Today's rugby news as ex-Wales captain joins calls for star's position switch as future international nears return

Here are your rugby morning headlines for Friday, October 25.

Former Wales captain joins calls for star to switch positions

Former Wales captain Ellis Jenkins has joined the calls to switch Mason Grady back to the wing this autumn.

The Cardiff back played all three summer Tests at inside centre, despite having never played a club game in the position. Warren Gatland admitted this week that, with shortages in the back-three, Grady could move back to the wing - where he has played most of his rugby for the Arms Park side - ahead of matches against Fiji, Australia and South Africa.

And Grady's old Cardiff team-mate, former back-row Jenkins, admitted he was hoping to see Grady lining up out wide next month.

"I prefer to see Mason on the wing," he said on BBC's Scrum V: The Warm Up. "There's a lot of debate around the centres.

"He hasn't played at 12. If you've got visions of him playing at 12 internationally, he's got to play there regularly at a lower level where his mistakes are not as amplified and you're allowed to play with the freedom of not being in a Test match.

"I also think playing further out gets Mason with the ball in his hands in a bit more space, which is his strength. Traditionally, we've seen Jamie Roberts and Hadleigh Parkes running those hard lines.

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"Catching the ball on the gainline is very different to getting the ball in yours hands early and being able to beat people. Mason is seriously quick and seriously strong.

"When he gets that fend out, he's pretty difficult to stop. But at 12, I feel once he gets the ball, his space has been closed down so he's not able to use his strengths.

"On the flipside, someone like Ben Thomas and Eddie James is used to being in those positions with less space and probably more of a role of putting other people into space."

Promising Wales youngster nearing return

Promising Ospreys lock James Fender is one of a handful of players set to return from injury next month.

The Ospreys are bottom of the United Rugby Championship table partly because they have been decimated by injuries, with circa 40% of their squad sidelined for last weekend's 36-12 defeat to Ulster in Belfast.

But they are set to be stronger when the URC returns after a break in November with Fender, who has been on the Wales radar, among those due to return.

"James Fender has started training now so we are hoping he is ready for the next block," said Ospreys head coach Toby Booth. "Will Griffiths should be back by then, Rhys Henry should be back by then.

"They are the ones coming back the quickest. Rhys Davies will be a little bit after that.

"James Ratti is somewhere in between the two. So, block two we should be a lot healthier which will be great."

Overlooked England star reveals Wales international's advice

Overlooked England prop Will Collier has revealed the advice that former Wales international Olly Kohn gave him ahead of his move to France.

The 33-year-old left Harlequins over the summer, after more than a decade and 240 appearances for the Stoop club, joining Castres.

And Collier - who only won two caps for England despite continuously earning the praise of his scrum coach at Quins, Wales tight-head legend Adam Jones, and many more - has revealed that one-cap Wales second-row and business partner Kohn gave him the nudge to try rugby in another country.

“He’s one of the other reasons I’m here,” Collier told RugbyPass, speaking about Kohn. “He said, ‘Mate, you’ve got to get out there. You’re going to love it. It’s made for you’.”

As well as being team-mates at Harlequins, the pair also own a restaurant in business in Bristol.

Slade leave England camp to prove fitness

By Damian Spellman, PA

Henry Slade is available for Exeter’s Gallagher Premiership clash with Harlequins as he attempts to prove his fitness ahead of England’s Autumn internationals.

The 31-year-old centre has been released from Steve Borthwick’s training camp in Girona to return to his club ahead of Sunday’s fixture at Sandy Park in which he could make his first competitive appearance of the season after recovering from shoulder surgery.

Should he emerge unscathed, he would be in line to win his 66th cap against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on November 2.

Asked about his availability this weekend, Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said: “Sladey is available, which is obviously fantastic news for us.

“To be fair to England, they’ve been very good about it, Henry wants some game-time. They obviously want to see him in a game, we obviously want to see him in a game.

“I think more than anything else, it’s when the player wants to play and he wants to get out there, that’s probably the key to pulling it all together.

“Between ourselves and England, we’ve come to as good an arrangement as possible. He’s spent some time with England, he’ll have a training day with us today and play at the weekend, so that’s good news for us.

“Obviously he’s a very important player, a player we’ve missed so far this season both on and off the field, really, in a lot of ways, so that’s good news.”

Slade’s lack of rugby means he will be closely monitored, like any player returning from a significant injury, as he steps back into the competitive arena.

However, Baxter revealed England have taken a light-touch approach to the management of his comeback since his return for the Autumn fixtures became a possibility with no hard and fast arrangement in place over how long he will play this weekend.

Asked if his contribution would be “micromanaged” given the implications for England, he said: “I wouldn’t say micromanaged is the correct word.

“Obviously from England’s perspective, they would actually feel more comfortable if he had some game-time and we’re obviously keen for him to play.

“But we’re also keen to help Sladey get the prep right that he needs because I think he would be ending up going into the England camp and potentially playing anyway regardless of this scenario, so Steve and I just talked through the scenarios of what could make it work for both of us.

“Obviously if Henry is involved on Sunday, he has a short turnaround into England’s game, which means he has limited training on Monday, so he has a limited training week with them, and so really between us we discussed the ideal situation and it was he spent the beginning of the week with England, he’s over here in time to finish our training week and that makes him available for the weekend.

“The intensity of the game, metres run, the speed of the game, that’s going to dictate more how long Sladey is around.”