These are your headlines on the evening of Thursday, November 13.Steve Tandy says Louis Rees-Zammit is ‘leading’ more in Wales camp after returning from the NFL(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)

These are your headlines on the evening of Thursday, November 13.

BBC to broadcast Welsh festive derbies

BBC Wales have agreed to broadcast three Welsh festive derbies in the United Rugby Championship this season.

The BBC had lost the rights to broadcast the URC this season, with Premier Sports now holding the exclusive rights until 2029. However, a deal has been struck that will see three Welsh derbies shown on free-to-air later this season.

Scrum V will show Cardiff v Scarlets on 19 December, before broadcasting Cardiff v Dragons on Boxing Day and Ospreys v Cardiff on New Year’s Day.

S4C have a deal in place with the URC as Welsh-language broadcasters, meaning they can show one match per round.

With the Boxing Day clash between the Scarlets and Ospreys, as well as the New Year’s Day fixture between the Dragons and Scarlets, both on S4C, it means all of the Welsh festive derbies are available on terrestrial TV this season.

The BBC’s deal for the three matches has been agreed with Premier Sports, who will broadcast the matches at the same time as Scrum V.

Catrin Heledd will present the coverage, with Gareth Rhys Owen providing commentary.

Former Wales internationals Alun Wyn Jones and Jonathan Davies will be among the show’s pundits.

“It’s brilliant that we’re able to bring the festive URC derbies to free-to-air television again this year,” said Garmon Rhys, interim director of BBC Cymru Wales.

“We know it’s a staple over the Christmas period for rugby fans across Wales, and I’m proud that our talented team at BBC Wales will be producing the live coverage for all three games.”

Martin Anayi, CEO of United Rugby Championship, added: “These games are part of the fabric of Welsh sport and a real high point of the rugby calendar, we’re delighted that Premier Sports and BBC Wales could work together to bring these terrific URC contests to a wider audience.”

Louis Rees-Zammit tipped to shine

Steve Tandy believes Louis Rees-Zammit has returned to Welsh rugby as a ‘leader’ and is better for his short stint in American football.

Rees-Zammit will start his first Wales game since the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina against Japan this weekend.

The 24-year-old made his comeback as a replacement against Argentina last Sunday and looked very sharp and Tandy believes his time in the US has done the Bristol Bears wing the world of good. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.

“It’s easy to stay where you are and not go try something but when you go out to different places and environments, you learn so much more about yourself,” said Tandy.

“Some things don’t work out but still, through those experiences, you learn so much about yourself.

“Looking at Zammo, he put himself in an environment which is completely foreign, a different sport with different people on the world stage, it tells you something about the person.

“He could have stayed and gone on a Lions tour. Could have won more caps for Wales. Putting himself out there tells you something.

“From his experiences, you see how he’s probably reflected on what he can do in rugby.

“But that experience has done him a world of good. Any experience like that is only going to be positive if you reflect on it in the right way. A lot of it comes down to maturity.”

Tandy is confident Rees-Zammit can be a potent attacking weapon for Wales moving forward.

“He’s been brilliant around the camp,” said Tandy. “How he’s come in. He’s grown as a rugby player. He’s leading really well.

“He was brilliant last week coming off the bench. You can see in the training week what he’s like. He was disappointed not to have one or two tries.

“He can produce something. You need people who can break the game on something really small. We’re fortunate to have someone like Zammo available to us.

“Him starting on the weekend is not just exciting for us coaches, but the fans as well.”

Owens defends officials after controversies

Legendary Welsh referee Nigel Owens has had his say on a couple of controversial calls in last weekend’s internationals.

During Scotland’s agonising home defeat to New Zealand there was huge debate surrounding whether the All Blacks’ first try, scored by scrum-half Cam Roigard, should have stood.

In the lead up to the try All Blacks lock Josh Lord caught the Scotland defence napping by racing upfield unchallenged from the base of what looked like a ruck.

The ball then found its way to Roigard who scored.

Many Scottish fans believe the try should have been disallowed for offside as both Lord’s feet should have been behind the ball.

To make matters even more confusing Japan tighthead Shuhei Takeuchi did a similar action against Ireland earlier that day but was penalised. Join WalesOnline Rugby’s WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free

“In this instance here [Japan match], if a player is bound in the ruck, and he puts his hand down and picks the ball up, you can’t play the ball with your hands in the ruck,” Owens told World Rugby’s Whistle Watch.

“If he wants to do that, he’s got to detach and then pick the ball up, which then means the ruck is over.

“If you want to pick up the ball, the ruck must be over.

“The key difference [in the All Blacks match], it’s not a ruck. You don’t have any Scottish players on their feet bound onto that New Zealand player. So you don’t have a ruck.

“What you have now is a tackle situation, and the the law that we just discussed does not apply because it’s not a ruck.

“Because there’s no ruck formed, it’s now a tackle, which means Lord is not picking the ball up in a ruck, which you’re not allowed to do, he’s picking the ball up in a tackle situation, which is perfectly legal and allowed.

“Because he had one leg back, and the ball was in front of that leg, he’s quite entitled to do what he did.”

Scotland star vows to make the most of shock chance

By Anthony Brown, PA

Rory Hutchinson is determined to seize his belated opportunity to start establishing himself in Gregor Townsend’s Scotland team in the absence of Huw Jones.

The Northampton centre made his debut in 2019 but has had a stop-start international career, restricted to just 10 caps. Hutchinson’s chances with Scotland appeared to have faded when he made no appearances for three years between the summer tours of 2022 and 2025.

But after earning a late call-up to join Townsend’s team in the South Pacific earlier this year, the 29-year-old started last weekend’s defeat by New Zealand at Murrayfield with British and Irish Lions tourist Jones out until the new year with an Achilles injury.

“I’ve been involved in the set-up for a while now,” said Hutchinson. “I’ve had a few opportunities here and there. To get to run out last weekend there, you dream of it. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.

“Hopefully that has given me more motivation to try and do it a bit more often. I really enjoyed the opportunity.”

Hutchinson acknowledged the fact Jones has been in such good form has not helped his cause with Scotland – “of course, he’s a Test Lion” – but he views the Glasgow centre’s absence as an opportunity to stake a claim.

“It’s tough,” said Hutchinson, hoping to keep his place for Sunday’s visit of Argentina. “We’ve got some serious talent in that centre role in the squad, but I think it makes us all better players.

“I’ve had to wait. Sometimes maybe I haven’t been as consistent and as good as what I thought.

“But it’s been important that I’ve stuck at it and worked hard with my coaches both here and at my club, and I feel like that’s putting me in the best light going forward.

“At Northampton the reason I made my debut was because of injury (to someone else). That’s just part of the sport – people get injured, people have to step up, that’s when you get your opportunity.

“So when I heard about that (Jones injury) and came into camp, I knew this was a big opportunity for me to put my hand up and say ‘I’m here’.”

Hutchinson’s struggle to assert himself in Townsend’s squad is highlighted by the number of caps several of his age-group peers have accumulated.

“I did Under-18s and did three years at 20s (with Scotland) and then when I came into this group, it was so good because there’s so many of my year at 20s here, which made it so easy for me to slot in,” he said.

“When you see those lads progressing, it kind of gives you that motivation. It’s like, ‘I want to be doing what they’re doing’.

“Look at someone like Zander Fagerson – 75 caps. That’s incredible. And we were together at 20s.

“I played with Jamie Ritchie, Blair Kinghorn, Adam Hastings, Scott Cummings, so that gives me a load of motivation when I come into camp, seeing how these boys have done well. It’s not the fact I’ve been left behind, but I want to have the success they’ve had.”

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