Today's rugby news as England 'win' battle for rising Welsh talent and tragic star laid to rest
These are your rugby headlines on Friday, January 10.
England tipped to win tug-of-war with Wales for huge talent
England are tipped to win the battle with Wales over rising star Kepu Tuipulotu following a recent amendment in World Rugby eligibility rules.
According to The Telegraph, the rule change, which has seemingly left WRU officials furious, allows them to select the young Bath talent immediately.
READ MORE: New faces emerging as serious contenders for Wales' Six Nations squad named in days
Born in Pontypool, Tuipulotu is an explosive and skilful hooker who has captained England Under-18s and is expected to play a significant role for England U20 during the forthcoming Six Nations. However, questions have been raised about the exciting 19-year-old's senior England eligibility, with some arguing that he should only be eligible at senior level for Wales, by birthplace, and Tonga, due to his family heritage.
Last August's World Rugby amendment focused on residency and clarified that the qualification period of 60 months does not need to be continuous. This was intended to clarify situations where players have moved between neighbouring countries without a hard border.
All eligibility cases are considered by World Rugby on an individual basis, and it is believed that the RFU argued that Tuipulotu, who attended Caldicott Preparatory School before joining Harrow School, has already served his five-year residency and should be able to represent England immediately. The alternative could mean he as to stay another five years at Bath after joining them last summer.
The Telegraph report that an RFU official believes Tuipulotu to be "100 per cent" eligible for England, but they quote a senior WRU source as saying: "Now, on an individual case-by-case basis, schooling can come into account for eligibility.
"Kepu can play for England during the U20 Six Nations anyway because he is attached to an English academy, which is another loophole, but previously he couldn’t play for the seniors. Because of the changes, the RFU believes that he will be eligible. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is selected in the England A game in March to tie him.
"It means that English schools can cherry-pick the best talent, which they are doing anyway, and those players could qualify for England despite having no ancestry.
"It obviously puts a lot of pressure on the Union, our schools and our pathways to retain talent. We’re continuing to work on that, but it’s a worry that a non-English player can become English through schooling."
Tragic England star laid to rest
The funeral of England rugby player Tom Voyce will take place later today.
Voyce, a former wing who won nine international caps, had tried to drive across a ford at Abberwick in Northumberland on December 8, before his car was swept downstream "as a result of storm water" during Storm Darragh.
The 43-year-old's car was later found submerged in 7ft of water in the River Aln, while his body was tragically discovered further downstream four days later.
He leaves behind his wife Anna and his six-year-old son, Oscar.
A funeral notice for Voyce reads: "Tragically, on Sunday, December 8, aged 43 years. Much loved husband of Anna, loving daddy of Oscar, treasured son of Christine and the late Michael, and a dear brother of Emily. Greatly loved and sadly missed by all his family and friends.
"A private burial will be followed by A Celebration of Tom's life in St Michael's Parish Church, Alnwick, on Friday, January 10 at 2pm. Family flowers only please, donations in lieu if desired to Northumberland National Park and North of the Tyne Mountain Rescue Teams, Amble & Coastguard Volunteers and The Wooden Spoon Charity c/o William Purves Funeral Directors, Garden Lodge Greenwell Road, Alnwick, NE66 1HB."
Marler slams 'b******s' ban
Former England international Joe Marler has slammed the ban handed out to Ireland star Mack Hansen.
Hansen has been hit with a three week ban after making comments about the standard of refereeing in his Connacht side's loss to Leinster on December 21. Following the defeat, the wing said it felt like his side were playing against "16 men".
An independent disciplinary panel upheld a charge of misconduct against the Ireland international, who received a six-week suspension, three of which are suspended. Meanwhile, Connacht have been hit with a £8,400 fine over the comments, while Hansen must also apologise to Chris Busby.
Hansen - who will miss his side's upcoming matches against Lyon, Cardiff and Glasgow but will be eligible to play again in time for the Six Nations - issued an apology through Connacht after receiving the suspension.
In a statement, he said: "Upon reflection, my comments to the media were ill-advised, and fell far short of the standards I expect of myself, and what the sport expects of its players. I want to offer an apology to the match officials for any distress my comments may have caused. Our games are built on mutual respect and I didn't show that after the game.
"I also want to apologise to the URC, and I fully accept the findings of the independent disciplinary panel. I love Connacht, and I love rugby. Moving forward, I will channel all my energy and passion into representing my province and country to the absolute best of my ability – both on and off the field."
However, Marler - who retired from rugby in November - was not impressed, as he took to X to simply describe the suspension as "utter b******s".
Former Ireland full-back Rob Kearney also weighed in, telling the Irish Sun: “You cannot completely put a muzzle on players and just not allow them to voice their opinions because they are a key part of the game."
Ospreys chase 'quality' signings
Ospreys head coach Mark Jones has revealed the club are working hard to sign some quality players ahead of the 2025/26 season.
WalesOnline understands Wallabies forward Tom Hooper is a target with the Ospreys in need of signings up-front, with Adam Beard heavily linked with a move to Montpellier and Justin Tipuric hanging up his boots to become defence coach. "We are definitely trying to explore some opportunities to bring in some quality into the environment," said the former Wales wing.
"We've got a lot of young players coming through we know will benefit from having quality around them. Having great role models, having players that have some overseas experience or have some Premiership experience or even playing in France.
"There are guys that have come in to mentor these younger players and drive the standards up. We are looking at players all the time."
The Ospreys are also expected to announce new deals for Wales pair Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake in the near future but external recruitment will in part be down to a new deal between the Welsh Rugby Union and its four professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets.
"We know the relationship between the regions and the WRU is going to have a big impact on that with the new agreement," said Jones. "Hopefully when that's signed that will give some flexibility to bringing in some real quality to support our young players.
"We are already a long way down the line in securing our own talent. The focus here when the announcement was made of myself coming into this role was working with Dan Griff.
"Dan has done an incredible job of retaining our young talent. That was our main focus but we've been able to do that in large part and now it's setting our sights at bringing some external quality in as well."
Cardiff-born Jones made England vice-captain
Welsh-born centre Megan Jones has been named as a new England Women's vice-captain.
The 28-year-old was born and raised in Cardiff and is a Welsh speaker, but while her father is a "proud Welshman", her mother is English, with Jones deciding at 16 to represent England over the country of her birth.
The Leicester Tigers centre has previously said she has absolutely no regrets over her decision, describing it as the "best leap" of her career, having won 21 Test caps for the Red Roses.
Jones has now been rewarded with a leadership role within John Mitchell's squad, having been named as one of two new vice-captains alongside former skipper Marlie Packer.
Gloucester-Hartpury forward Zoe Aldcroft has replaced Packer as England captain, with the 58-cap star set to lead her side into the upcoming Women's Six Nations as well as a home Rugby World Cup this summer.
"It's an incredible honour to be awarded the Red Roses captaincy," said Aldcroft, who also led Gloucester-Hartpury to the last two Premiership Women's Rugby titles. "I feel privileged to have the trust of John Mitchell and the coaching staff.
"To be able to follow in Marlie's footsteps means a lot to me. I am extremely grateful for the knowledge and advice she has shared with me over the years and I know I will be well supported by her, Meg and our whole leadership group."
