News about Justin Tipuric

CHRIS FOY: As the hosts attempt to resurrect their Twickenham citadel and their rivals fight for a dozen years of Six Nations pain, England and Wales beckons. Despite a thrilling, logic-defying comeback, rugby's top players will revive hostilities this afternoon in the midst of an English mission to recover lost home advantage. Both hope and enthusiasm are on the line, and new-era optimism is shaky. Something has to give. England has won three, drawn one, and lost six in the last ten Tests at Twickenham, including a surprise loss to Fiji in late August last year. Five months ago, France was being put to the sword by France, who romped to a historic 53-10 triumph.

ALEX BYWATER: After braving a treacherous flight to Dublin by Storm Isha, Wales head coach Warren Gatland said on Monday that "you write us off at your peril" for this year's Six Nations. The start of 2024 marks the start of a new period of Welsh rugby. After a number of senior figures stepped away, Gatland's squad for the upcoming Championship has an average age of just 25. In the build-up to last year's World Cup, Gatland lost Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Ken Owens, and Rhys Webb, and Tim Bolton and Leigh Halfpenny have both retired.

For Antoine Dupont, the'mythical' lure of pursuing Olympic glory on home soil was too much to ignore. The France captain and scrum-half are widely regarded as the best player in the world in the 15-a-side game, but in the run-up to Paris 2024, the team is making the move to sevens rugby. Dupont will miss the Six Nations and Mix Competition with his club, Toulouse, after competing for his country's sevens team on the world circuit.

As they all came out for the final time at international level in front of their adoring public, Welsh greats Alun Wyn Jones, Leigh Halfpenny, and Justin Tipuric were supposed to celebrate. And it was still was. However, the pre-match announcement that Fiji lock Api Ratuniyarawa - who was supposed to be on the bench for the Barbarians at Principality Stadium - had appeared in a nightclub in Cardiff Magistrates' Court this week made for gruesome reading. The fact that this game even took place was surprising considering that it was held just a week after the World Cup final and on the same day as Wales' regions were in domestic competition.

After leading Wales into the World Cup quarterfinals at the age of just 23, Jac Morgan has been dubbed the man who 'can literally do it all.' Morgan's ascension to Warren Gatland's skipper has been illuminating. He was playing rugby part-time and working as an apprentice engineer when he failed to secure a senior Scarlets job four years ago. The tough-tackling flanker was left out of Wales' summer tour of South Africa completely, last year. Now, he is his country's top male, aspiring to tournament glory.

BYWATER IN LYON: Tuesday, February 21. The Wales squad was spelled out by a crunch meeting at their Vale Resort training base earlier this year. Warren Gatland's players were told in no uncertain terms that if they did not play their Six Nations match with England, they would not only cost the Welsh Rugby Union close to £10 million and bankrupt the governing body, but also rob rookie back Mason Grady of a potential Test debut. There was muzzling and indignation in the air. The emotions were high. Wales' players were split on whether or not they should strike or not, but there was widespread outrage at the sexy and financial turmoil plaguing their country's rugby scene. Things needed to change, according to an acknowledgement.

After beating Australia, DAN BIGGAR: After we beat Australia, there was a lot of relief in the changing room, and now we can all relax for a few days. Some of the boys are taking their children to Disneyland Paris, while others are going to Biarritz and Louis Rees-Zammit is heading to Cannes. We get €50 a day spending money so I'll be heading home to Toulon to stock up the fridge! Because it's been a whizzing few weeks, everyone needs some down time. We've had a few do-or-die games against Fiji and Australia, and we've been through both of them.

After senior figures and former skippers Alun Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, and Justin Tipuric were all banned from flying to France earlier this summer, head coach Gatland was left puzzled over who to choose as the leader. Morgan was quickly chosen to take on the role after captaining in two of his country's three warm-up games. In the other, Lake Captained. Morgan and Lake's co-captains were announced on Monday morning by Gatland, who unexpectedly only had two specialist scrum-halves in Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies. Despite not having played this summer due to calf and thumb injuries, veteran campaigners Taulupe Faletau and Gareth Anscombe have both been included.

BYWATER Cwmtwrch: As Jac Morgan captains his country for the first time in a senior international, the tiny Welsh village of Cwmtwrch would trade grief for celebration on Saturday. Flanker Morgan, 23, the first to take hold of a rugby ball in the Swansea Valley, played with the grandson of Clive Rowlands, who also hails from the village.

CHRIS FOY: Judgement Day for England's World Cup aspirants promises to be a thrilling and challenging match in Cardiff against a stricken Wales team that is going through a similar, rushed transition. An old rivalry will return with new sub-plots in front of an incredible crowd of over 65,000 at the Principality Stadium. Although Wales is waiting for the announcement of a World Cup squad, Steve Borthwick named his Red Rose 33 on Monday, so those on the fringes will use this not-so-friendly competition to stake their claim for recognition.

When Warren Gatland's team faces England in their first tournament warm-up on Saturday, Wales World Cup captaincy hopeful Jac Morgan will lead his country for the first time at senior level. When Ken Owens, Alun Wyn Jones, and Justin Tipuric all departed from the tournament earlier this summer, the Welsh captaincy became an unknown quantity. Flanker Morgan, 23, has been dubbed a leading candidate for the French role. And the fact that he will captain England against England at Principality Stadium this weekend is a strong indication that he is the most likely to fill the role for the long haul in the months to come.

