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Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa admits to being “shocked” at the dismissal of outgoing head coach Dave Rennie earlier this month, with Eddie Jones returning to the helm of the national side.

Rennie looked set to continue as Wallabies boss after the Autumn Nations Series, despite a poor win rate of 38% during his tenure.

That was until Jones was sacked by England. Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan admitted it was an opportunity they could not miss to get the veteran coach back in Australia.

Rennie had players’ respect

Alaalatoa, who committed to Australian rugby until 2027, messaged Rennie as soon as he heard the news to underline the players’ support for him.

“I was quite shocked. I wasn’t expecting it and my first reaction was wondering how Dave was,” Alaalatoa told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I sent him a message and told him that the boys respected him, for the man he was off the field and the world-class coach that he was on the field.”

The prop suggested the sacking was unlucky, given how close their results were in November and with the number of injuries in the Australian camp.

“If anything at the end of last year I was just excited to get stuck into this year,” he said.

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“In terms of the Spring Tour, the results didn’t go our way but we lost three of those games by a few points, and with an injury-hit list.”

Moving into the Jones era

Alaalatoa claims there is a sense of uncertainty amongst the players as to where they will stand with Jones, but the simple focus has to be on playing well at club level, and the rest will work itself out.

“That’s the vibe you get straight away, you just don’t know now, especially with a lot of the boys here now, who haven’t been coached by him before,” Alaalatoa said.

“But what we have spoken about already is we can only control what we can control.

“If you want to be part of those discussions with Eddie you have to train well and perform well in your state union.

“So again, you will see a lift in the Super Rugby competition, and that’s awesome. That’s what you want.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has closed the door to a prospective departure for Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, who was being linked to Paris Saint-Germain in the last few weeks.

In Friday’s press conference, the Spaniard insisted that the 28-year-old would be going nowhere this summer and that the club had not received any offers.

L’Équipe had indicated earlier in the week that the Ligue 1 champions had reignited their interest in the former Monaco man and had submitted a bid worth €70m, which did not convince the Premier League side.

PSG’s sporting adviser Luís Campos has been especially keen on bringing in his compatriot, having been the one who first brought him to France in 2014 during his time in the Principality.

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Despite Silva’s reported openness to a move, he has no intention of actively pushing for a transfer, and remains under contract for another three seasons. As a result, a Ligue 1 return for the Portuguese international will not be for this summer.

Scarlets made it four from four in the group stages of the Challenge Cup by securing an impressive 20-7 triumph over Bayonne.

The Welshmen controlled the first half and went into the break with a 13-0 advantage through Jonathan Davies and Joe Roberts tries, while Leigh Halfpenny added a penalty.

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Steff Evans then crossed the whitewash, with Halfpenny converting, to effectively seal the victory for the Scarlets with half-an-hour remaining.

Bayonne did respond in the final quarter when Bastien Pourailly went over, but the visitors comfortably saw out the rest of the game

Meanwhile, Benetton finished behind Scarlets but ensured a home tie in the next stage following a bonus-point 35-32 win against Stade Francais.

A brace from Mattia Bellini, and additional tries by Tommaso Menoncello and Rhyno Smith, paved the way for the Italian side to edge out their French opponents in a closely fought contest at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo.

Brive deny Newcastle to claim last-16 place

Cardiff failed to take top spot in Pool A following a 37-24 defeat at Brive, with the Frenchmen making sure of their place in the next round.

The Welsh side had already secured a place in the last 16 prior to Saturday’s fixture, but knew a bonus-point victory would see them move ahead of Toulon and Glasgow Warriors.

However, Cardiff trailed 17-3 at the interval following tries from Motu Matu’u, Mathis Ferte and Kevin Fabien.

Arthur Bonneval extended Brive’s advantage in the second period, and despite James Botham, Jason Harries and Rhys Priestland responding, the visiting side were comprehensively beaten.

