Tonight's rugby news as rugby league star joins Wales coaching team and powerhouse tipped for breakthrough
The latest headlines from Wales and around the world
Ben Flower has joined the Wales Women's coaching team
(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd )
These are your evening rugby headlines on Monday, June 16.
Rugby league star joins Wales coaching staff
Former Welsh rugby league star Ben Flower has been appointed to the Wales Women's coaching team for their summer training camp. The 37-year-old - who was also part of the coaching staff for the last Women's Rugby Word Cup in New Zealand - joins Sean Lynn's team as collision coach and will play a key role as the squad prepare for a two-Test match tour to Australia and their 2025 World Cup campaign in England later this summer.
Cardiff-born Flower represented the Welsh-based Crusaders as well as Super League sides Wigan Warriors and Leigh Centurions during a glittering career that saw him win the Challenge Cup, three Super League titles and the World Club challenge with Wigan.
On the international stage, he won 17 caps for the Wales rugby league side. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Having moved into coaching, Flower has taken charge of the South Wales Jets rugby league side as well as working with Wales Women four years ago.
Upon returning to the coaching staff for a busy summer of rugby, he said: "Being involved with Wales is always a privilege and being asked and to have the chance of being involved with my country is an honour you don't turn down.
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'Having played at a World Cup as a player and to have this chance to play a role as Wales prepare for a World Cup is an opportunity I am looking forward to.'
Wales are looking to turn around a poor run of form that saw them lose every match at the recent Women's Six Nations, with head coach Lynn hoping that added focus on their collision work will make a big difference during their upcoming World Cup campaign.
Welcoming Flower to his staff, Lynn said: "'Ben is someone who has worked with this squad of players before and the W6N review highlighted the need to improve our collision work and dominance, both sides of the ball, as a real area we can improve on.'
Ospreys powerhouse tipped for Wales call-up
Departing Ospreys star Adam Beard has tipped teammate James Fender to become a Wales international despite missing out on a place on the summer tour to Japan.
The 23-year-old lock has been a consistent performer for the Ospreys, with his no-nonsense style, athleticism and huge physicality seeing him dominate stronger packs, all while getting through a massive amount of work in defence.
He had been on Warren Gatland's radar last season, but injuries prevented him from being called into the Wales squad.
With Beard and Will Rowlands also not selected for the Japan tour by interim coach Matt Sherratt, Fender could count himself as extremely unlucky not to be picked, with many onlookers viewing it as the perfect time for him to be blooded as an international.
Fender has been tipped to win international honours
But while he looks set to have to wait to win his first cap, Beard has no doubt that Fender has the ability to thrive as an international second row, with another teammate, Rhys Davies, also tipped to add to his three Wales caps if he can steer clear of further injuries.
'There are some good second rows in Wales,' Beard told RugbyPass. 'I know from playing at the Ospreys that they have boys pushing through.
"James Ratti is in the squad but they also have Rhys Davies and James Fender. Rhys has had some bad luck with injuries. If he has a run of games, it won't be long before he's wearing the Welsh jersey again.
'James is only 23, but he has all the attributes to be an international second row," he added.
"He's had good exposure over the past couple of years, has taken charge of the set-piece and is learning with every game.'
Borthwick names England squad
By PA Sport Staff
England head coach Steve Borthwick has named a 36-man training squad for next weekend's match against a France XV.
The squad includes nine Bath and Leicester players – Charlie Ewels, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, Guy Pepper, Will Muir, Max Ojomoh, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet – that featured in Saturday's Gallagher Premiership final, plus Bath's Sam Underhill, who missed the game due to suspension.
However, there is no place for 21-year-old Saracens scrum-half Charlie Bracken, the son of former England international Kyran, one of 16 uncapped players named in the original training group when it was confirmed by England Rugby on Monday.
Sale flanker Ben Curry is included among a list of players in rehabilitation along with Northampton duo Fraser Dingwall and George Furbank and Bristol's Harry Randall.
Players who have been called up to Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions party for their tour to Australia were not considered for selection, and neither were Joe Batley, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Lozowski, George Martin or Ollie Sleightholme.
An England XV will face a France XV at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday ahead of Test matches against the United States and Argentina.
Forwards: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Arthur Clark (Gloucester), Alex Coles (Northampton), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Theo Dan (Saracens), Trevor Davison (Northampton), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Charlie Ewels (Bath), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester), Ted Hill (Bath), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Manny Iyogun (Northampton), Jack Kenningham (Harlequins), Curtis Langdon (Northampton), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale), Guy Pepper (Bath), Bevan Rodd (Sale), Sam Underhill (Bath), Tom Willis (Saracens).
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Backs: Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester), Seb Atkinson (Gloucester), Oscar Beard (Harlequins), Joe Carpenter (Sale), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter), George Ford (Sale), Will Muir (Bath), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Luke Northmore (Harlequins), Max Ojomoh (Bath), Raffi Quirke (Sale), Tom Roebuck (Sale), Henry Slade (Exeter), Ben Spencer (Bath), Freddie Steward (Leicester), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester).
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