What a distinction every week makes after one of many nice video games of 2024. Phrase from League Central that the NRL hierarchy are enquiring of Channel 9 why they’re giving rugby a lot protection. Newsflash: rugby is a world recreation. This week it’s Wales, hopefully extra progress is made.
My different giggle for the week is that now the narrative from my gaol rugby mates is that each one NRL gamers could be world class rugby gamers. My response is to call Suli Vunivalu, Will Chambers and fairly a couple of others.
Worldwide video games of curiosity this week.
Italy v Georgia is all the time feisty. USA v Tonga must be shut.
Welsh rugby participant quits sport for good after revealing suicide try
By no means endure in silence and all the time ask a pal or acquaintance RUOK because the black canine follows all of us at some stage. Former Ospreys scrum-half Harri Morgan has confirmed he gained’t return to rugby after taking a step again from the sport to guard his psychological well being final 12 months.
The 24-year-old, who represented Wales in U20s, introduced in April 2023 that he could be standing down from skilled rugby “for now”, having tried to take his personal life two months earlier. In a courageous social media submit, he detailed his struggles with psychological well being, which had been worsened by the lack of his grandparents and “consecutive rugby accidents” and culminated in him taking an overdose.
“For a lot of years, I’ve suffered in silence,” he wrote on the time. “Grieving the lack of my grandparents and consecutive rugby accidents are the principle contributors to my psychological well being, inflicting stress and nervousness. On fifth February, I reached the bottom level of my life and regrettably, I took the choice to attempt to finish it with an overdose.”
“I’ve made the tough choice to take a while out {of professional} rugby,” Morgan added. “Rugby will all the time be my ardour however, for now, I must prioritise my psychological and bodily well-being. This isn’t a goodbye to rugby eternally, it’s a goodbye for now.”
Nevertheless, over 18 months on, the Bridgend-born expertise says he is not going to return to skilled rugby in any respect, explaining that he’d “slightly be blissful,” having already had his quick profession hampered by a collection of great accidents.
“A number of the negatives had been main again to rugby and the impression that was having,” he informed BBC Wales Reside. “Particularly the accidents and the pressures of being in knowledgeable surroundings. I undoubtedly didn’t really feel as if there was numerous help round this kind of injured group inside rugby. I didn’t really feel as if I may say something as a result of I used to be letting down teammates, coaches and finish of the day, I nonetheless wanted to get a contract.”
After each of his grandparents died inside a brief house of time, Morgan’s psychological well being worsened, main him to really feel “empty” and take into account taking his personal life. “It began off like kind of nervousness,” he mentioned. “My coronary heart would begin racing, and I’d get shortness of breath. I didn’t actually really feel something, I simply felt empty.”
Scott Cummings, suspended after crimson card in opposition to South Africa
Was this the worst issued crimson card and essentially the most egregious suspension in historical past? The chocolate wheel of injustice strikes once more.
Scotland second-row Scott Cummings has been suspended from rugby for one week following his 20-minute crimson carding throughout the first half of final weekend’s defeat to South Africa at Murrayfield. The sanction means he is not going to be obtainable for this coming Saturday’s go to of Portugal, though he would virtually definitely have been rested for that match anyway, and he’ll come again into rivalry for the nationwide staff’s ultimate autumn encounter in opposition to Australia the next Sunday.
Cummings was initially proven a yellow card, which was subsequently upgraded to a crimson by the Tv Match Official, for what was deemed to be a harmful filter of a ruck. That punishment prompted incredulity on the time from Scotland rugby followers who felt that Cummings had been knocked onto Springbok lock Franco Mostert‘s leg by Springbok scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse, however an Impartial Disciplinary Committee chaired by Rhian Williams (Wales), alongside former worldwide referee Donal Courtney (Eire) and former worldwide participant Olly Kohn (Wales), agreed that an act of foul play had occurred.
“The Disciplinary Committee decided that while reckless, the low-range entry level of two weeks was acceptable with the complete 50% mitigation utilized, primarily based on an exemplary disciplinary file, good conduct and having proven regret, decreasing the sanction to at least one week,” mentioned a press release from Six Nations Rugby.
Balanced Scottish fan, Tee, mentioned
This was an excellent alternative for the much-maligned kangaroo court docket to point out themselves to be competent and credible by admitting the flawed choice was made as a result of very apparent extenuating involvement of SA’s scrum-half.
As an alternative, they’ve dogmatically utilized the bottom attainable punishment slightly than concede the officers had been incorrect. Pathetic. As others have commented, the method leaves Cummings no possibility however to plead regret as a result of not doing so would simply lengthen his ban.
Gatland displays on ‘media narrative’ over future
From the BBC
Head coach Warren Gatland says he’s blissful to subject the strain of questions on his future after guiding Wales to a tenth successive worldwide defeat. Fiji’s first win in Cardiff means Wales have not gained a Check in 400 days, with Gatland’s facet equalling the worldwide dropping streak of Steve Hansen’s facet in 2002 and 2003.
Following the 24-19 loss on the Principality Stadium, Gatland was requested whether or not he thought his place was below risk. “You possibly can write about that,” mentioned Gatland. “The strain comes externally, mainly from the media, because it’s a story that you just create. That’s okay from the place I sit.”
Gatland added: “We’ve mentioned for the final 12 months for the reason that World Cup, with the variety of gamers and expertise that we’ve misplaced, we had been going to put money into a bunch of children that we felt we may construct with and take us on. We’ve seen growth from these children. We’ve mentioned we want some persistence and time. However I perceive Check match rugby is about performing and successful. You [the media] management the narrative and write what you need. I’ll see what occurs there.”
Wales will look to keep away from a file eleventh Check loss when a rejuvenated Australia arrive on the Principality Stadium subsequent Sunday after an exhilarating 42-37 win in opposition to England. The narrative will imply the Welsh will look to take this recreation to the gutter and make it a dogfight. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how the Wallabies address favouritism for most likely solely the second time this 12 months.
Hoss again tomorrow, Australia by 7.