Finally, Newcastle ended their campaign with a 35-21 victory over Connacht at Kingston Park, but it was not enough to qualify.

Following three straight defeats in Pool A, Michael Young, Matias Orlando, Mateo Carreras, Josh Barton and Pete Lucock all scored tries to help restore some pride.

Connacht had already booked their spot in the Challenge Cup knockout stages, but the defeat means they will miss out on home advantage in the round of 16.

The Australian Rugby community is mourning the loss of Wallabies legend Rob Heming, who passed away last week aged 90Heming was born in Namatanai in New Ireland off New Guinea, making the move to Australia on the last boat out after the Japanese invaded the area.He excelled as a swimmer initially, narrowly missing out on representing Australia in the 100 metres freestyle at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.Heming would make the move to Rugby, joining Manly at age 23 as his remarkable leap and long limbs saw him stand out as a number eight and lock.It took two seasons before he was selected for New South Wales against the 1957/58 Wallabies but was unavailable for the tour to New Zealand after he bought an optometry practice.From here, he would work his way into the Test side in 1961 at age 28, making his debut against Fiji at lock alongside John Thornett in the 2nd Test, a 20-14 victory at the S.C.G. When he returned to the side in 1963, a bulked-up Heming established his status as one of the greatest line-out forwards in the game, helping Australia to back-to-back wins over the Springboks in South Africa, the first time it had occurred that century.“Without him [Heming] it is doubtful whether Australia would have won two Tests,” leading South African Rugby writer A.C Parker wrote at the time.The following year, Heming toured New Zealand and was part of the 20-5 3rd Test victory, the largest ever All Blacks’ loss at home at the time. The Australian and NSW Rugby community is mourning the loss of Wallabies and Waratahs legend Rob Heming, who passed away last week aged 90.Heming, born in Namatanai in New Ireland off New Guinea, made the move to Australia on the last boat out after the Japanese invaded the area.He excelled as a swimmer initially, narrowly missing out on representing Australia in the 100 metres freestyle at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.Heming would make the move to Rugby, joining Manly at age 23, with his remarkable leap and long limbs helping him stand out at number eight and lock.It took two seasons before he was selected for New South Wales against the 1957/58 Wallabies, becoming Waratah #939, but had to wait another three years for his Test debut as he was unavailable for the tour to New Zealand in 1958 after he bought an optometry practice.Heming worked his way into the Test side in 1961 at age 28, making his debut against Fiji at lock alongside John Thornett in the 2nd Test, a 20-14 victory at the S.C.G.When he returned to the side in 1963, a bulked-up Heming established his status as one of the greatest line-out forwards in the game, helping Australia to back-to-back wins over the Springboks in South Africa, the first time it had occurred that century.“Without him [Heming] it is doubtful whether Australia would have won two Tests,” leading South African Rugby writer A.C Parker wrote at the time.The following year, Heming toured New Zealand and was part of the 20-5 3rd Test victory, the largest ever All Blacks’ loss at home at the time.“A star is born” exclaimed legendary Kiwi journalist T.P. McLean as Heming went on to play a leading role in Australia’s first series win against South Africa in 1965.During the final Test of the series and the game in the balance, Heming was knocked out in a ruck. He came onto the sideline, shrugged off the ambulance guys, and charged back out there to win the very next line-out with a magnificent leap, inspiring them to victory.Heming would bring up the final of his 21 Tests in 1966/67 when he toured for the final time with the Fifth Wallabies to Britain.In ‘The Top 100 Wallabies’ written by Peter Jenkins, Heming was selected by a panel of seven, including five Wallabies, at number 23 and the second-row partner of John Eales in the Top XV.He would be inducted into the Wallaby Hall of Fame in 2021."Rob Heming was widely regarded as the greatest line-up jumper in the world during the period he played international Rugby,” Classic Wallabies President Simon Poidevin said at the time"Rob was not a big man, playing at 15 stone but his formidable vertical jump and skill in the air provided invaluable quality line-out ball for his talented backline colleagues to forge famous Wallaby victories against the Springboks and All Blacks."He was a real Gentleman of the game and enjoyed a successful career as an optometrist.”Rob is survived by children Peta and Heidi, father-in-law to James and George, grandkids Finn, Avalon, Marley, Perri, Harper and Willow, companion Gail and former wife and friend Jenn.Vale Rob Heming.During the final Test of the series and the game in the balance, Heming was knocked out in a ruck. He came onto the sideline, shrugged off the ambulance guys and charged back out there to win the very next line-out with a magnificent leap, inspiring them to victory.Heming would bring up the final of his 21 Tests in 1966/67 when he toured for the final time with the Fifth Wallabies to Britain.In ‘’ written by Peter Jenkins, Heming was selected by a panel of seven, including five Wallabies, at number 23 and the second-row partner of John Eales in the Top XV.He would be inducted into the Wallaby Hall of Fame in 2021."Rob Heming was widely regarded as the greatest line-up jumper in the world during the period he played international Rugby,” Classic Wallabies President Simon Poidevin said at the time"Rob was not a big man, playing at 15 stone but his formidable vertical jump and skill in the air provided invaluable quality line-out ball for his talented backline colleagues to forge famous Wallaby victories against the Springboks and All Blacks."He was a real Gentleman of the game and enjoyed a successful career as an optometrist.”Rob is survived by children Peta and Heidi, father-in-law to James and George, grandkids Finn, Avalon, Marley, Perri, Harper and Willow, companion Gail and former wife and friend Jenny

