Tonight's rugby news as Thomas Young set to swap regions and Irish star addresses Easterby rumour
Here are the latest rugby news headlines on Saturday, February 15.
Young set to join Dragons
Thomas Young is set to leave Cardiff and join rivals the Dragons next season.
The flanker's contract is up at the end of the current campaign and he is now in talks over a move down the M4, Rugby Pass report.
READ MORE: Legend Justin Tipuric tips young warrior with 'heart of a lion' for Wales call-up
READ MORE: Ex-Wales star bluntly outlines Warren Gatland mistake he expects Matt Sherratt to fix
Cardiff have signed Dragons flanker Taine Basham for next season, with Young's move the opposite way perhaps not entirely unexpected.
He is thought to be one of the five signings the Dragons recently revealed they have made, with five more said to be on the way. Dragons owner David Wright told a recent fan Q&A: "We have now secured five players with contracts signed. We are aiming for another five over the next few weeks and months.
"We will announce them at the right time but we have signed five really good players, and we will get the others over the line.
"Of those five, three are internationals – I’m not saying which team! – and that is really positive news."
Ireland players aware of Easterby talk
Ireland international Gary Ringrose insists reports about interim head coach Simon Easterby succeeding Warren Gatland for Wales is being ignored by the players.
Easterby is known to be one of the top candidates among Welsh Rugby Union bosses, and that speculation is set to ramp up this week with Ireland taking on Wales
"I only heard it off one of the lads but, sure, it's not a thing at all," said Ringrose of the reported interest.
"Simon is dead focused on trying to prepare as best we can and that's aligned with what the players are driving to."
Ireland's head of athletic performance Aled Walters is not surprised Easterby is being linked.
"He's that good a coach that there's always going to be speculation in professional sport, that's human nature," said Walters.
"There's been a change with Wales, and the fact that he lives there, he was always going to be linked.
"That's the quality of the man. Credit to him and credit to the group, nothing has been said about it.
"We just carry on preparing for Wales as we would normally."
England determined to end Calcutta Cup ‘hurt’ and avoid unwanted history
By Andrew Baldock, PA Rugby Union Correspondent
Alex Mitchell admits that England are “hurting” following a record-equalling run of four successive defeats against Scotland.
Gregor Townsend’s team will eclipse sequences achieved between 1893 and 1896 and during the early 1970s if they triumph at Allianz Stadium next Saturday.
The Calcutta Cup has been in Scotland’s possession since 2021, and another win would derail England’s momentum gained from a thrilling 26-25 victory over France.
“We are hurting the last four years,” England scrum-half Mitchell said. “It’s not nice to lose that many on the bounce.
“It is a massive rivalry, and obviously the last couple of years we’ve not come out on top, but it is a fantastic game, always a massive Test match.
“The atmospheres are always huge, and for me these are the games you want to play in and the biggest games of your career, so personally I can’t wait.
“I wouldn’t say there is a monkey on our back at all. Obviously, we need to respect quality opposition with quality individuals, but we just need to look after our game-plan and our performance.
“I have actually got one mate from school who is from Scotland, so he always gives me a bit of grief. If I am playing, he is going to come down and wear his Scotland top.
“I don’t know why I am going to get him a ticket – I probably shouldn’t.”
Second half Stormers comeback cannot deny Lions victory
By Phil Casey
Lions held off a spirited fightback from Stormers to secure a 30-23 win in round 11 of the United Rugby Championship at Emirates Airline Park.
Lions enjoyed an 18-point lead at half-time after tries from Morne van den Berg, Henco van Wyk and Marius Louw, the first two coming with Warrick Gelant in the sin-bin for deliberately slowing the ball down after making a try-saving tackle.
Gelant made partial amends with a superb individual score early in the second half and Evan Roos also crossed after Richard Kriel was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on but the Lions defence held firm under concerted pressure before Jurie Matthee’s penalty secured a losing bonus point.
