now face a daunting challenge against Leinster, who hammered the Lions 59-10 in their quarter-final to underline their status as favourites for the title.
But much of the focus in Cape Town will centre on Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the outcome of the scans on an injury that could have major implications not only for the Stormers but also for the Springboks ahead of the international season.
South Africa, of course, take on Wales on July 18, after Nations Championship matches against England and Scotland, and are in the midst of an injury crisis.
The Springboks’ lengthy injury list has grown further this week, with reports suggesting back-row Kwagga Smith is out for the remainder of 2026.
Currently, the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, RG Snyman, Trevor Nyakane, Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Ruan Venter, Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit are all sidelined – although Etzebeth, Kolisi and du Toit are expected back in the coming weeks.
Erasmus is also without a number of backs too, with Ethan Hooker, Aphelele Fassi, Jaden Hendrikse, Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams and Morne van den Berg all currently injured, with the head coach now sweating on the prognosis of Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s problem.
Stephen Jones proud of ‘brave’ Newcastle after dramatic win
By Rebecca Johnson, Press Association
Newcastle interim coach Stephen Jones praised the “mentality and bravery” of his team as they staged a remarkable second-half comeback to beat Sale 45-42 at Kingston Park.
The visitors had led 35-10 at half-time, with Tom Roebuck, Seb Kelly, Tom O’Flaherty, Joe Carpenter and Alfie Longstaff all crossing, while Tom Christie and Amanaki Mafi scored for Newcastle.
However, the hosts took control after the break as Alex Hearle and Freddie Lockwood went over, and although Arron Reed grounded for Sale, further efforts from Christie and Hearle closed the gap.
Hearle then completed his treble in the dying seconds to seal Newcastle’s second Gallagher Prem win of the campaign, with Jones hailing a “deserved” triumph.
He said: “In fairness to the players, we have an honest debrief. A couple of key areas, defensively we’ve given them too much time on the ball and we addressed that in the second half.
“Credit to the group to be brave, stay in the fight, keep the ball movement high, we carried with purpose in that second half and we looked good on the back of it.
Speaking about the final moments, Jones said: “The mentality and bravery of the boys to be able to ask the question and keep the ball movement high, seven or eight metres from our tryline, I loved the intent and we got a reward off the back of it.
“The group deserve it, management, the fans, everybody associated with the club deserves that victory.”
Hearle completed both his hat-trick and the win in style with a stunning break down the centre of the pitch before diving between the posts.
“Delighted with so many of the guys efforts,” Jones added.
“Great Hearle had that moment at the end, a special moment for him, he’s been fantastic for us all season.
“Big shifts across the board, won’t start naming now otherwise I’ll go from one to 23.
“To do it in the style and back ourselves when the scoreboard was against us, we had a long way to go but we still backed ourselves and that’s so important for us as a group.”