Here’s the latest rugby news for Friday 23rd December.

Gatland targeted former England defense coach

Warren Gatland would target former Harlequins boss Paul Gustard as his potential new defensive backs coach.

Gustard, who held the same role in England from 2016 to 2018 after a long and successful spell at Saracens, is now the defensive coach at Stade Français.

Rugby’s role is now on Gatland’s radar as the Wales manager holds behind-the-scenes talks with his team ahead of the Six Nations clash. According to WalesOnline on Thursday, Rob Howley and Jonathan Thomas auditioned for the role. It is unclear if Stephen Jones (Forward), Jonathan Humphries (Forward) and Gethin Jenkins (Defender) have futures in the national team.

The Rugby Paper also reports that Gatland could face competition from Newcastle, Hastard’s hometown club, who are keen to put him to the test.

McLeod likes to face the Welsh opposition

Wales and Scarlets defender Josh McLeod is relishing the prospect of facing Welsh rivals Justin Tipuric and Jack Morgan in the Boxing Day Welsh derby against Ospreys.

McLeod, fresh off his first caps this fall, will line up with the Scarlets in a back line that also includes Sione Kalamafoni and Aaron Shingler. The Ospreys find Tipuric, Morgan and Morgan Morris in top form.

Off the pitch, Warren Gatland will be a keen observer from his New Zealand home before selecting his Six Nations squad in January.

When asked about his rivals the Ospreys, McLeod said: “They’re not bad, are they? That’s why we play the game, to take on the best boys in Wales, the best boys in Britain. Like the line from back with the Scarlets, we’re going to try our best and hopefully come out on top.In that sense, we’re also collected, and we’re lucky that for once everyone fits together.

“The selection is tough and forces everyone in the back row to perform better. From a team perspective, that’s what you want. We expect a big breakout threat, we expect physicality, they are good on the ball, they are almost versatile, we will have to try to deny that threat, we have discussed this as a team. So let the best man win.”

Dragons RFC boss ‘optimistic’ about takeover deal

Dragons chairman David Buttress is confident he can complete the move and bring the club back into private WRU ownership.

The Newport facility has been owned by the WRU since 2017, when Newport RFC shareholders agreed to a deal with the Union that included the nine-acre Rodney Parade site. Buttress is in talks to take over from 2019, but plans have suffered losses due to the Covid pandemic in 2020. The continued inability of regions and the WRU to reach a financial agreement on professional gaming has also been an issue.

Under the proposed deal, the Dragons will have a long-term lease on the Rodney Parade stadium site, while the WRU will retain the land north of it, which has potential for development.

Buttress told the South Wales Argus: “We are still committed to a deal and I am fully committed to that. It is clear to me and others involved that the club’s privacy is a passion project, not a rational one, driven by finances.

“Let’s be honest, if it were then the amount of time and complexity of the process would have forced me to step away from all other areas of my business life. It’s a passion project and we are as committed to it now as we are to Covid.

“Does everything in Welsh rugby take a long time? As soon as. I came to accept it? Yes, I’m afraid. I’m optimistic that when the PRB deal is done, our deal is done.

“Mike Wroe, who was my CFO at JustEat, is handling some of the financial aspects of the negotiations with WRU. In terms of speed, I’d say we’re very, very close on the key points, like the key principles on renting Rodney Parade and club ownership. All this is there or somewhere there, this is the basis of my optimism.

England ‘won’t be perfect’ in Six Nations

Steve Borthwick is keen to unleash England’s potential but admits his squad will not be ideal for the opening Guinness Six Nations game against Scotland in February.

Borthwick was named as successor to Eddie Jones on Monday and has signed a five-year deal with Rugby Union after nearly two weeks of speculation over his future.

The former Leicester director of rugby has had little time to settle into his new role with the Six Nations in a few weeks and the World Cup in France set to start in September, but after a dismal 2022 in which England lost six of the 12 trials. , he promised that Twickenham would roar again.

“Our players have a lot of potential and I want to build a team that gets results, so I will put all my heart into trying to help this team get results and become a team we can all be proud of.” Borthwick insisted.

“At the end of the day, are we going to be perfect in this first Six Nations game? Do not. Is it exactly how the team will play? Do not. It’s going to be a start, but it’s absolutely clear that the team needs to go out there and fight.

“She has to compete, so when they show up I want the crowd to scream. I want Twickenham to wrinkle. Our job is to play like this, fight like this and compete like this to make them roar.”

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