As reported by RMC, OGC Nice and Rennes are edging closer to an agreement over an unusual player trade deal, swapping attacker Amine Gouiri, currently of Nice, for Rennes’ striker Gaëtan Laborde.

Amid frosty relations with his new coach at Nice, Lucien Favre, the 22-year-old Gouiri and his agents have been investigating a move away from the Allianz Riviera before the end of the transfer window with Juventus the latest club to show interest.

In recent hours, however, the two French clubs have come closer to an agreement, say the outlet, with Laborde increasingly open to the idea of joining Nice having been reluctant at first. Nice, meanwhile, are asking for €30m to allow Gouiri to leave the club but Laborde’s inclusion in any deal would lower that figure and the two clubs have reached an agreement in that regard, but there are still a few points to be worked out.

Gouiri is not interested in a move to former club Lyon, however, with the player preferring the prospect of Rennes while also targeting a Premier League move after his agents approached several English clubs last week.

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Stormers number eight Evan Roos is grateful to be back on the field and playing again after being sidelined with a rib injury.

Roos lit up the pitch on his return, scoring 90 seconds into his Champions Cup debut as he was one of the key stars to turn the game for the Stormers in their 30-16 win over Clermont Auvergne.

Happy to contribute

The Springbok star is delighted to have contributed to the team’s push on into the last 16, where the Cape Town side will welcome Harlequins for a fascinating game at the end of March.

“It is awesome being back … after two months out of action before playing my first game again,” Roos said. “I was just happy I could keep up!

“I was pleased that I could contribute to turning the game around by making an impact, as well as help secure a spot in the knockout stages. Now hopefully we can go all the way.”

Roos admits watching from the sidelines is difficult and is looking to feed off his teammates’ good form as he prepares for a big clash against Ulster.

“It’s not always easy or fun to watch from the outside yet my body needed the break, especially mentally,” Roos said.

“I enjoyed being away from rugby for a bit, but I can’t watch my team playing when I’m not playing, it feels weird. I’m now taking in what the rest of the squad is doing right, and adopting their good habits into my game.”

Roos is “proud” of duo Hacjivah Dayimani and Dan du Plessis for their sensational form over the last couple of weeks. Dayimani, who shifted to number eight in the Springbok’s absence, has been rewarded with a contract extension to 2025 with the Cape Town side.

