Here are your rugby headlines for Tuesday, December 24.

Wales star had to have 'tough conversations' with himself

Wales centre Nick Tompkins has spoken about his remarkable achievement of 200 appearances for Saracens and how he managed to achieve such a feat.

The 29-year-old, who has 38 Wales caps to his name, faced stiff competition in his early years at Sarries, with Brad Barritt, Marcello Bosh, Chris Wyles, Duncan Taylor, Alex Lozowski and Owen Farrell keeping him out of the side.

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The standards those players set forced Tompkins to take a look in the mirror and up his game. The results, clearly, speak for themselves.

“It has been great to have been able to play with so many great players during my time at Saracens. They certainly didn’t make it easy for me, but they taught me so much,” Tompkins told the club website.

“Brad and Marcello were brilliant for me and I very quickly realised that if I wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t going to play. When I wasn’t getting regular game time I had to have some tough conversations with myself.

“I realised the fact I wasn’t playing was down to me - I had to work harder and get better. So many people have helped me to reach 200 appearances for this great club and it is a real honour every time I pull on the shirt.”

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Welsh-qualified talent commits to English club

Welsh-qualified centre Joe Jenkins has committed his future to Bristol Bears. The former England youth international, 21, is one of 10 players to have put pen to paper at the Ashton Gate club.

Jenkins is someone who has been on Wales's radar for some time, with Warren Gatland and Rob Howley going to watch him play in the flesh back in October.

Having been born in Halifax, Jenkins qualifies for Wales through his father's side of the family who originally hail from Llanharan. The Monmouth School product played for Newport Schools and trialled for the Dragons U16s side but didn't make the cut at the Welsh club and was eventually picked up by Bristol.

Jenkins became Bristol's youngest ever starter in the Gallagher Premiership when he made his debut as an 18-year-old against Saracens in November 2022. But the talented centre has been unlucky with injuries which stunted his progress somewhat and has spent some time on loan in the English Championship with Cornish Pirates.

The length of the contract has not been revealed, by Bristol boss Pat Lam said after the raft of new deals: "We're building a squad that can play the Bears way, with a mixture of guys that have been on the journey for a number of years and the addition of some quality international players.

"But the most exciting part is that we are bringing through a group of homegrown young players who have taken their opportunity through hard work and desire to do well for their community."

Last year, former Wales U20s head coach Byron Hayward disclosed his unsuccessful attempt to select Jenkins for his squad.

"I spoke to Joe's dad back in November because he is definitely a player we are interested in," revealed Hayward back in February 2023. "He's Welsh-qualified. He said Joe felt obligated to England because he'd come through their U18s programme, and they had rehabbed him through a knee injury which is totally explainable. I understand and quite admire his loyalty."

"He is 100% Welsh and assured me that Joe wants to play for Wales at senior level and sees himself as a Welshman. However, at this moment in time he felt a loyalty to England because they've looked after him."

Kolisi 'hands in transfer request'

Siya Kolisi wants to leave the Sharks just three months after re-joining the club, according to reports in South Africa.

The Springboks captain returned to his homeland ahead of the 2024/25 season, following a frustrating stint at Racing 92 in France. However, South African media claim that he is already looking to move elsewhere, with another of his former clubs, the Stormers, his desired destination.

He previously represented the Stormers between 2012 and 2020 and, according to reports, wants to leave Durban for Cape Town to be closer to his family, having recently announced his divorce from his wife of 10 years, Rachel. The father of two is said to be keen to be nearer to his children while they are still at .

The 33-year-old had two years remaining on his contract with Racing, but the Top 14 side agreed to terminate it early to allow him to move back to South Africa in September. The move came weeks after Kolisi had been publicly called out by the club's owner, who accused him of gaining weight and being "invisible" during matches.