These are your evening rugby headlines on Tuesday, February 25
New Wales coach makes future clear
New Wales skills coach T Rhys Thomas says Dewi Lake has to be considered for a place in the team immediately after his call-up on Tuesday.
Lake has officially joined the squad for the final two matches after recovering from a bicep injury, with Thomas admitting the "world class" hooker is now in the reckoning to face Scotland. Head coach Matt Sherratt is likely to stick largely with the 23 that performed so well against Ireland, but it appears there will be at least one change.
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Elliot Dee started at hooker against the Irish, with Evan Lloyd on the bench. The Cardiff youngster would be the one most likely to make way in Edinburgh. Lake has not played since December when he underwent surgery and was initially expected to be unavailable for three months.
Thomas said: "As soon as he comes in, he has to be in contention. He’s world class. He’s got the potential to be at the very top of this game."
Speaking of his own call-up to the Wales coaching team, he added: "It was amazing. Just to be involved with the crowd and the atmosphere, with some things we’d tried in the week.
"We had three training sessions really. If I’m honest, you could see things coming through on Tuesday and Thursday. We hoped there was crossover, as things were getting better as the week went on, especially the forward shape stuff. Just the first three minutes of play was the stuff we installed on Tuesday and we fed that through."
On working with the likes of Adam Jones and Jonathan Humphreys, Thomas admitted that he is "trying to pinch as much stuff off them as I can," adding: "It’s been good. Humphs has a lot of experience and Bomb has been in the Prem with Quins. It’s been great."
However, while he is enjoying his involvement with Wales, the former Cardiff coach confirmed that he would be heading back to Kingsholm following the culmination of the tournament
"I've really enjoyed it," he said of his time at Gloucester. "From what I was doing at Cardiff, with the transition stuff. Then going into the lineout at Cardiff earlier than I expected or wanted in a way.
"I’m not in a rush. I want to be good at the end of it. I felt I needed to go to the Premiership."
Ireland star summoned
Ireland centre Garry Ringrose is set to learn his fate following his red card against Wales on Saturday.
The Leinster back is facing a ban after he was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Ben Thomas in the first-half, having made head-on-head contact with the Welshman.
Ringrose's initial yellow card was upgraded to a red following a bunker review although under the new 20-minute red card law trial, Ireland were able to replace him with Bundee Aki later in the game.
It has now been confirmed that Ringrose will attended a disciplinary hearing at 9am on Thursday, having been charged with an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.13 - which states that a player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously.
The length of ban the 30-year-old is set to receive will be between two and six matches depending on the severity of the incident. However, he could see any suspension reduced with a previous clean record and for attending World Rugby's 'tackle school'
A statement reads: "Ireland Number 13, Garry Ringrose, will attend an independent disciplinary hearing after he was awarded a red card by Referee, Christophe Ridley, for an act of foul play contrary to Law 9.13 (A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously) in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations match between Wales and Ireland on Saturday 22nd February 2025.
"The player will attend the hearing via video conference before an independent Disciplinary Committee consisting of Matthew Weaver - Chair (England), joined by Stefan Terblanche (South Africa) and Leon Lloyd (England). The hearing will take place on Thursday 27th February 2025 at 9am (GMT)."
Mystery surrounds union ahead of Wales match
The Japan Rugby Football Union says it is seeking answers after its chairman Kensuke Iwabuchi was suspended by Asia Rugby pending an investigation into a potential code of conduct breach.
Iwabuchi - who has served as the chairman of the Japanese union since 2019 - was elected as one of Asia Rugby's three vice presidents in November but has now been suspended from “any duties and responsibilities until the pending investigation is concluded.."
No further details about the suspension were given, but Asia Rugby said it came "in line with [its] principles of equality, transparency and accountability.
The JRFU has since released a statement saying it is looking for clarification over exactly why the suspension has been made.
“The JRFU is trying to confirm the circumstances and reasons why our chairman Kensuke Iwabuchi has been temporarily suspended from his position as Asia Rugby vice president, which was announced on February 24,” the statement reads
“We have confirmed that he has not committed any act that goes against Asia Rugby’s principles of equality, transparency, and accountability and that he is responding in accordance with the code of conduct. We will continue to do our best to develop Asian rugby.”
The mystery comes ahead of Japan's summer Tests against Wales, with head coach Eddie Jones also set for a showdown with Australia in October before an autumn tour of Europe.