While du Plessis has been firing on all cylinders, typified by his scything run against Clermont, resulting in one of the tries of the round.

“I’m immensely proud of both of them, especially Dan after his concussion problems last year. Playing as well as he is now is awesome to see,” Roos said.

⛈️ What a try! Beautiful hands and a scything run from Dan du Plessis to finish it off for the Stormers.pic.twitter.com/41dfuG0cU2

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) January 22, 2023

“I was quite jealous that I haven’t been there with them, so I’m happy I am there now and ready to add another option to our attack.”

Excited for Kingspan experience

The robust Stormers star is looking forward to playing at Kingspan Stadium for the first time this weekend and is hoping to adjust quickly to the change in weather.

“It’s going to be an amazing match and to play at Kingspan Stadium will be special. Dobbo (John Dobson) and I chatted about it and it’s one of those stadiums you have to experience playing at. It has an immense atmosphere and we can’t wait,” Roos said.

“Coming out of Cape Town where it was as high as 38 degrees, to Belfast where it is seven degrees, it’s something to get used to again after not having toured to France and London like the rest of the team this season.

“Ulster have a formidable scrum and maul as well as a very good, structured attack, so we have to counter that.

“They are a quality side with great players, so it’s going to be a tough but good fight, and one we are definitely up for.”

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When Tony Thompson got the nod to take a NT invitational side to Brisbane in 1988, he wasn’t expecting too much from his young charges.Queensland Rugby had offered NT a last-minute place in their state schoolboy rugby tournament – held at Brothers' home ground Crosby Park – and an U13s side was quickly slapped together to make the journey.Though a few players were school or club teammates, there was no prior squad experience. Thompson was juggling the head and forward coaching roles while good mate Wylie Lingman ran the backs and managed team duties.All in all, NT’s prospects weren’t great. As Thompson recalls, they were only supposed to be “making up the numbers”.

“We went through the tournament and the Queenslanders weren’t expecting us to do anything – I think they thought we should just be happy to be there,” Thompson said.“But sure enough, we ended up making it through to the final and scored the only try of the game right on the bell!”Sure enough, Thompson’s side were crowned QLD U13 tournament champions after a thrilling and low-scoring final – but not without an almighty stink fromtheir hosts.“The Queenslanders couldn’t believe it. They were furious and didn’t want to acknowledge the result at first,” Thompson said.“We had to ask for the trophy ourselves – they didn’t hand it to us – and we could only take a picture with it on the ground. “We had to ask if we could get our name engraved on the trophy, and they said they’d do that, but they wouldn’t even let us keep it or take home a smaller replica trophy.

“All we got to show for it was a red and white pennant.”Thankfully, the touring squad found better hospitality off the paddock with Thompson revealing his U13s enjoyed backstage access to the biggest ticket in town – Brisbane Expo ’88.“The whole tour was looked after by NT Tourism and one day we went down to Expo to visit the Northern Territory pavilion they had set up.”“We ended getting all the boys through the back door and straight into the middle of Expo. It was unbelievable. Such a good experience for the boys.”The pennant has since been located and will be returned to NT RugbyClick Here: roscommon gaa jerseys

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Paris Saint Germain returned to the top of Ligue 1 against Nantes ahead of their first Champions League tie against Juventus. Whilst the home side pressed well in the early stages of the game – Mbappé struck in a devastating counter attack to open the scoring for the Parisian side. A high studded tackle on Vitinha (which ended the midfielder’s game) saw a red card for Nantes’ Fábio in the 23rd minute. After this, it almost felt PSG were destined to go on to score more, with Lionel Messi impressing in a game that showcased his undoubted freak-like talent. A brace for Mbappé and a first goal for Nuno Mendes capped-off what was an overly positive showing for PSG before their Champions League tie against Juventus next week.

FC NANTES – 0

Lafont, 6 

Appiah, 7 – Great threat down the right-hand side in the first half but was limited in attack as Nantes went down to ten men. Despite this, his defensive duties stepped up during the second half and tackled brilliantly to stop what was certainly a Messi goal as the Argentine was played through on goal.

