These are the headlines from rugby night on Thursday 16th November.

Lions make historic deal

The British-Irish Lions have reached historic agreements with the Premier Rugby League and United Rugby Championship ahead of their trip to Australia in 2025.

The historic deal guarantees that players from both leagues selected for the Lions will be available for all pre-tour and preparation activities, with bosses aiming to make it the “biggest Lions tour in history” with “the best preparation time in history.” .”

As part of the deal, Premier League Rugby will move its 2025 final to the weekend of June 14-15, two weeks before the tour kicks off against the Western Force in Perth on June 28. This will make it possible to assemble a complete “Lions” team, including the English team. players who will be on hand to prepare for the tour, including a “Messy Monday” logistics day.

It comes after years of animosity and distrust between the leagues and the Lions, and calls from the likes of Warren Gatland for players and coaches to be given more time to prepare. The three-day trip to New Zealand in 2017 meant players suffered from jet lag and fell asleep on the way to games, while the trip to South Africa in 2021 was somewhat marred by controversy over player releases, with a large number of Exeter Chiefs players forced to miss their friendly against Japan because the Premier League final will be played on the same day.

British & Irish Lions chief executive Ben Calvely says the deal, which also sees a joint approach to digital content, events and key announcements, will benefit all parties involved.

“It is vital that this agreement benefits not only the British and Irish Lions, but also Premiership Rugby and the United Rugby Championship,” he said. Publicity and wider activities will add significant value to all organisations.”

Premiership Rugby chief executive Simon Massey-Taylor, along with URC chief executive Martin Anai, also welcomed the deal and said it was vital to the success of the leagues and the Lions. “We know how much the British and Irish Lions mean to our players, our clubs and our fans,” he said. to Australia in 2025.

“Everyone at Premiership Rugby understands how important it is to work closely with all stakeholders to ensure the game continues to thrive and grow. And providing our players and the British and Irish Lions with the best training time ever is vital for both the Lions and Premiership Rugby as we support each other on and off the field.

Alan Wyn Jones is ready for the last dance

Former Wales captain Alan Wyn Jones will play his final game for Toulon this weekend as his spell at the French club comes to an end.

The former Ospreys player was signed by the Top 14 side as a World Cup wildcard to play a cover role during the tournament, but will now not be retained until the end of the season as previously discussed. Reports in France claim this is largely due to the imminent arrival of Melvin Jamine from Toulouse, with Midi Olympique reporting that the additional financial hit means the club will release Jones in the coming days.

The club confirmed this Thursday that this Saturday’s game against Clermont will be the 38-year-old’s last, announcing the squad for the away game. Like Jones, Australian midfielder Noah Lolesio, who was also a wild card in the World Cup, will also be absent after the match.

Jones, who retired from Test rugby in May, previously said he hoped to play in France’s final two matches after captaining the Barbarians against Wales in Cardiff earlier this month, telling S4C: “I’m extremely grateful to be able to go to Toulon.

“It’s funny how things happened, I probably wouldn’t be here if it didn’t happen. Maybe a few glasses of red and lying in the sun. There are two games, so I can play. We’ll see how it goes.” “

The location of Judgment Day is “confirmed”

The United Rugby Championship has confirmed that next year’s Doomsday will take place at Cardiff City Stadium.

A social media post revealed that players from four professional teams were at home to Cardiff City on Wednesday for a media day.

Josh Turnbull and James Botham from Cardiff, Aaron Wainwright and Steph Hughes from the Dragons, Ryan Elias and Tane Plumtree from the Scarlets and Davy Lake and Keelan Giles from the Ospreys took part in the event.

With the Principality Stadium unavailable for next year’s doubleheader, and the event already scheduled for that season, the Cardiff City Stadium has long been a favorite as an alternative venue.

And although nothing has been announced yet, the decision to hold the press day at Leckwith suggests that the football ground, with a capacity for just over 33,000 spectators, will be the chosen location.

Also present at the press day was former Scottish international Ryan Wilson, who works for Viaplay.

Giant Crusaders join the URC

Munster have confirmed the signing of Crusaders giant Olli Jaeger after the 28-year-old agreed a three-and-a-half-year contract with URC.

Jaeger, who was born in London but grew up in Kildare, left Ireland for New Zealand in 2013 and has built an impressive career in Australia over the past decade, winning five Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders since making his debut in 2017.

The 6ft 4in, 20 stone striker was released early from his contract in Christchurch and will join his new team early next month ahead of their Champions Cup campaign.

Jagger was capped by Ireland and represented the Irish Schools Under-18 team before moving to New Zealand as a teenager after losing his place in Leinster’s academy. He had hoped to represent the All Blacks at Test level, but although he was called up to the All Blacks XV without taking part last year and this year, he was forced to withdraw from both teams due to injuries and personal reasons.

He is now ready to challenge the likes of John Ryan, Stephen Archer, Keinan Knox and Roman Salanoa alongside Graham Rountree and is tipped for a place in Andy Farrell’s Six Nations squad alongside Tadhg Furlong, Finley Billham and Tom O’ Toole.

Munster also re-signed wingers Eoghan Clarke and Colm Hogan on short-term deals. The former won the Premier League with the Jersey Reds last season and the club went into liquidation last month.