Here’s the top rugby news for Saturday, March 5th.

Young confirms that Evans and the others are leaving

Cardiff boss David Young has confirmed that midfielder Jarrod Evans will leave at the end of the season and has warned that two other key players will also leave Arms Park.

Evans is sought after by English giants Harlequins, where he will be paired with England’s 10th star Marcus Smith.

But Young also says injured duo Willis Halakholo and Dmytro Arkhip could also leave amidst the ongoing financial crisis in the Welsh game.

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Cardiff cannot compete with the money being offered for Evans youth team in England BBC reporting Young said after Saturday night’s home defeat to Ulster: “I can’t say where Jarrod is going, that’s his problem, but I can say that we cannot put on the table a competitive offer like the one you had”.

“So we feel like he’s sadly leaving and it’s really sad when you think he’s been here since he was 14.

“I think deep down he doesn’t want to go, but at the end of the day he has to do what he thinks is right and I personally support him in that decision.”

With Rhys Priestland also dead, leaving Cardiff in a semi-crisis, Young says: “To be honest, we don’t have them. We are looking for replacement in the market, as well as in various positions.

Evans has earned eight caps for Wales and his retirement from the Welsh game means he will be ineligible for the World Cup under the WRU’s new 25 cap rule.

On the issue of Achilles, Welsh center Halakholo and support Archippus, Young said: “If we don’t have the money to bid competitively for Jerrod, why would we have the money for Willis and Dmitri?”

“I don’t know if they will be our players next year. They knew the decision the club had taken before their injuries.”

Another blow as Cardiff’s play-offs are almost over

David Young refused to blame off-field injury for Cardiff, seeing their Rugby United Championship play-off hopes dashed with a home defeat to Ulster.

The visitors scored six tries in total, with substitute Tom Stewart getting two of them as they won 42-20 in the Welsh capital.

The result means Ulster are still on course for the quarter-finals at home on bonus points, but Cardiff’s top eight contenders look slim.

“I don’t think we can use what happens off the pitch as an excuse. Perhaps that was a factor, but we saw what a top three team was like,” Young said of the game.

“They were better than us in all areas. They were full of size, power and speed and we just couldn’t handle it. At the moment, we are far from the top three.”

Walker reveals WRU details

Nigel Walker says the full line-up of the independent task force investigating allegations of misogyny and sexism in the Welsh Rugby Union will be announced shortly (writes Stefan Thomas).

The panel will be chaired by former Court of Appeals Judge Dame Anne Rafferty and will examine behavior at the WRU, how comfortable staff are with raising concerns about inappropriate behavior and the effectiveness of its whistleblowing procedures.

WRU interim chief executive Nigel Walker says the full panel will be revealed soon.

“Mrs. Ann Rafferty has been at this location for a few weeks now,” he said. “There is an additional member on the commission and we are awaiting confirmation of the third.

“That doesn’t mean work isn’t ongoing, they are reviewing the paperwork and we look forward to announcing the full panel in the coming days.”

The WRU has also convened an emergency general meeting later this month, at which it hopes to bring about major changes in its administration.

“There is a recognition throughout the Wales game that a change in management is needed,” Walker said. “The current directive recognizes that they are necessary. We visited all but one district to explain these changes and the support for these governance changes was overwhelmingly positive.

“Nobody takes anything for granted and on March 26th we have to make sure people vote the right way and that change in governance actually happens.”

Lawrence ready to enjoy the Six Nations even more after Wales’ try

Ollie Lawrence has just come out of a dark place, but against France next Saturday he will be eager to launch himself into another.

Three rounds into the Six Nations and Lawrence stands as one of the most destructive of the chargers, with only his England teammate Ellis Genge proving more effective at crossing the winning line.

After years of looking for an alternative to Manu Tuilagi in central defence, performances against Italy and Wales suggest that Lawrence could be the answer for England.

The 23-year-old made his Test debut under Eddie Jones but was suspended after failing to impress the Australian and his club Worcester went into administration after recovering from a recurring calf injury.

But invigorated by his move to Bath in October, the player, who wasn’t in Steve Borthwick’s Six Nations starting line-up, is taking the tournament by storm.

Tough assignments against France at Twickenham and Ireland in Dublin in the last two rounds have added to the competition, leaving Lawrence looking for the inspiration he needs to tackle the brick walls.

“Every time you play these top teams you have to go to another level and find that dark place in yourself to overcome it,” he said.

“You definitely need to find that dark place to use it. Sometimes you see the people in front of you and think: “It won’t look very nice!”. But if you think about it in the grand scheme of things rather than now, getting that fastball could lead to some kind of counterattack on the opposite side of the field a few stages down. One action leads to another.

Lawrence scored a last-minute try in England’s 20-10 win over Wales, setting up Warren Gatland’s side for a crucial clash with Italy in Rome next Saturday.

Nigel Walker rejects the idea of ​​shrinking the region despite the report’s recommendations

Nigel Walker on player departures, WRU powers to block plays and Cardiff issues

Shocking abuse of referees by Welsh rugby coaches, players and spectators has been revealed.

Munster 49-42 Scarlets: Dwayne Peel’s side lose heavily in dramatic comeback

Today’s rugby news, with all 12 Welsh stars looking to beat Gatland and an important Wales match canceled due to an injury crisis.