Here’s the top rugby night news for Thursday, November 9

Wales will visit Japan next year

Wales are considering playing in Japan ahead of next summer’s tour of Australia.

MailOnline reports that the Welsh Rugby Union are considering taking on the Brave Blossoms in what would be the first meeting between the two sides since 2016.

England will already face Japan before the tour of New Zealand next summer, while Wales are also considering a stop before the tour of Australia. Wales last played on Japanese soil in 2013, when both teams drew 1-1.

Although this clash has not been confirmed, it could also mean another showdown between Warren Gatland and Eddie Jones. The pair faced each other at the World Cup when Jones was Wallabies coach, and again last weekend when the former England manager was in charge of the Barbarians.

He is now linked to work on Brave Blossoms, having admitted for the first time that he would be interested in returning to that specific role.

“I had no proposal, let’s be clear,” he told Kyodo News. – Japan cannot stay where it is because it will really start to fall.

“They have to make a big effort now. You will have to be brave and do things differently. You can’t just move on and do what you’re doing now. , that’s why I would be interested.”

Barnes responds to ‘misleading’ reports about All Blacks complaints

Wayne Barnes has reacted to reports of complaints from the All Blacks following the World Cup final.

The English referee announced last week his retirement from refereeing after refereeing the last World Cup final between New Zealand and South Africa.

The tense match was not without incident: All Black captain Sam Kane became the first player sent off in a World Cup final and three more cards were handed out. Days after the 12-11 defeat in Paris, New Zealand coach Ian Foster said he had “already sent a file to World Rugby for comment”, adding that he hoped that was the case.

However, speaking on A Standard Late Night Rugby Podcast, Barnes said post-game analysis was a regular occurrence for the All Blacks, so he expected them to do something similar after the final. However, he added that he has not yet seen any reviews and explained that any reports of complaints could be “very misleading”.

“So I umpired three times in New Zealand during the tournament,” Barnes said. “They refereed against Uruguay, they refereed against Ireland and they refereed in the final, but they sent comments after each game.

“So they said, ‘Can you clarify these points?’ Therefore, writing a complaint to World Rugby, as I have seen in some headlines this week, can be misleading.”

“I’m sure because Ian Foster is also very diligent with Joe. [Schmidt] by your side and always talks in detail after the game. And so, after these other two games there are a lot of details, doubts about what you know, clarifications. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they sent them to World Rugby. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Ospreys are injured

Welsh midfielder Owen Williams will miss Ospreys URC’s clash with Glasgow Warriors this weekend with a hamstring injury.

The 31-year-old came off early in the 19-5 win over the Sharks at Stupa. Manager Toby Booth confirmed the injury is not serious, but will keep Williams out for the next few weeks.

“He has that track record, so we’ve been proactive and can’t take any risks with the size of the team we have,” Booth said.

“He will be missed this week, but we will reward the people who did a good job last week and culturally it is important not to make drastic changes.”

Leo Star completes attack move

Scotland and Lions midfielder Ali Price has joined Edinburgh on a season-long loan from rivals Glasgow Warriors.

Glasgow said they agreed to the surprise move “in the national interest”, while Edinburgh manager Sean Everitt added that Scott Steele’s thigh injury “was also a factor”.

Price, 30, was expected to play more for Edinburgh and the 66-cap international said: “It’s a new challenge and I’m looking forward to seeing where it can lead.”

The 2021 Lions tourist has been in Glasgow for nine years, but the Scotstown outfit accepted the move after being contacted by Scotland and Edinburgh.

“Price felt this was an opportunity that would be beneficial to his personal development,” they said.

“The club has accepted, taking this factor into account, that the move is in the national interest and the timing of the offer means that Price can move directly to Edinburgh following a break from the Rugby World Cup and a subsequent return to action. the protocols. He dealt with the groin injury.

Commenting on Price’s addition, Edinburgh coach Everitt said: “Ali has been one of Glasgow Warriors’ most consistent players for almost ten years playing rugby for Scotstown; We appreciate his help in ensuring this change.

“Ali is a Test Lion and brings a wealth of experience in international rugby at the highest level to the club. I’m sure you’ll want to get started right away.

“We are lucky to have a really strong group of nine people at the club, each with unique qualities and skills. Scott, unfortunately, continues to recover from a hip injury that has kept him out since October, which also contributed to the change.

“Ali is a player with great vision and understanding of the game and these qualities will only rub off on our scrum half.”