The latest rugby news and headlines from Wales and beyond
Here are your rugby evening headlines for Tuesday, June 2.
Lake involved as Wales start summer preparations
Dewi Lake has been involved in training as Wales have officially started their preparation for this summer’s Nations Championship.
Some members of Wales’ 48-man squad reported for duty on Monday, with several more players set to join in the coming weeks. The sight of Lake taking part in training is a boost, with the hooker having not played since the win over Italy at the end of the Six Nations.
Having captained Wales in that campaign, he then missed the remainder of his final season at the Ospreys after having shoulder surgery.
Tandy had always been confident Lake would recover in terms for Wales’ matches. They take on the Barbarians at Twickenham later this month, before matches against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa next month.
“I don’t think we’d name them if we didn’t feel really confident,” said Tandy last month about players carrying knocks. “They’re tracking well and some boys are doing rehab at the Vale, so the medical team are right across it.
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“All in this squad, we believe will be available.”
Lake could end up captaining the side again, despite Jac Morgan’s return.
“For us, it’s about having a really good think about it now the squad has been announced,” said Tandy after not naming a captain in his initial squad. “Jac’s up and running.
“We’ve got some really good young leaders coming through, Jac being a major one of them. I thought the way Dewi went about his business in the Six Nations was outstanding.
“Then we’ve got Daf Jenkins, Tomos Williams and Josh Adams – boys who have been leading throughout. It’s how we managed the leadership situation properly, having chats with the boys about how we manufacture that going forward.”
Osprey picks up award ahead of Welsh exit
Jack Walsh has been praised for his professionalism after the departing Ospreys full-back picked up the United Rugby Championship’s Playmaker Award.
Walsh is one of two players from Welsh clubs to be recognised in the URC’s end-of-season honours, with Dragons second-row Ben Carter having picked up the league’s Tackle Machine Award.
Walsh picks up the Playmaker Award, which celebrates creativity through a combination of try assists, defenders beaten and successful offloads.
“I didn’t know anything about Jack until I arrived here,” said Ospreys head coach Mark Jones about Walsh.
“He was a pretty young player at the time, in his early 20s. His appetite to get better and his thirst to improve as an individual was pretty evident from day one.
“He’s been a consummate professional. His preparation is top drawer, while his work ethic, both on and off the field, to make sure he was maximising his time has also been evident. That’s why we’ve seen the improvement in his all round game, both as a 15 and as a 10.
“He’s tough, if you look at how durable he is, and he’s very skilful. He’s made big progress.”
Walsh will leave the Ospreys this summer, joining French club Montauban after four years in Wales.
While disappointed to lose him, Jones understands the attraction of a move abroad.
“We are obviously disappointed that we can’t keep him in the building, but I fully understand his reasons why. He’s got a great opportunity to move overseas to a great climate with a team that’s recruiting pretty heavily.
“He’s an Australian and they like to travel and see the world. I wish him all the best and I am sure he will do a great job for Montauban.”
World Cup winner casts doubt over future in tense exchange
Jacques Nienaber has cast doubt over his future at Leinster after claiming he does not feel appreciated by the media and supporters in Ireland.
The South African joined the Irish province as a senior coach at the end of 2023 following his role in helping his country claim back-to-back World Cup victories.
Despite working alongside head coach Leo Cullen to help Leinster reclaim the United Rugby Championship title last year – employing the blitz defence he honed during his time with the Springboks – a fifth Champions Cup has continued to elude the club throughout his tenure.
Speaking ahead of Leinster’s URC semi-final against the Stormers on Saturday (17:30 BST), the 53 year old – who remains under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season – was asked whether he would still be in his role next season.
“Let me put it to you this way: who fires you? Do you know who fires you? The public, the media. They fire you. Not the CEO, not Shane [Nolan],” he said.
“He doesn’t fire me, but you guys fire us. Fire all coaches, because the pressure builds up and builds up, and the fan then builds the pressure on them, and then they just ask this and say, ‘listen lads, I think we must part ways’.
“Your question is, am I going to be here? I hope so. Currently, I’m not sure, to be honest, because people don’t value me here. They don’t.” When asked whether Cullen values his contributions, Nienaber added: “It’s not for Leo [to value me]. People don’t value…the moment you lose the team or the fan, you’ve got to go. The moment you lose the changing room or the club, the fanbase, you’ve got to go.
“You could just hang there and take your cheque, but no. They don’t want you there.”
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Nienaber was speaking to journalists for the first time since Leinster were comprehensively beaten in the Champions Cup final on 23 May, as Bordeaux-Begles ran in five first-half tries to triumph 41-19 in Bilbao and retain their title.
Following that defeat — their fourth in the last five finals — Cullen announced that Leinster would conduct a thorough operational review over the summer.
When pressed on whether he would be prepared to abandon a blitz defence system, Nienaber said: “I will always serve the club.
“The moment you are not serving the club, your ego is done.”
He went on to say: “I mean, before I went to Munster I coached the drift defence at the Stormers and we were pretty good at it, have a look. We didn’t concede too many tries in Super Rugby.
“It’s not the case that I don’t understand the other system, I understand it, but both systems…there’s not one that’s better than the other.”
This is not the first pointed exchange Nienaber has had with reporters this season. Back in December, he was prompted to clarify remarks he made about his spell at Leinster during an interview with South African broadcaster SuperSport.
Cullen has also shown signs of frustration in his interactions with the press of late. Last month, he said the media “love throwing the boot in” at the Irish province, while last weekend he hit back at online “trolls” following his side’s emphatic URC quarter-final victory over the Lions.
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