These are your evening rugby headlines on Thursday, March 20.
'Top class' Wales giant returns
Wales lock Adam Beard is set to return to action for the Ospreys this weekend after four months on the sidelines.
The 29-year-old has been out of action since suffering a knee injury during Wales' Autumn Nations Series defeat to Australia in November, but is in line to feature as Mark Jones' side take on Connacht on Saturday.
"Adam is a top-class operator, someone who is [influential] not only through his playing performance but the way he helps drive the group around that," said Ospreys coach Duncan Jones.
"He certainly brings that level of experience and knowledge to the group which is great. He is coming back at a good time for us and can hopefully help us keep driving performances."
Beard is set to be joined on the field by some of Wales' Six Nations squad, with the likes of Ben Warren, Sam Parry and Dan Edwards all in line for selection. Whether Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake and Gareth Thomas - who all featured against England last weekend - will also play a part remains to be seen.
"I think there'll be a mixture," Jones added. "Some of the boys who haven't featured as much will be back for selection. Dan's been around us, Ben Warren, Sam Parry - they have all been around us.
"Mark has had some other conversations with Dewi, Jac and Gareth Thomas. He has treated them all on an individual basis. They are all keen to get back and contribute towards us. Mark has spoken to them and he has got a plan around what suits them and what suits us a club."
Sherratt: Wales needed a rest before England
Matt Sherratt has admitted that Wales' squad perhaps needed a rest in the days prior to their 68-14 thrashing against England.
The one-sided defeat to Steve Borthwick's side in Cardiff capped another wooden spoon campaign, with Sherratt unable to end the lengthy losing run at Test level during his short stint as interim coach.
Reflecting on what he learned from his time in charge of Wales, the Cardiff coach admitted that - given the emotional nature of a long campaign that saw Gatland walk away from his post - the players could have done with some more time off after the Scotland defeat at Murrayfield.
However, given the limited time he had with them after taking over for the final three matches, it was a difficult balance to strike.
"Having an understanding of the circumstances you're going into, it was really enjoyable," said Sherratt. "The staff were brilliant and they got behind me very quickly as I know them all.
"But going in day one leading up to playing one of the best teams on the planet, getting the players aligned and getting a new attacking system in place was pretty difficult. But rather than look at it as something tough to do, how good an experience was it for me to do that?
"Just putting myself into uncomfortable positions is the only way you get better in any job. Learning how to get a management group and team together quickly. The playing group is always your best CV.
"I know the environment was good and we got better in some of our systems over the four weeks. There's probably some learnings at the end of camp.
"It was obviously emotional with the change of staff. You had emotional responses against Ireland and Scotland. Then you get an early flight back and come back into England week against a side that had a camp in their fallow week.
"I'd have probably given the players a bit more rest, but then you're caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of whether they've got the detail."
Roberts commits future
Wales international Joe Roberts has signed a new long-term deal with the Scarlets.
The 24-year-old academy product made his senior debut for the region in 2021 and went on to win his first Wales cap two years later. He featured in three matches under Sherratt in the recent Six Nations, starting on the wing in Wales' heavy defeat to England last weekend.
After suffering a serious knee injury during last year's Six Nations - which saw him go under the knife and have a bone transplant flown in from America - Roberts missed the start of this season but has played in eight matches for the Scarlets since returning to action in December.
"It wasn't a great start to the season being injured, but it's been good to get back playing for the Scarlets and then being part of the Wales set-up again, which was unexpected," he said as his new contract was confirmed.
"It is my home-town club, I came through the age-grade teams and the Academy here, it is brilliant to be staying on. You look at the signings we have made and the players we have retained, especially in the backline, it's hugely exciting."
Roberts is the latest Scarlets star to agree a new deal, with Tomi Lewis and Macs Page committing their futures to the region. Joe Hawkins will also join Dwayne Peel's side in the summer after agreeing a return to Wales from Exeter Chiefs.
"Joe is a big part of our plans over the coming seasons and if you look at the young talent we are putting together in that back division, it is exciting for everyone at the club," said Peel. "[He] is a home-grown player, a Llanelli boy who has gone on to reach the top of the game and epitomises everything we want to achieve here at the club.
"He has had to overcome some serious injuries for a young man, but he has shown his determination and resilience to not only get back into the Scarlets side, but earn Wales recognition as well."
New Lions opponents named
The British and Irish Lions will face a team with indigenous and Pacific heritage during their 2025 tour, Rugby Australia has confirmed.
The match against the First Nations & Pasifika XV on July 22, three days after the first Test, fills the gap in the tour schedule created when the Melbourne Rebels went into administration.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh, who revealed plans for the fixture in November, said the match at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium will be a “great celebration” of communities which contribute to Australian rugby.
The announcement comes 100 days from the opening match of the tour against Western Force in Perth on June 28 and as the final tickets for the tour are released.
Lions chief executive Ben Calveley described the match as one which “everyone at the Lions is hugely excited about”.
Waugh played down speculation that Australia would not pick players against the Lions who were heading to play overseas.
He told the Sydney Morning Herald: “We’ve got to win the Lions series… we’ve got to be as competitive as we can be in the Lions series.
“We’re going to work really hard to retain as many as we can, conscious that we’ve got some really big events, and the Lions is one of them.
“But we need to put our best possible team onto the field to win Test matches for Australia.”
Ian Foster, who coached New Zealand to the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, has been named as part of the coaching staff for the Australia and New Zealand side which will face the Lions in Adelaide on July 12, the final warm-up match before the Test series.
Lions coach Andy Farrell will name his touring party in front of a live audience at London’s O2 Arena on May 8.
