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Louis Rees-Zammit and Rio Dyer of Wales(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\nThe latest rugby news stories from wales and beyond todayLouis Rees-Zammit and Rio Dyer of Wales(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Monday, October 27.<\/p>\n
Hewitt: Rees-Zammit doesn’t immediately make the Wales team<\/p>\n
Former Dragons wing Ashton Hewitt says Louis Rees-Zammit isn’t guaranteed to make Wales’ starting side as he backed former team-mate Rio Dyer to be picked ahead of him.<\/p>\n
Hewitt selected his likely starting Wales XV during Premier Sports’ coverage of the derby between his former club and the Ospreys<\/a> at Rodney Parade – with Dyer and Scarlets<\/a> wing Tom Rogers his choices out wide.<\/p>\n Dyer was named in Steve Tandy’s first Wales squad<\/a>, having missed out on the previous two Wales squads this year. Rees-Zammit was also included in the squad, having returned from the NFL earlier this year, with many expecting him to come straight back into the starting side.<\/p>\n “I think Rio’s had a frustrating couple of years,” said Hewitt. “He had such a strong start to his international career.<\/p>\n “To then lose out on his place through squad selection and the performances of the Dragons, because he wasn’t getting the opportunities he was used to getting at Rodney Parade. He’s obviously in favour a little bit with Steve Tandy.<\/p>\n “He sees what Rio brings. I think he’s an international winger.<\/p>\n “Depending on how Steve wants to play, he’s great in the air – especially on those offensive high balls, getting the ball back. That’s why Tom Rogers is on the other wing.<\/p>\n “They’ve got the experience. They’ve both exciting players.<\/p>\n “I don’t think it’s as easy to say Rees-Zammit immediately makes that starting back-three.”<\/p>\n Teen superstar Noah Caluori named in England squad<\/p>\n By PA Sport Staff<\/p>\n Teenage superstar winger Noah Caluori has been included in the England squad for their upcoming Quilter Nations Series.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old was named in last week\u2019s training squad as an additional player as part of a development agreement with Saracens and is now part of the 36-player squad for the autumn internationals.<\/p>\n Caluori made headlines earlier in October after scoring five tries for Saracens in their 65-14 Gallagher Premiership victory over Sale.<\/p>\n The squad consists of 19 forwards and 17 backs and there is also an opportunity for Harlequins back rower Jack Kenningham, who is yet to win a cap for England, while Tom Curry is also named.<\/p>\n England kick off the series with a clash against Australia at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on November 1 and will face Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina later in the month.<\/p>\n England head coach Steve Borthwick said: \u201cSelecting this squad is an exciting step in our preparations for the Quilter Nations Series and we look forward to working with the players again in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus is on making the most of the time we have together as we approach what will be a fiercely-competitive series.<\/p>\n \u201cFacing Australia in the opening match will be a great test against a team that has been training and playing together for some time and is one of the in-form teams in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n England squad:<\/strong><\/p>\n Forwards: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ollie Chessum (Leicester), Alex Coles (Northampton), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Tom Curry (Sale), Theo Dan (Saracens), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Jack Kenningham (Harlequins), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale), Guy Pepper (Bath), Henry Pollock (Northampton), Will Stuart (Bath), Sam Underhill (Bath).<\/p>\n Backs: Henry Arundell (Bath), Noah Caluori (Saracens), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter), George Ford (Sale), Tommy Freeman (Northampton), Ollie Lawrence (Bath), Alex Mitchell (Northampton), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Max Ojomoh (Bath), Raffi Quirke (Sale), Tom Roebuck (Sale), Henry Slade (Exeter), Fin Smith (Northampton), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath), Freddie Steward (Leicester).<\/p>\n Shanklin: WRU have kicked the can down the road<\/p>\n Former Wales centre Tom Shanklin says the Welsh Rugby Union has just kicked the can down the road after deciding to cut to three teams. The governing body announced the decision on Friday, although no timescale has been offered, nor which team could be cut.<\/p>\n “They’ve basically just kicked the can down the road, the WRU,” said Shanklin on Premier Sports. “They’ve had a 50:22 with that can. We’re no closer to finding a solution than we were 18 months ago.<\/p>\n “It’s not an actual plan. They’ve just suggested they want three teams. But how is that going to look. You’ve got all four teams playing for the next two years not knowing if they’re going to be around in the future.”<\/p>\n He added: “It wouldn’t surprise me if nothing happens. They’ve suggested two, now they’ve suggested three.<\/p>\n “No one knows what the end plan is. I don’t think the WRU do. They just want three teams in the league, but how that looks, we’ve got no idea.”<\/p>\n Rassie ready for autumn tour<\/p>\n Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus says his back-to-back world champions are ready for their upcoming northern hemisphere tour.<\/p>\n South Africa take on Japan, France, Ireland, Italy and Wales throughout November as they look to build upon their Rugby Championship triumph earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are excited about the tour and to measure ourselves against some of the best teams in the world,\u201d said Erasmus. \u201cA lot of hard work has been put in behind the scenes since the Castle Lager Rugby Championship for this tour, and hopefully this will set us in good standing to build on our season so far.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, the conditions are vastly different in the UK and Europe to South Africa this time of the year, but fortunately, most of the players in the squad have been exposed to those conditions either during their Vodacom United Rugby Championship tours or by playing for overseas clubs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe time zone is also very similar to South Africa, which means we can slot back into full Test mode immediately from our first training session on Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cJapan have been improving steadily over the last few years, and they defeated us a few years ago, so we have no doubt they will come out guns blazing next Saturday and throw everything at us.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last time we faced France in Paris was in the Rugby World Cup<\/a> quarter-final, and that result will psyche them up going into the match against them. They are also ranked fourth in the world currently, and Ireland third, and we all know how tough matches at the Aviva Stadium are against them.<\/p>\n \u201cItaly, meanwhile, put up a brave fight against us in Pretoria in the Castle Lager Incoming Series, and that will give them confidence going into our match in Turin, and Wales will also be up for the challenge after recovering from a tough few years earlier this season, when we line up against them at the Principality Stadium, so we need to be ready mentally and physically each week to get the desired results.<\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be easy, but we have a quality group of players, and we know what they are capable of doing when we stick to our structures and play to our potential on the day.\u201d<\/p>\n * Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. 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