Your headlines from the rugby evening of Tuesday, June 21.

Pivac confirms its approach

Wales boss Wayne Pivac insists assistant coach Gareth Williams remains on hand for the tour of South Africa, and does not expect a move to be confirmed until the return of the team.

Williams has dealt with Wales’ breakdown and contact skills for the past year but is expected to take on a role with the Scarlets as their new defense coach.

But first there is the question of facing the Springboks in a three-test tour this summer.

“Nothing has changed. Gareth has a head start in training and is fully invested in this tour,” insisted Pivac. “There was an approach that is nice for any coach from another organization to say they would love to have you.

“It went through the front door and we had open conversations about it. Nothing was finalized and I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t happen until after the tour.”

When asked if it was a distraction, Pivac refuted: “No, these things happen regularly to players and coaches. We are just looking to see if an alignment with a club would be beneficial for the game. in Wales.

“I think the short answer to that question is yes, it’s just about doing it in a timely manner so everyone gets what they need.”

“We talk about country and club alignment all the time and you see that in Ireland and New Zealand and a lot of places and it’s definitely something we can improve on and we’re looking to do that. .”

Wales women will face England

The Wales women will face a conquering England side in their final run before heading to the World Cup later this year.

Ioan Cunningham’s side will travel to New Zealand shortly after the match, which will take place at Ashton Gate in Bristol on September 14 (7.30pm KO).

Cunningham said: “Testing yourself against the world No 1 team on our doorstep is a fantastic opportunity before flying to New Zealand. With Canada another top four team, they are exactly the types games we need as we continue to raise the standards and help us become as competitive as possible at the world cup itself.

Wales will also play a warm-up game against Canada on August 27.

All Black Hayman tackles dementia praecox

All Blacks legend Carl Hayman says he accepts his brain is “half full” after being diagnosed with dementia praecox.

The former prop, who played 45 times for his country and more than 150 times for Toulon, went public with his diagnosis last November.

He discussed the diagnosis further with New Zealand media this week.

“I have various symptoms ranging from mood swings to forgetfulness to constant headaches. It really zapped my life,” Hayman told TVNZ. Seven Sharp.

“It’s been incredibly difficult, but it’s about accepting that my brain energy is half full compared to other people, so I have to be careful about using that energy. I need to plan my day. , not to take on too much and have few achievable goals for the day.

“Having this understanding and the tools to help me manage things has really given me hope to move forward, in terms of having a productive future.”

England ready for confrontation

Eddie Jones insists England are ready to hunt down the Wallabies as they prepare to face off on and off the pitch during their three-Test tour of Australia.

Jones named a 36-man squad that includes recalls for number eight Billy Vunipola and scrum-half Danny Care, but counts Joe Marler, Ben Youngs and Elliot Daly as big-name omissions.

England’s last visit to Australia in 2016 ended in a hair-raising series of whitewashes, but Jones and his tourists were forced to overcome a coordinated campaign of off-field disruptions, including the head coach facing an extended search of his luggage at Brisbane airport.

As a taste of what’s to come, the host broadcaster has produced a trailer for the series in which obnoxious, sunburned red rose fans drink tea and eat cake before being interrupted by Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou.

“We have to chase them. We intend to chase them,” said Jones, who won all eight meetings with Australia as England manager.

“Davie Rennie’s teams traditionally want to play on the front foot, so it will be a question of who wins the front foot.

“There will be really hard and flat tracks and abusive crowds. They are in front, the Australians. The media are going to be in front of us – they are aggressive.

“It’s a really aggressive environment. You can learn so much about your players and your team on these tours and we’ve missed that.

“I’m sure it will be fun. For Australians it’s the biggest tour and it’s going to be huge. It’s going to be fantastic for rugby and it’s going to be fantastic for our team.”

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