These are your rugby headlines on Sunday, March 16.
Roberts: England defeat must be 'line in the sand'
Former Wales international Jamie Roberts says the humiliating 68-14 defeat to England has to be a "line in the sand" for the future of Welsh rugby.
The nightmare game saw Wales fall to a record Six Nations loss and concede more points than ever before in Cardiff. It also means they have not won a match in the tournament for two years, or any of their last 17 Tests in any competition.
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Having seen his country handed back-to-back wooden spoons, Roberts said that Welsh rugby had officially reached a point of no return, with big changes and an immediate upturn in results now needed.
“There’s a couple of big jobs to fill - a director of rugby and a new coach,” said the 38-year-old, who is also an independent non-executive director on the Welsh Rugby Union board. “We’ll see over the next month or so who will get those jobs.
"This needs to be a line in the sand. We play Japan next, who are one below Wales in the rankings, before the draw takes place for the next World Cup.”
Wales star 'puts hand up' for Lions
Wales star Blair Murray has emerged as a potential bolter for this summer's British & Irish Lions tour.
It may have been a humiliating defeat for Matt Sherratt's side against England, but Murray was one of the only players in a red jersey to emerge in credit on Saturday afternoon. Wales' biggest attacking threat throughout, the full-back shone amid some nightmare performances from many of his team-mates and may well have had a hat-trick on a different day.
The 23-year-old - who only made his Wales debut in the autumn after moving from New Zealand and joining the Scarlets - has been one of the standout Welsh players over the course of the tournament, and has now been tipped to win a place in Andy Farrell's squad for the tour of Australia.
Following the England defeat, Sherratt was asked if any of his players deserved a Lions spot and named Murray amongst three potential candidates for the squad.
“Jac (Morgan) stands out," said the departing interim coach. "I think Daf Jenkins is going to be world class. Blair Murray has probably put his hand up. Hopefully we get good representation because there are some good people in that room who deserve a spot.”
However, Sherratt isn't the only person backing Murray, with Sam Warburton also admitting the former Canterbury man had entered bolter territory over the course of the tournament.
Speaking at half-time at the Principality, the former Wales captain said: "Blair Murray has been such an exciting player to watch. I think he's a bolter for the Lions team."
Borthwick: Wales rout shows how we've grown
By Phil Blanche, PA
Steve Borthwick hailed the growth of his England team after a record Six Nations romp against Wales took took the Guinness Six Nations title race to its final game.
England demolished Wales 68-14 in Cardiff as a 10-try spectacular ensured title favourites France could not afford any slip up in their final fixture against Scotland.
The win surpassed England’s 50-10 Six Nations victory over Wales at Twickenham in March 2002, with only their 62-5 success in a World Cup warm-up game in 2007 standing as a bigger triumph in the fixture’s 144-year history.
Head coach Borthwick said: “I wanted the players to play big and fast, aggressive with the ball and that’s exactly what they did. That’s a sign that this young team just embraces challenges and it is growing and developing fast.
“I think the team has been progressing for a period of time. You can see that growth. We were just falling short before of getting those actual wins but the team has stuck to the process.”
Ben Curry was named player of the match after winning his battle with Wales captain Jac Morgan, a rival for the British and Irish Lions seven shirt in Australia this summer, hands down. Second-row forward Maro Itoje, a potential Lions captain in waiting, was also immense and plenty of others put their hands up for spots in Andy Farrell’s Lions party.
Borthwick said: “The next thing for these players is that hopefully a lot of them will get picked for the Lions. It was Kevin Sinfield (skills and kicking coach) who proposed that part of our role is to get as many of them on that plane as possible.
“Our job is to help them do that and hopefully there will be a lot of England players heading Down Under in a couple of months time on that Lions plane.”
