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Wales Online
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Wales Online
Eddie Jones bristles over roof question as he brands topic 'quite ironic'
Eddie Jones bristles over roof question as he brands topic 'quite ironic' Wales are preparing for the familiar feeling of playing under a roof this Saturday, although it will feel quite different to the Principality Stadium Head coach Eddie Jones of Japan (Image: Masterpress/Getty Images ) Wales will be playing under the roof in their second Test against Japan, as Brave Blossoms coach Eddie Jones bristled at questions over the playing conditions - remarking it was "quite ironic" to be talking about roofs when playing the Welsh. Having dealt with the extreme heat in Kitakyushu, with much of the pitch at Mikuni World Stadium bathed in sunshine, this Saturday will be a little different at Noevir Stadium for Wales in terms of heat. While there won't be any direct sunlight on them, the roof could end up only serving to increase the temperature in the stadium - with another mid-afternoon kick-off time. Those in Wales camp are understood to have conflicting feelings when it comes to how much the roof affects the temperature within the ground. And they won't be able to see the stadium until Friday's captain's run to find out for themselves. There is a breadcrumb of familiarity, with Wales themselves often playing under a roof at the Principality Stadium. Wales interim head coach Matt Sherratt noted that, just as will likely be the case on Saturday, the ball does tend to become more greasy when the roof is closed in Cardiff. But rarely do temperatures in Cardiff reach those of Kobe, with Wales training in 36°C heat on Thursday. Article continues below WalesOnline understands, having spoken to people who have been under the roof in Kobe, that the cooling methods within the ground are almost negligible once you're running about under the roof. So while the Welsh players might not have the sun on their backs, it's unlikely to get any easier in terms of the conditions. "I don't know yet," said Wales captain Dewi Lake when asked if he was happy to be playing under a closed roof. "There is probably going to be a different type of heat being inside a closed stadium. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia. "I know in the Principality when the roof is closed it gets sticky and dewey so with the heat over here I am not sure if that will be good or bad. "I know there will be no sun and it will be in shade but sometimes the ball gets a bit wetter. We won't make any excuses for the weather or the surroundings, we will make sure we get our things right.' He added: "The heat is tough but it's the same for both teams. Last week we tried to find shade wherever possible and huddled in groups. "If we were behind the posts or had just scored groups were in shaded areas. We tried our best to stay out the heat and sun as much as possible. "I don't think there is getting any used to it, it's just about dealing with it. After two weeks we are probably better than we were at the start and we will be fine at the weekend." Former England coach Jones has already faced questions over the kick-off times of the Tests, with the 65-year-old having been adamant about playing them in the afternoon. Whether Jones had any say in the roof being closed this weekend is unclear, but he bristled when asked about the roof situation. "It's quite ironic talking about roofs when you're playing against Wales," said Jones. "I'll probably leave it there, mate. "Having known the the goings on when you go there with England, whether it's going to be open or closed, going to rain, is it not going to rain? All those machinations are the same in every country in the world. "When we go up and play in the northern hemisphere, no one turns the heating on. These are the conditions in Japan. It's the same for both teams. "That's one of the great things of rugby. We have these different conditions and you need to adapt to the conditions." Wales have continually said that the heat and humidity in Japan is not an excuse, although Sherratt did admit that it has affected them perhaps more than they have let on publicly. "The heat is tough," said Sherratt. "There is no getting away from that. It has not surprised me, it's just reinforced what I was told before I came out here. "We are not used to playing in it. Today was probably the hottest it's been about 35°C or 36°C. Article continues below "Without making excuses, this is a very new group. We have a new forwards coach who has to install lineouts and Gethin has come into the defence. "I have hade three weeks and there is so much work to put in. We are almost starting from scratch but we can't spend three hours in 36C heat so we actually cut today's session slightly short if the players do not have energy it doesn't matter how they know tactically or technically, they are not going to have the legs to deliver it."
