In the realm of rugby, there have been significant developments and notable absences that have garnered attention on Tuesday, 11th June.
To commence, the unexpected departure of Teddy Leatherbarrow, the Scarlets’ back rower, has caused a stir. At just 24 years old, Leatherbarrow displayed impressive performances in his 14 appearances this season, yet surprisingly chose to part ways with the team after one year. Despite being recognized as a promising talent, Leatherbarrow’s decision to exit the team was not anticipated, particularly after he was not among the 15 players announced to be leaving the region last month. The Scarlets released a statement expressing gratitude for his contributions and extending well-wishes for his future endeavours.
Meanwhile, the release of double World Cup-winner for South Africa, Cheslin Kolbe, from the squad set to face Wales has also attracted attention. His departure from the 35-strong squad for the Twickenham encounter was necessitated by a persistent knee injury, leading to a total of 13 players from South Africa’s 2023 World Cup squad being unavailable for the upcoming match.
In addition, the absence of key players such as Six Nations captain Dafydd Jenkins and flanker Tommy Reffell from the Welsh lineup further adds to the anticipation for the game against South Africa. Due to the match coinciding with the United Rugby Championship final and occurring outside the international window, players participating in club rugby outside their country are not obligated to be released.
In a strategic move to foster cohesion between the Welsh national teams, it has been disclosed that Warren Gatland and his senior coaching staff have been closely monitoring the performance of promising players in the Wales Under-20s team. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between the senior set-up and age-grade sides in the forthcoming years.
Finally, in a noteworthy development, Ospreys scrum-half Cam Jones has secured a move to English Championship side Cornish Pirates for the next season. The 23-year-old, with prior experience at the United Rugby Championship level, has joined forces with Pirates fly-half Bruce Houston, his former teammate at Edinburgh A. The joint head coach of Cornish Pirates expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming season working alongside Jones.