Tonight's rugby news as Wales star admits Lions wish and Scotland refuse to address Stuart Hogg shame

Here are your rugby evening headlines for Tuesday, November 5.

Wainwright has Lions dream in the back of his head

Aaron Wainwright has admitted he'd be over the moon with a Lions tour place as he begins his bid to make Andy Farrell's squad.

The autumn will provide many players with the chance to impress the former England international, who is taking over the coaching duties of the best of Britain and Irish rugby from Warren Gatland ahead of next summer's tour of Australia.

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Dragons No. 8 Wainwright is one of the Welsh players surely in the mix, given his superb form in the past year that saw him named Welsh Rugby Writer's player of the year.

"Stuff like that is always in the back of your head," he told WalesOnline's Welsh Rugby Podcast. "I wouldn't say it's something you're actively thinking about week-to-week.

"But obviously it's in the back of your head that if you play well and perform well, getting selected for your country, why wouldn't you have a chance to getting selected to go on a Lions tour?

"Obviously I'd be thrilled and over the moon, I hope that I get the chance to go. It'll all be down to performances and how well I play."

“I’m not going to comment on any specific cases, especially one that’s still ongoing,” said Townsend. “But on behalf of Scottish Rugby, we condemn any abuse.”

Scotland coach asked about Hogg

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has publicly condemned all types of abuse but refused to specifically address the shaming of former captain Stuart Hogg.

Hogg pleaded guilty to domestic abuse against his estranged wife over a five-year period on Monday. You can read the details from court here.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Townsend said: “I’m not going to comment on any specific cases, especially one that’s still ongoing. But on behalf of Scottish Rugby, we condemn any abuse.”

Pressed further on the matter, the coach added: “As I say, I’m not going to comment on that specific case, but we condemn any abuse, whether that’s domestic, online, social, and that’s something we feel strongly about.”

Wales captain reveals unpaid start to his career

Wales captain Dewi Lake has opened up on his experiences of going unpaid during his first couple of years in professional rugby.

The 25-year-old hooker started his career as a development player at the Ospreys, meaning he didn't earn a penny for the first two years.

"I worked as an apprentice with the Welsh Rugby Union where you trained to take on a role in their development programme," he told MailOnline.

"I took it on to earn some money. I coached kids and did my coaching and refereeing courses when I was 18. I was technically contracted with the Ospreys, but there was no money involved. I took it because I knew I’d work hard enough to make it work.

"It’s mad to think about that now. I said to myself at the time I’d take this opportunity. And I did. Sometimes, when it comes to contract talks now, I have to remind myself my first two years were unpaid. It wasn’t until I was 21 and had been Wales Under-20 captain that I got a paid contract with the Ospreys.

"When we beat New Zealand Under-20 with Wales at the Junior World Cup in 2019, I was still unpaid because I was developing as a hooker."

England name unchanged team for Wallabies clash

By Duncan Bech, PA England Rugby Correspondent

England will aim to ignite their autumn with the same team that was edged by New Zealand after Steve Borthwick opted against making any personnel changes for Saturday’s visit of Australia.

A 24-22 defeat by the All Blacks opened the Autumn Nations Series but the same XV have been retained for the second of four Tests at Allianz Stadium this month.

Borthwick has made a positional switch in midfield where Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence have swapped between inside and outside centre.

The only adjustments in personnel are made to the bench where Luke Cowan-Dickie replaces Theo Dan at hooker and Ben Curry makes way to accommodate a return to a five-three split between forwards and backs.

Cowan-Dickie’s last England appearance came two years ago in Eddie Jones’ final match in charge against the Wallabies, meaning he poised to make his first outing under Borthwick.

The 31-year-old’s international career has been hampered by neck surgery that caused nerve damage when it went wrong and atrial fibrillation, a heart condition.

"Facing Australia is always a massive challenge, and we’ll work diligently this week to ensure we’re physically and tactically prepared to take on the Wallabies," said England head coach Borthwick.

"The passion and energy from the crowd at Allianz Stadium last weekend was absolutely brilliant, from the opening whistle to the final moments, and we can't wait to be back at home this Saturday."

England: George Furbank; Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Tommy Freeman; Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer; Ellis Genge, Jamie George (captain), Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry, Ben Earl

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, George Ford, Ollie Sleightholme.

Irish star set to miss All Blacks clash

Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong is set to miss Friday's clash with New Zealand through injury.

The42.ie report that the 78-cap tighthead has picked up a knock in training which will likely see him miss the clash with the All Blacks in Dublin this weekend.

Connacht prop Finlay Bealham could start in his place, with Ulster tighthead Tom O'Toole in place for a spot on the bench.