Here are your rugby morning headlines for Thursday, April 16.<\/p>\n
Finn Russell in talks over major off-field move after London meetings<\/p>\n
Finn Russell could be set for a major move away from the pitch after holding talks with Eddie Hearn\u2019s Matchroom talent agency, according to a report by City AM.<\/a><\/p>\n The Scotland fly-half is said to have met with Matchroom representatives in London last weekend as discussions continue over the possibility of joining the agency\u2019s rapidly expanding roster, which already includes England star Henry Pollock.<\/p>\n It would be another eye-catching step for Hearn\u2019s new talent arm, which has wasted little time making inroads into rugby after launching last month.<\/p>\n Pollock became Matchroom\u2019s first rugby signing just two weeks ago, with Hearn hailing the Northampton Saints back-row as a player who could \u201cignite\u201d the sport.<\/p>\n Now Russell appears to be the next major target.<\/p>\n The Bath playmaker is already one of the most recognisable personalities in European rugby, with his talent and flair making him a natural fit for the sort of crossover commercial opportunities Matchroom specialises in.<\/p>\n Hearn himself has previously spoken glowingly about the Scot, saying earlier this month: \u201cThere\u2019s nothing signed or agreed with Finn Russell, but I\u2019m also aware he\u2019s one of the greatest players in the world, and he\u2019s a fantastic ambassador and a great personality.\u201d<\/p>\n JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE <\/strong>Latest news, analysis and much more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Wales wing dealt cruel injury blow<\/p>\n Wales have been dealt an early Six Nations<\/a> blow with wing Lisa Neumann ruled out of the remainder of the tournament through injury.<\/p>\n The WRU has confirmed the experienced Harlequins back suffered a hamstring problem in the opening-round defeat to Scotland and will play no further part in the championship.<\/p>\n Neumann, 32, had started the 24-19 loss and was one of Wales\u2019 brighter performers before being forced off during the second half at the Principality Stadium.<\/p>\n Her absence is a significant setback for Sean Lynn heading into a daunting second-round clash with France at Cardiff<\/a> Arms Park on Saturday.<\/p>\n The winger\u2019s replacement in the squad is yet to be confirmed, with the WRU expected to announce that in due course.<\/p>\n It leaves Lynn weighing up a number of options out wide.<\/p>\n Jasmine Joyce is the most obvious ready-made solution after being left out of the matchday squad for the Scotland game, while Catherine Richards and uncapped Nikita Prothero are also in the wider mix.<\/p>\n Centres Carys Cox and Courtney Keight can both shift to the wing if Wales opt for a reshuffle in the backline.<\/p>\n Speaking after the injury setback, Lynn admitted Neumann will be a \u201cbig loss\u201d for his side, particularly given the form she had shown recently.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought she played really well, she\u2019s been playing well with Brython Thunder in the Celtic Challenge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHer physicality, the defence and the attack side of it, but we\u2019ve got a competitive squad and I really trust the next individual coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n English talent targeted by France over allegiance switch<\/p>\n France are reportedly monitoring England Under-20 World Cup winner Junior Kpoku as the highly-rated forward\u2019s future takes another intriguing twist.<\/p>\n According to the Daily Mail,<\/a> the towering 20-year-old has emerged on the radar of Les Bleus selectors after a series of eye-catching performances in the Top 14 and Europe.<\/p>\n Kpoku, who stands at a colossal 6ft 8in, was deployed at flanker for Toulon in their Investec Champions Cup victory over Glasgow at the weekend, underlining both his athleticism and growing reputation in French rugby.<\/p>\n The youngster is currently on loan at Toulon from Racing 92, but the Mail reports the Mediterranean club are keen to secure him on a permanent basis by buying him out of the final year of his Racing deal.<\/p>\n That interest is only heightened by the fact Kpoku will become JIFF-qualified this summer, meaning he will no longer count as an overseas player under French club quota rules after completing three years in the country since leaving Exeter Chiefs.<\/p>\n It is a significant development because that status also edges him closer to potential international eligibility for France further down the line.<\/p>\n The report claims French selectors are keeping a close eye on his progress, with Kpoku set to become eligible for Les Bleus midway through the next World Cup cycle if he remains in the country.<\/p>\n Dragons told to ‘park Europe’ as Tiatia sends clear message<\/p>\n Filo Tiatia has warned his Dragons side to put their European heroics to one side and immediately refocus on the United Rugby Championship as the Vodacom Bulls head to Rodney Parade on Friday night.<\/p>\n The Men of Gwent return to league action buoyed by a stirring run in the EPCR Challenge Cup, having claimed back-to-back away wins over Stade Francais and Zebre Parma to book a semi-final in early May.<\/p>\n But Tiatia\u2019s message ahead of the visit of the South African heavyweights was crystal clear: Europe can wait.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must park Europe now \u2013 that is the message,\u201d the Dragons head coach said.<\/p>\n The Gwent region have generated real momentum in recent weeks, with their famous win in Paris followed by another impressive road success in Italy, but Tiatia is determined there is no emotional drop-off against one of the URC\u2019s most physical sides.<\/p>\n \u201cWe celebrated what we did in Europe, but now we are back on the horse in the URC and we have a good Bulls side coming,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The Bulls arrive in Newport<\/a> still firmly chasing a play-off place and Tiatia expects a huge challenge from a side who have remained in the UK since their recent defeat to Glasgow.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have been over here for a while and have been together for several weeks and are a good group,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to see them on Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the upbeat mood around the region, Tiatia admitted there were still lessons to take from the closing stages of the win over Zebre, where Dragons had to dig deep late on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve reviewed the game and the last 10 minutes there are definitely areas to tidy up, both sides of the ball,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The head coach also revealed selection remains fiercely competitive, with Dragons\u2019 recent results creating genuine pressure for places across the squad.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery week around selection, players are putting their hands up and playing well, so we’ve had some selection debates,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n That growing internal battle, combined with the buzz created by their European run, has helped raise standards in Newport \u2014 and Tiatia wants whoever gets the shirt on Friday to prove they deserve to keep it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mantra hasn\u2019t changed \u2013 the guys that get the opportunity to wear it, they have got to play well in it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our<\/strong> free daily newsletter here<\/strong><\/a> and our <\/strong>WhatsApp channel here<\/strong><\/a> for all the breaking news.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here are your rugby morning headlines for Thursday, April 16. Finn Russell in talks over major off-field move…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":897576,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5010],"tags":[748,15031,18194,22068,4884,23127,16,15,1764,22067],"class_list":["post-897575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wales","tag-britain","tag-dragons","tag-england-rugby-union-team","tag-france-rugby-team","tag-great-britain","tag-todays-updates","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-wales","tag-wales-womens-rugby"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116413425814472818","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}