The best news for your rugby night on Thursday 23rd November.

Wales star receives praise from club boss

Welsh international Dafydd Jenkins has been praised for his leadership qualities by Exeter Chiefs manager Rob Baxter.

The Welshman, who has played 12 international matches, is coming off his first appearance at the Rugby World Cup, in which his country reached the quarter-finals. He is now back at Chiefs and was recently named team captain.

Jenkins started the team’s last two Gallagher Premiership matches, against Gloucester and Northampton Saints, and impressed manager Baxter.

The Chiefs boss said: “Dafydd is a great player, he will be even better,” said Baxter.

“I saw a lot of good qualities in him, that’s why he’s the team captain. He has a lot to learn. He also calls lineouts, so there’s a lot of pressure on him. He loves playing rugby, he loves the competitive side of the game, he wears his heart on his sleeve, he doesn’t suffer fools.

“I just look at him and think that’s the kind of person I’d like to captain a rugby team. He expects people to get up and move forward, he expects people to work hard, he expects people to train hard, and why not? He keeps it very simple for him and I think sometimes that’s the best way.

“It doesn’t have to be a complicated calculation, everyone is playing rugby, they like doing it, ok, let’s go out and do well and Daf embodies that. “Sometimes that is the strongest form and the best form of leadership.”

Jenkins is part of a strong Welsh contingent at Chiefs that includes Christ Tshiunza, Joe Hawkins and Emmanuel Fahey-Waboso. The 20-year-old has signed a contract with the Devon club until 2021 and will play his first international game for Wales in 2022.

The Welshman is helping Joe Hawkins adapt to Exeter Chiefs

Natural hooker Oliver Burrows helps Joe Hawkins get a job at Exeter Chiefs.

During the summer, Hawkins completed his controversial move to South West England, which consequently ruled him out of the Wales squad. The former Ospreys player is yet to complete 25 caps and is therefore unable to play outside of and for Wales.

In last weekend’s hugely dramatic victory against Gloucester, Hawkins was named Man of the Match when England star Henry Slade scored the winning goal.

The center explained Premier Rugby League that he was “loving life” in Devon and credited Burroughs with helping him settle down.

The midfielder, who played five international games, explained: “It was easier to come in and settle in because they are rebuilding, so it’s a very young team, it was easy to come in and integrate with the boys and learn to give a step forward. in all games. etc.

“It was exciting on a personal level because it’s the first time I’ve lived away from home, away from my family and I’ve learned to do everything myself: cooking, cleaning and washing, so it’s been good for my personal development.

“I live with Olly Burrows, he’s not far from me. We played together for the Ospreys and Wales in the age group, so I joined him.

“It was good, he likes to keep the house nice and tidy, so I’m always washing the dishes and making sure the house doesn’t get too dirty for him.”

Hawkins also explained that he feels comfortable with the Chiefs because it is a young team that is building for the future. “There is no pressure on us, because I wouldn’t say that people outside expect a burden. Obviously we expect a lot from ourselves, but there is no pressure and there are very good young people arriving.

“I think it’s good to be part of the journey from the beginning rather than coming in late after having completed all the years of construction, so it’s a good time for us to come together and see it through to the end.”

Hawkins was named as a substitute for the Chiefs against Bristol Bears this weekend. Welsh international Callum Sheedy lines up for the Bears at half-time.

World champions England will not return to rugby

England captain and 2003 world rugby champion Martin Johnson has said he will not return to his role as rugby coach.

Johnson spent three years as England manager but resigned after his team were knocked out of the 2011 World Cup by France in the quarter-finals. It was a highly controversial campaign for the team, which included an incident where Manu Tuilagi jumped from a ferry into Auckland Harbour.

The former Leicester Tigers side have since engaged with experts and, on the 20th anniversary of England’s World Cup victory, Johnson confirmed he does not wish to return to rugby.

Appearing on The Evening Standard podcast alongside fellow Webb Ellis Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio, Johnson explained: “Well, I watched the (last) World Cup final. It was to some extent. Yeah, I thought, even if I supported New Zealand or South Africa, I’d probably feel bad now, you know?

“I’m fine. I consider myself lucky to have done what we did. [win a World Cup]. I’ve been watching my son (Henry) play rugby, training with him a bit and I’m happy with that. “I really don’t want to go through this every Saturday.”

Johnson went on to say that the 2024 Six Nations would be a great opportunity for young players because they are “missing out”.

The former British and Irish Lion said: “There is an opportunity for some young guys to come in and play in the team because we are going to lose. Sometimes the World Cup is the end of an era for a lot of guys and Cey is definitely one of them. There will be some English players who will retire now and not play next year, so there is an opportunity and it will be a bit temporary.

“We need our young players to come in and understand very quickly what Test rugby is all about. You know, it’s not Premier League rugby, it’s Test rugby. He’s physical, he’s fast. People tell me, “Oh, I saw so-and-so. I saw X, Y and Z play for the club team.” I just say, “Can I play in the All Blacks game against Ireland?” Could you play the match between South Africa and France? Can I play in this World Cup final?

“Because that’s what a rugby Test match is all about; must be able to act in such situations. It’s not a Premier League game where you can throw the ball with the back of your hand and make someone look fantastic.

“Everything you do is important. Each mistake gets worse. Every action you take is amplified in the test levels because you have to do less, but you have to do it perfectly every time or your team will be exposed. There is no way to correct some errors. That’s simply not going to happen. They will leave you behind and beat you.”

England International criticizes the “absolutely shameful” treatment given to Hugo Monier

Harlequins winger Kadan Murley has called Hugo Monnier’s alleged racial abuse “absolutely disgraceful”.

Former England and Harlequins international Monnier has claimed a fan shouted a racial slur at him after Exeter Chiefs’ game against Gloucester while he was covering the match for TNT Sports.

Speaking to Planet Rugby, Murley, 24, expressed his opinion on the whole ordeal and said society needs to do a better job of holding people accountable: “Absolutely disgraceful. We need to improve people’s accountability. The incident at Sandy Park was very disappointing and I think if you hear something like that in our sport it needs to be reported and there should be people to stop it… well, fans who are so offensive in their ignorance of the challenges.

“It is shameful and disgusting that it is linked to rugby and does not represent us as a sport. We want to try to eradicate it from our game as much as possible. We want anyone, no matter what race, no matter how sexy they are, to be able to go to any rugby club in the world, put on a pair of boots, put a smile on their face and play with other guys and have fun.

“Sport can be a very powerful tool for putting smiles on faces and making new friends. As for Uges, I think when we have idiots like this destroying our sport, we need to expose him. I was disappointed that no one did this. and we as a community must do a better job of holding them accountable and helping to promote standards that allow everyone to be desirable without having to conform to any kind of stereotypical standard.”

Marley was named in the starting line-up against Northampton Saints this weekend in a squad that includes Welsh star Dillon Lewis.