These are your evening rugby headlines on Monday, March 3.
Welsh 'freak' compared to Springbok giant
James Hook has compared Ospreys star Morgan Morse to Springbok back rower Cameron Hanekom, describing him as a "ridiculous" talent.
Morse has long been hailed as one of the future stars of Welsh rugby and did that reputation very little harm with another hugely impressive display as the Osprey's sealed a stunning win over reigning URC champions Glasgow. After powering over for his side's first try at Scotstoun, he then became the architect as he set up the first of two scores for Keiran Hardy to set the Ospreys on their way to a dramatic 32-31 win.
The 20-year-old powerhouse has been tipped to win senior Wales honours in the coming months and his performances have put former fly-half Hook in mind of another young back-row talent. While Hanekom turned down the opportunity to play for Wales before winning his first South Africa cap last year, Hook believes Morse provides a similar threat to the Springbok.
After Alex Cuthbert described the Ospreys talent as a "freak" on the latest BBC Scrum V podcast, Hook agreed and added: "He is ridiculous. It's hard to pick out one individual from that Ospreys performance, because I thought every single player was outstanding.
"It's just his energy, his footwork, his explosive[ness], his offload speed. I think I said it before, he reminds me of Hanekom, the No.8 for the 'Boks. Not as big, but in terms of how explosive he is, how quick he is off the base.
"The energy of the bloke is ridiculous," Hook added. "He'd play three games a day if he could. He just loves it."
Star struck down by shock illness
Brumbies flanker Tuaina Taii Tualima has been diagnosed with dengue fever, the club has confirmed.
The 27-year-old Australian is understood to have contracted the viral illness - which is transmitted via mosquito bites - during a team trip to Fiji last month. That trip saw Tualima make his debut for the Super Rugby Pacific side as they beat Fijian Drua in a season opener in Suva.
However, he was missing for the Brumbies' Round Two defeat by the Western Force the following week and the club has now released a statement confirming his shock diagnosis.
"The team took all preventative measures against mosquito-borne illnesses, however, one of our players, Tuaina Taii Tualima, has become ill after catching dengue fever," the statement read. "The affected player has been diagnosed early and is receiving medical input from the team doctor and an infectious disease specialist."
It comes after the Fijian Health Ministry declared an outbreak of dengue fever, with over 200 cases recorded in the country since the start of the calendar year. The Ministry has urged the public to take care to prevent infection and seek medical attention should they experience symptoms.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), most people who contract the virus can typically show symptoms of a high fever, headache and body aches. While most people generally recover within a few weeks, some can develop severe dengue which requires hospital care and, on some occasions, the illness can prove deadly.
Scotland call in trio before Wales clash
Scotland have called three new faces into their Six Nations squad ahead of facing Wales at Murrayfield this weekend.
Centre Matt Currie has been brought in after scoring a hat-trick for Edinburgh against Munster on Friday, with one-cap back rower Ben Muncaster and prop Nathan McBeth also joining the squad.
However, back rowers Luke Crosbie and Jack Mann have been ruled out of the clash with injury. Edinburgh star Crosbie was replaced early on in the Munster clash, while Mann is undergoing World Rugby's concussion protocols after suffering a head injury while playing for Glasgow.
Scrum-half Ali Price and winger Ross McCann have also returned to Edinburgh ahead of the match.
Scotland are aiming to secure their second win of the tournament when they host Matt Sherratt's side, having lost to Ireland and England in the last two rounds after their opening weekend victory over Italy.
Ireland duo commit future
Joe McCarthy and Mack Hansen have signed new contracts with the Irish Rugby Football Union.
Lock McCarthy, 23, has agreed a new three-year deal to commit his future to Ireland and Leinster until 2028, having emerged as a star player under Andy Farrell. As well as making 42 appearances for Leinster since 2022, he has also won 17 international caps and become a key man in the Irish pack.
Meanwhile, 27-year-old wing Hansen has signed a two-year deal with Ireland and Connacht, having made 38 appearances for the province and won 27 international caps, as well as scoring 12 tries in the green jersey.
After signing his new deal, McCarthy said: “I am delighted to continue my association with Leinster and Ireland and I believe there’s a lot more to come as we build towards an exciting end to the season and beyond. I have loved playing for my home province and representing my country is a huge honour which means the world to me.
"I would like to thank my team-mates and coaches for their help and support and I have no doubt that there’s more to come as we collectively build towards the future.”
Australia-born Hansen, who moved to Ireland in 2021, added: “Since moving to Ireland I have loved my time and I am delighted to sign this new contract. Playing in Ireland with Connacht means a huge amount to me and I feel that I have improved because of the coaching and structures here.
"There’s a huge amount to play for this season and I’ll be focusing my efforts on finishing strongly for Ireland and Connacht. I’d like to thank the IRFU for putting their faith in me and I’m hugely excited about the future.”
