The latest rugby news stories from Wales and beyond
Wales celebrate at the final whistle(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
Here are the latest rugby headlines on Tuesday, November 18.
Wales defend celebrations
Wales centre Nick Tompkins has defended his team’s wild celebrations after Jarrod Evans’ last-gasp penalty secured a 24-23 victory over Japan.
Steve Tandy’s side were staring down the barrel of an embarrassing loss before Evans snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.Some fans and pundits have criticised the nature of Wales’ celebrations, given they only just scraped home against a side ranked 13th in the world but Tompkins sees no issue given the understandable emotion of a rare win in dramatic circumstances.
“I don’t blame any of them (for celebrating),” he said. “We hadn’t won a home game for two years. You have to enjoy the wins. This is fleeting and winning is not easy. I’m so pleased for them and Jarrod as well, to do what he did takes a lot of nerve. So enjoy that moment and remember how hard it is to fight back and learn from it.
“Let the boys enjoy it and then move on. We need to keep that positivity to build something here.”
Instead of celebrating, senior men Tompkins and Adam Beard went straight over to console the opposition, with Japanese players distraught after throwing the game away late on.
“I know how much they were hurting as well and I’ve been in that situation. We got away with one there in how we performed.
“I was happy but I felt for them. We set high standards and I knew there would be some honest conversations coming back and work to be done.”
Life doesn’t get any easier for Wales who faced a wounded All Blacks this weekend fresh from losing to England.
“They’ll be fired right up so you have to match it,” said Tompkins, whose only previous experience of playing against New Zealand was a 55-23 defeat in Cardiff three years ago.
“There may be some added spice. It will make it a brilliant game because you know they’ll come out strong.
“It’s not daunting playing New Zealand. What’s daunting is putting in a performance proving you should be there and not letting people down.
“I’ve been in these situations before and so have other people, you learn to relish it.
“You’d be letting yourself down if you didn’t throw yourself into it.”
Content cannot be displayed without consentEngland flanker Henry Pollock on shortlist for World Rugby’s breakthrough award
By Edward Elliot, PA
England flanker Henry Pollock has been included on the four-man shortlist for World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year.
The 20-year-old was selected for the British and Irish Lions’ summer tour of Australia after claiming two tries on his international debut against Wales in March.
Northampton player Pollock, who did not feature in a Lions Test, has won a further three England caps this autumn, including scoring a try in a 25-7 win over the Wallabies on November 1.
He could become the first Englishman to win the award since current national team captain Maro Itoje in 2016.
New Zealand’s Dutch-born lock Fabian Holland, South Africa wing Ethan Hooker and Australia back Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii are the other nominees.
France wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey has been nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year.
The 22-year-old was named player of the tournament for the 2025 Six Nations after scoring a record eight tries.
Reigning world player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit – who also won the award in 2019 – is again shortlisted, in addition to South Africa team-mates Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche.
Winners of both awards will be announced on Saturday.
Jamie Dobie urges Scotland to restore pride by finishing on a high against Tonga
By Anthony Brown, PA
Jamie Dobie hopes Scotland can go some way to building bridges with their disgruntled supporters by finishing their disappointing Autumn Series with a strong display against Tonga on Sunday.
The Scots were booed by a stunned Murrayfield crowd after blowing a 21-0 lead against Argentina with a capitulation in the last half-hour that brought a 33-24 defeat.
Having also squandered a golden opportunity to notch a first-ever win over New Zealand the previous weekend, head coach Gregor Townsend has come under heavy fire in recent days as his team’s inability to get results against opposition of substance comes into sharper focus.
While a victory is the minimum expectation against a Tonga side ranked 19th in the world, it will not alter the fact they have lost all six matches they have played in 2025 against sides currently ranked in the top eight.
“I think we owe ourselves and the fans who have been turning up for us,” scrum-half Dobie said. “You hear how much they got behind us last week in the game against New Zealand and even on Sunday when things were going against us.
“They’re obviously disappointed and we want to play the best rugby we can in front of them. We’ve been really well supported for years now.
“We want to finish the campaign on a real high note against Tonga and put out a performance which we as a group can be really proud of, just to pick us back up after these last couple of weekends to finish on a real high.”