Tonight's rugby news as Wales international out for nine months and Jamie Roberts hails 'brilliant' job news
These are your evening rugby headlines on Wednesday, January 22.
Wales international out for nine months
Wales and Dragons full-back Cai Evans has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury that could keep him on the sidelines until the autumn.
The 25-year-old suffered the injury less than half an hour into the Dragons' Challenge Cup defeat to Pau earlier this month and left Rodney Parade on crutches. He later underwent scans to determine the severity of the injury, with it now confirmed that he has ruptured his Achilles.
READ MORE: Welsh prodigy deemed too good for Wales Under-20s as senior call beckons
READ MORE: Wales announce Adam Jones appointment as Warren Gatland gets two new faces
Evans - the son of former Wales captain Ieuan - now potentially faces nine months on the sidelines. It is a blow to the Dragons and the man himself, with his contract at Rodney Parade up at the end of the season.
In a further setback for the Dragons, captain Angus O'Brien is also set for a lay-off after undergoing surgery on a fractured thumb.
"It's a shame to lose both players to injury at a time when both were producing positive performances," said interim head coach Filo Tiatia.
"Cai has been unlucky with injury, so we feel for him. He is a top-quality man and he now has started that recovery journey with our staff and support.
"Angus will also be out for a spell," he added. "He's had a thumb operation so we will see how he goes and look to get him back as soon as possible."
Evans has won two caps for Wales, making his debut at full-back against South Africa in a 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up match before a brief cameo off the bench against England at last year's Six Nations.
Roberts hails 'brilliant' new appointment
Jamie Roberts has welcomed Wales' appointment of psychology and human performance specialist Andy McCann, who has joined Warren Gatland's backroom team for the Six Nations.
McCann - whose appointment was confirmed on Wednesday alongside former Welsh prop Adam Jones, who has joined as a scrum coach - previously worked with the Wales men's team from 2009 to 2017. He has now returned to the international set-up covering mental skills and performance and will support players from a mindset and mentality perspective.
Gatland said he was "delighted" with the double appointment, with McCann adding that he was "particularly excited with the opportunity to work in support of this group of players" throughout the Six Nations.
Former Wales centre Roberts - who is now a Welsh Rugby Union board member - benefitted from McCann's work during his playing days and said his presence in camp will be invaluable for Gatland's squad, who are looking to end their dismal 12 match losing run at Test level.
"‘It’s brilliant for the playing group to have someone of Andy’s experience and wisdom to lean on during the upcoming Six Nations campaign," said Roberts.
“Having been around the camp for many years during Warren’s first tenure, I know from experience that Andy’s mental and motivational skillset played a pivotal role in supporting the growth, confidence, and performance of many of the household names of that generation."
Lions hopeful suffers major blow
Scotland star Sione Tuipulotu faces a race to prove his fitness in time for the British & Irish Lions' tour of Australia this summer, after being sidelined with a "serious" pectoral injury.
The 27-year-old centre, who captained Gregor Townsend's side during the autumn, is considered one of the most influential players in world rugby right now, but suffered a major blow after picking up the injury in training two weeks before the start of the Six Nations.
He will now miss the tournament and most of the rest of the season, with Townsend expecting him to be out of action for between four and five months. That recovery timeline means he could remain sidelined until the middle of June.
Tuipulotu has been widely tipped to start in the Lions midfield Down Under and has even emerged as a potential captaincy option alongside the likes of Caelan Doris and Maro Itoje.
But with the Lions squad set to be announced in April and Andy Farrell's side due to jet off to Australia in the final week of June, the Scotland ace now faces a challenge to be back at peak fitness in time to win a place. However, Townsend remains positive that he will do so.
“It's a longer injury," said Townsend. "We're talking four or five months. It's a serious injury obviously to be at that length of time.
"But I'm optimistic for him that he'll be back playing at the end of the season for Glasgow. He'll be fresh whether it's a summer tour with us or a summer tour with the Lions.
"The way he's been playing, he's definitely done all he could to be in that mix. And if everything goes well, he'll be back a few weeks before that tour.”
RFU chief: I won't quit
By PA Sport Staff
Bill Sweeney has vowed to fight on in his role as Rugby Football Union chief executive despite facing calls for his dismissal over a pay and bonuses scandal.
Sweeney has also revealed that he wanted to defer the controversial bonus payment that has led to calls for his removal. The RFU has agreed to hold a special general meeting, at which Sweeney will face moves to end his tenure, after the Guinness Six Nations.
A total of 141 signatories are included on a letter that was sent to the RFU on January 9, easily exceeding the 100 member clubs needed to trigger a SGM under the governing body's rules.
Annual accounts published in November revealed Sweeney received pay of £1.1million for the 2023-24 financial year, comprising of an increased salary of £742,000 and a bonus of £358,000. Further bonuses totalling almost £1m were paid to five other executives even though the RFU reported a record operating loss of £37.9m and made 42 staff redundant.
Speaking to The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast, Sweeney said: "I have definitely got the energy (to carry on). I mean, the easiest thing to do now would be (to) walk away
"The easiest thing to do now would be to say, 'right, I've had enough of this stuff. I've had enough of this political crap that goes on. It's worse than Succession. I've had enough of all that stuff. Why bother?'
"I can't do that. I wouldn't do that. It's just unbearable to think I would just take that easy option out. We have got some great stuff that we've developed and we're just starting to land into the game. I know what's going on behind the scenes. I know who is involved in it. So I am not just going to walk away from those characters either. So I'm going to stick it out.
"If the board tells me to go, that's fine. If they don't tell me to go and they believe I'm doing a good job - and I do believe I'm doing a good job - then I'll stay. And if that means taking a load more stick and flak, then OK, I'll stay."
Sweeney, meanwhile, said he had been unable to push back his long-term incentive payment.
"I knew it was going be a major problem, quite a way before it was done," he added. "I wanted to defer it, so I said, 'why are we paying this in '23-24? Why don't we defer to '25 or '27?'
"The problem is, once you've declared an incentive programme like this, it's stated in your annual reports, and it was done previously, you accrue for it year after year. Even if it has been paid later, it still has to be announced and it still has to be taken in that year, so that wouldn't have changed."
Sweeney swept aside any suggestion that he should have rejected the bonus or offered it to charity.
"It's a contracted commitment. You don't have to take it... it's contractually available," he said. "We didn't request an LTIP, we had no say in the quantum of it, no say in what the amount should be. Giving it all to charity as a justification for why you've accepted the LTIP... I'm not sure that's the right message."
Sweeney did not hide away from the gravity of the current scrutiny on his organisation, but suggested the problems may run even deeper. Asked if he felt the RFU was fit for purpose, he said: "I do think it is, but I do think there are changes necessary.
"I don't think applying the same structures we've in the RFU now that existed when the game went professional in '95 and prior to that (works). "I suppose the question would be is the RFU fit for purpose or is rugby fit for purpose? If you look at the various stakeholders are they all working together in the right way? That's another bigger question."