Castelletto, 6 

Girotto, 7 

Pallois, 6 

Fábio, 3 

Moutoussamy, 6 

Chririvella, 6 

Blas, 6 – Quiet first half, but grew into the second – was pushing down that left hand side against a resolute PSG defence and tested Donnarumma on occasion but ultimately it was too little to change the game.

Guessand, 7 – Effectve down the left hand side, combining well with Appiah and drove well into spaces as an outlet for Nantes, link-up play to forwards was impressive but faded in the second half as Nantes exhausted themselves down to ten men. 

Mohamed, 6

Others: Ganago 6, Corchia 5, Doucet 5, Coco, 6 

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN – 3

Donnarumma, 6

Hakimi, 7

Kimpembe, 7

Marquinhos, 7 

Danilo, 6

Bernat, 5

Verratti, 6

Vitinha, 7 – Really good at setting the tempo of PSG’s attacks and was the midfield’s bright start in the opening – a shame he came off injured in the first half. 

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Messi, 8 – Intelligent performance with two assists to his name, his trademark driving runs were ever present with a link-up play with Mbappé that changed the game for PSG. He equally provided well when Neymar entered the pitch, linking up arguably better with the Brazilian in a bright second half as PSG.

Sarabia, 7 

Mbappé, 8 – Great curled finish for the first goal, and he was quick off the mark to place in Messi’s low cross for his second – acted in the poacher role this game very effectively. 4 shots on target and 2 goals makes a good evenings’ work for the Frenchman. 

Others: 

Renato Sanches, 8 – After coming on for Vitinha in the second half he looked comfortable and confident in PSG’s midfield, linking up play to the Parisian attackers and retaining the ball well alongside a consistent Verratti. 

Nuno Mendes, 7

Neymar 7, – Was really bright when he came on and linked up well with Messi in the latter stages of the second half – it was a seemless substitution from Galtier

Ekitike, 6 

Stormers head coach John Dobson has confirmed that star number eight Evan Roos is set to spend a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in his side’s 35-5 defeat to Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium.

The 23-year-old sustained his injury in the 14th minute of the United Rugby Championship encounter after being cleared out at a ruck by Ulster back-row duo Duane Vermeulen and Nick Timoney.

Continued playing

Roos twisted his knee while falling back awkwardly and after leaving the field to receive treatment, he returned to continue playing but was eventually taken off permanently in the 22nd minute.

He only returned to action in the Stormers‘ Champions Cup win over Clermont Auvergne last week after being ruled out for two months due to a rib injury sustained while on Springbok duty.

Roos was seen in crutches after Friday’s match against the Northern Irish province and Dobson doesn’t expect him to return to action soon.

“It’s knee ligaments, but I am not sure of the grade or the scale yet,” said Dobson. ” It was a nasty cleanout, and Evan is going to be gone for a while, unfortunately.

“He’s on crutches, so it’s not a trivial knee injury.

“I just hope it doesn’t impact his aspirations at national level.

“I would be surprised if he plays for the Stormers again [this season].”

Apart from the Roos, Stormers full-back Clayton Blommetjies and back-row Junior Pokomela also withdrew ahead of the match and they lost hooker JJ Kotze and fly-half Jean-Luc du Plessis to injuries before half-time.

“Junior developed headaches last night (Thursday), and he was concussed against (London Irish) – so the doctors ruled him out then,” added Dobson.

“Blomme had some infection in his groin that just came up this (Friday) morning, and by lunchtime, he couldn’t walk.

More misery

“In the match, JJ is another concussion, Jean-Luc quite a substantial concussion, and then (Roos went off).

“It’s just frustrating as I was trying to get that loose trio back together, but now Evan – that was a really nasty clean-out, and he’s going to be gone for a while unfortunately.”