Wales Online
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as Wales hit humiliating new rankings low and World Cup disaster looms
Tonight's rugby news as Wales hit humiliating new rankings low and World Cup disaster looms The latest headlines from Wales and around the world Blair Murray reacts after Wales' 24-19 defeat to Japan in Kitakyushu (Image: Masterpress/Getty Images ) These are your evening rugby headlines on Saturday, July 5. Wales hit humiliating new rankings low Wales have hit a humiliating new low in the World Rugby rankings following their shock 24-19 defeat at the hands of Japan on Saturday. Matt Sherratt's side's dismal winless run was stretched to 18 games as a second-half implosion saw them throw away a 12-point lead, with Japan scoring two tries in the final 20 minutes after Ben Thomas and Tom Rogers crossed for Wales either side of a penalty try. Not only does it mean Wales' long, long wait for a Test win - which stretches back to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France - goes on, it has also seen them slip to a record low of 14th in the world. The last time Wales were on the Japanese island of Kyushu, they were ranked as the second best team in the world, having briefly occupied top spot earlier that year. However, they have now hit an all-time low, with Japan and Samoa both moving ahead of them for the first time as Sherratt's side drop down two places from 12th. The slip is a humiliating one but could lead to another potential disaster at next year's World Cup in Australia. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia. Article continues below The 2027 edition of rugby's showpiece tournament will see the competition expanded to 24 teams, with all of the qualified teams to be confirmed before the draw takes place later this year. All the teams who qualify will be seeded based on their rankings at the end of the November internationals window, and with the next World Cup boasting six pools of four teams, the seeding bands are broken down by every six teams. So, the top six teams in the world would be top seeds for the tournament, with those between 7th and 12th in the second banding of seeds and so on. With Wales now slipping to 14th, they are currently in the third banding, which would likely see them drawn in a 'pool of death' at the 2027 World Cup with two of the world's top 12 teams among their opponents. Wales have just five Test matches left to play before the draw is made, but it certainly won't be easy to turn things around with a rematch against the Brave Blossoms next week followed by November internationals against South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Japan for a third time. Jones: Wales were tough to beat Japan head coach Eddie Jones has heaped praise on his side for defeating a "really tough" Welsh side in Kitakyushu earlier today, after a second-half comeback saw them come from 12 points down to win 24-19. The hosts were the poorer of two clearly nervous sides in the opening half, with Wales taking a solid 19-7 lead into half-time following tries from Ben Thomas and Tom Rogers, as well as a penalty try. However, while Matt Sherratt's side fell apart in the second half, Japan looked like a side reborn heading into the final quarter, with tries from Ichigo Nakakusu and Halatoa Vailea helping them to snatch a win and inflict more heartbreak on the tourists. While Wales are critically low on confidence following a winless run that now stretches to 18 Test matches, the win was no mean feat for Jones' side, which featured eight debutants. "For a young team's perspective, that's a very good win," said the Brave Blossoms coach after the final whistle. "First half, we were getting beaten in territory and possession. We had a lot of nerves. We frequently gave the ball back early in the phase count. "As a result, we were being beaten fair and square. But I sensed at half-time that the players knew what to do. With Mike's leadership in the second half, I thought they played a really good 40 minutes of rugby. Really tough. "At times, we were able to break the Wales defence. Our set-piece was absolutely outstanding. I can't remember the last time I saw a front-row play 80 minutes in a Test match, especially in difficult conditions," Jones added. "For the Wales team, for them to come from the northern hemisphere into those conditions is difficult. Like every Wales team, they were always tough to beat. They're a proud rugby nation and they produce tough, good players. "We're really happy with the win. We'll enjoy the win tonight and get ready to go again in Kobe, where we'll need to play much better than today." Townsend pleased by winning start By PA Sport Staff Gregor Townsend was pleased to see Scotland's summer tour 'start on a positive' after his side held on to claim a 29-26 win against Maori All Blacks in New Zealand. Having got off to a shaky start when Sam Nock crossed for the hosts, Scotland were able to clinch victory in the non-cap international with tries from Harry Paterson, Arron Reed and two either side of the break from George Horne. A late scare saw the Maori reduce Scotland's lead to three points with 10 minutes to play, but head coach Townsend was pleased to see his less experienced side prevail in Whangarei. He said: 'The Maori are a quality side and I suppose we decided to put a team out tonight that wasn't as experienced knowing that it'll be a great development and learning experience for them. 'But we also wanted to win this game and we're so pleased that we did win the game and how we set that win up in the first half – how clinical we were. And then the pressure around set-piece and our defensive effort at the end saw us through. So, we're really pleased that the tour starts on a positive. 'The players who haven't played that much for Scotland and players that were coming back from injury were able to be part of a winning side tonight.' Scotland led 24-12 at the break and Horne took advantage to bag his second try of the game in the 53rd minute when the hosts had two players shown yellow cards in quick succession. However, the Maori suddenly closed the gap with converted tries from Kurt Eklund and Gideon Wrampling and Townsend hailed his side's ability to see the game out. 'The good thing is we found a way to win. I think it was probably beyond expectations knowing what the Maori did last week in Japan and how strong they've been against touring teams that we were so far ahead,' Townsend added. 'And we knew that they would come back and they got an opportunity and went through a number of phases, got back into the game and it looked like they had the momentum at the end. 'We needed a momentum shifting moment and Jamie Dobie and Fergus Burke, after real pressure in the line-out, got through and just the reaction of the team to get that ball back. 'We're delighted that in sport that could easily have ended up with them winning with the pressure they had on us in the 22, and it would have been a really disappointing and devastating to lose at the end having led for so long, so we're so glad we saw it through.' Article continues below Scotland's tour continues with a clash against Fiji on July 12 before concluding with a game against Samoa the following week. Townsend confirmed that Ben Muncaster will be monitored ahead of the Fiji meeting after picking up a dead leg, while Gregor Brown will enter concussion protocol.
New York Times
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
This Week in Sports Trivia: March 20, 2025
March Madness is here, and if the start of the First Four on Tuesday is any indication, this is going to be a great NCAA Tournament. But that's not all that's going on in the sports world, as MLB heated up with a regular-season series in Japan, NFL free agency continued to plod along and so much more. Advertisement Hopefully, you've been keeping up with it all, as much of it is featured in this week's trivia quiz. Have fun, and while you're at it, make sure you play our daily Connections: Sports Edition. Good luck! (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; photos: Matthias Hangst / Masterpress, Harry How / Masterpress, Dylan Buell / Masterpress, Tim Bradbury / Getty Images)