We've been preparing for England's game against England in the hottest weather I've ever seen. It's been 42 degrees, and the workers have been bringing ice lollies and squirting us with water to cool down during breaks in training. The Gloria Sports Arena in Antalya, Turkey, has been our training base. It's an amazing facility that has been used by a variety of sports. This week, Nafi Thiam, the Belgian heptathlete with two Olympic gold medals, was on display in Brussels. I had a chance to practise my French with her! The Real Madrid academy is also here. All these kids turned up in business class and we felt a little envious after our EasyJet flight was stuck on the runway at Bristol for three hours!

When working as an engineer apprentice, Jac Morgan was still a part-time rugby player in 2019. The flanker was left out of Wales' summer tour of South Africa because he was determined not to have the physical characteristics to excel in international rugby just 12 months ago.

ALEX BYWATER: The players of Wales' World Cup preparations were required to wear hoods, were exposed to the sounds of babies screaming, carrying logs, and swimming underwater. Warren Gatland's crew has embraced the new training techniques and are hoping that they will be able to help them flourish in France's forthcoming tournament. In Taff's Well, on the outskirts of Cardiff, head coach Gatland's extended training staff attended the Green Mile army-style fitness camp.

Hooker Owens has joined Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, and Rhys Webb in dropping out of preparations for the tournament in France. The 36-year-old, who ruled Wales in a turbulent Six Nations on and off the field, is struggling with a back injury that may require surgery.

Ken Owens has been the fifth player to withdraw from Wales' World Cup training squad after suffering a back injury, according to ALEX. Owens, who captained Warren Gatland's side in this year's Six Nations, follows in the footsteps of colleagues Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, and Cory Hill. Prop Rhys Carre was also suspended from the team for not meeting fitness goals. The 36-year-old Owens, who was unlikely to be named in Wales' final 33-man World Cup training squad, was unlikely to be named on Monday, according to Wales head coach Gatland.

Warren Gatland said he would not have taken up a second stint as Wales' manager if he had known the full extent of Welsh rugby's issues. After the dismissal of former coach Wayne Pivac due to a string of poor results, the veteran head coach was hired in December 2022. However, although Gatland's first stint as head of the national team saw him win three Six Nations championships - none of which were Grand Slams - and make two appearances in the World Cup semi-finals, his second stint as helms have been marred by continuing disappointments.

ALEX BYWATER: Wales' World Cup preparations have just got off, and with less than 100 days remaining until the tournament in France, Warren Gatland's training team is yet to fully assembled. But head coach Gatland's plans are also disarray, even now. On the eve of the world showpiece, three of his most influential players have remarkably departed international rugby. Two more people will not be playing on the game's biggest stage, but for very different reasons. As Gatland's heroic Six Nations came to an end earlier this year, he would have immediately turned to the World Cup. Had the New Zealander on matchday 23 for his team's opener with Fiji in Bordeaux on September 10, there would surely have been a more than fair chance that Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, Joe Hawkins, and Rhys Carre had been on it.

ALEX BYWATER IN SWANSEA: Alun Wyn Jones sang of a glorious sunny Swansea evening in a way that might well be goodbye to rugby. Welsh rugby has had its fair share of challenges this season, but it put on a display that demonstrated just what it could do at St Helen's to acknowledge a true great. Jones, 37, the world's most capped international, has now retired from international rugby, and it's uncertain if or not he'll return to play at a club level next season. This could not have been more fitting than it was in the iconic lock forward's last game. Jones captained the Barbarians in the first half against Swansea before returning to his hometown team in the second. The friendly game was played out in glorious weather.

After Rhys Webb joined Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric in separating from international rugby, Warren Gatland's World Cup with Wales is devolving into chaos. With a little over three months until France's international showpiece, Wales head coach Gatland has lost three of his most experienced players. When entering the Test arena earlier this month, lock legend Jones and flanker Tipuric caused a massive shock, and scrum-half Webb followed suit.

Alun Wyn Jones, the world's most capped rugby union player, has announced his retirement from international play. The 37-year-old, who appeared for Wales 158 times and 12 times in the British and Irish Lions Test, has withdrawn less than four months before Wales' World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux, who appeared in 158 times for Wales. Justin Tipuric, a Wales flanker who gained 93 caps, had previously announced his retirement from Test rugby.

ALEX BYWATER IN NICE: There is nothing for Welsh rugby to celebrate in 2023, but Justin Tipuric believes that finding joy in their work again will be the key to Warren Gatland's triumph. Wales has seen Wales suffer setbacks from Ireland, Scotland, and England on the field, as well as financial and contractual instability away from it. Those off-pitch issues culminated in a player injury outbreak ahead of the England game, one that was only avoided at the 11th hour.

Warren Gatland has admitted to a'significant divide' in the Wales squad over whether to play for their Six Nations match against England, which has had a major effect on his team's poor form. Last month, Sportsmail revealed that Wales' players were considering pulling out of the match against their bitterest rivals in an attempt to resolve contractual and financial conflicts in the Welsh game. A deal was reached, and the England game went forward, but not everyone was happy. However, off-the-field chaos continues to distract Wales' Championship appearances.

ALEX BYWATER: Warren Gatland has recalled Rhys Webb for his first Test appearance in three years, as well as Louis Rees-Zammit for Saturday's Six Nations wooden spoon decider with Italy. For his fourth straight game, Gatland has made dramatic improvements to his team, with Liam Williams also being thrown into the back division as predicted. But the headline picks from Gatland's most recent team news are Webb's scrum-half over Tomos Williams' and Rees-Zammit's promotion to the bench.