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Ligue 1 22/23, Round 6, 04/09/22

AS Monaco edged out local rivals OGC Nice at the Allianz Riviera in a tight tactical battle during which defences thrived. In a game devoid of chances, it would be the most clinical side that took the victory. 

The game was decided by an outstanding moment of quality from Monaco left-back Caio Henrique, whose whipped cross was met perfectly by the head of Breel Embolo, who found himself marked out of the game for large periods of the fixture. 

Monaco’s defence deprived Nice of time and space in the final third, successfully shackling the reunited duo of Gaëtan Laborde and Andy Delort. From two derbies in the space of just over a week at the Allianz Riviera, Nice have failed to take a single point and slip to 16th in the table. Monaco, meanwhile, jump up to 10th ahead of a crucial week where they will face Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League, before welcoming Lyon at the Stade Louis II next weekend. 

OGC Nice – 0

Kasper Schmeichel – 4 – One shot, one goal for Monaco. The former Leicester City man was barely tested, but was beaten by Embolo in what was Monaco’s only shot on goal of the entire fixture. 

Dante  – 7

Youcef Atal – 6 – He had looked promising at right-wing back and saw an early attempt saved by Nübel.  His surging runs from wide caused Monaco’s defence trouble, but his match was cut short by injury mid-way through the first-half. 

Jean-Clair Todibo – 7

Melvin Bard – 5

Mattia Viti – 6

Aaron Ramsey – 8 – A metronomic midfield force, the Welshman was key for Nice in possession. Initially alongside Thuram and then partnered by Rosario in the second period, he looked at ease and was at the heart of every sustained piece of Niçois possession. It was only Ramsey’s second Ligue 1 start for the club, but the signs of a Ramsey revival are certainly there. He was replaced just before the hour to a chorus of “Ramsey, Ramsey,” an indication that his performances are already winning over the Nice faithful. 

Khephren Thuram – 7

Andy Delort – 4

Gaëtan Laborde – 4 – on his grand reunion with former Montpellier teammate Andy Delort, Laborde was kept quiet. He struggled to make an impact on the game and was restricted to only a few touches. With the possession he had, he was largely ineffective and unthreatening. It may take just a little time to reconstruct those automatisms with his strike partner. 

Nicolas Pépé – 5

Others: Lotomba (5), Rosario (4), Beka Beka (4), Diop (4), Bryan (5)

 

AS Monaco – 1

Alexander Nübel – 6

Malang Sarr – 6

Benoît Badiashile – 6

Axel Disasi – 8 – The Monégasque defence was rarely tested but when it was, Disasi was often perfectly placed to sweep up the danger. The Frenchman has often been overlooked in favour of teammate Badiashile, but his impressive start to the season is turning heads. Complimenting his smart positioning is an aggression, which stifles attacks before they start and a calmness in possession, which allows his side to progress the ball from the defence and into the midfield. 

Caio Henrique – 8 – In a tight tactical battle, the game needed a moment of magic to be decided and Caio delivered it. His sumptuous cross was perfectly met by Embolo at the back post. As he often was last season, the former Atletico Madrid man was once again crucial to Monaco’s attacking efforts, and he is beginning to also look defensively more assured. 

Youssouf Fofana – 5

Mohamed Camara – 7 – The Malian midfielder has enjoyed an exemplary start to life at Monaco. Despite not playing since June for RB Salzburg, he has fitted seamlessly into Monaco’s midfield pivot, and started three consecutive Ligue 1 matches for the side. He brings an element of aggression to Monaco’s midfield, which occasionally goes over the line, but which sets an example to his teammates. He brought an energy befitting of a big local derby. 

Ruben Aguilar – 6

Aleksandr Golovin – 7

Breel Embolo – 7 – The Swiss striker was largely marked out of the match, but made his presence felt at the crucial moment. He tucked away his only chance of the game to give Les Monégasques the win. 

Krépin Diatta – 7

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Others: Vanderson (6), Jakobs (N/A)