According to the Times, England will travel to face New Zealand for the first time in a decade, while Wales will take on the Wallabies in what could be the final “traditional” summer tour. Scotland will play Tests in the Pacific Islands rugby , and Ireland will travel to South Africa.
The newspaper also says that Italy will take on the United States and Canada and France will go to Argentina.
This could be the last time a full-strength Wales team travels to the southern hemisphere in the summer, as the Lions tour Australia in 2025 and the Nations Championship starts in 2026.
If the Nations Championship is held, teams would compete against other nations in a league format rather than on a tour between July and November. The Times also says that the 2024 tours may only have two Tests instead of three because they fall during the World Cup year. However, there is reportedly the option to schedule an additional Test against a developing nation.Bath inks long-term contract with England star
By renewing his contract with Bath, England flanker Sam Underhill has committed his future to the Gallagher Premiership club. The 26-year-old, who played for the Ospreys in the past, was supposed to be out of contract next summer. However, he has agreed to stay at the Rec for an undisclosed amount of time that will be called “long term.”
Underhill stated, “I have learned an incredible amount over the past five years at Bath.” With the staff and players we have here, I am looking forward to seeing where I can take my game. I want to help a successful Bath team, and I know that everyone is working together to help the club achieve great things in the coming seasons.
Corey Domachowski’s late try gave Cardiff the victory after the Rodney Parade team had appeared destined to end a 14-game losing streak in the match. Turnbull acknowledged that Cardiff’s ranks were unfazed after the game as they continued their winning streak against the Dragons.
He stated, “We always knew that if we stuck with what we were doing and what we knew we could do, then we would come away with points,” and that’s exactly what they did.
We gained something each time we carried out our objectives.
“It was really satisfying that we held on until the very end; all of the boys played a full 80 minutes, and the entire bench made an impact. It was just a matter of us doing the right things in the right places on the field to win.
“It’s always difficult, but as a group of players, we have demonstrated that we can dig deep this year, what it means to play for the badge, and there is a genuine group of boys who want to demonstrate that we can come away with something, especially when we are under the pump as we were.
We are all in a good position because boys are speaking up and making their points. Tomos Williams, Jarrod Evans, Rhys Priestland, and Lloyd Williams are excellent game drivers for us. They know the game well, keep us in good positions, and as forwards, it’s up to us to pass the ball to them for them to play.
Graham Rowntree, Munster’s head coach, acknowledged that they needed to improve after missing a chance to defeat Leinster.
Munster took a 14-6 lead with that score early in the second half, but Leinster came back with 14 men on the field.
Leinster won the game 20-19 thanks to tries from Scott Penny and Dan Sheehan when they were down a man, making it 11 wins from 12 this season for Leo Cullen’s team.
Rowntree said later, ” We were ahead in the first half without much territory, and in the third quarter, we worked hard for a penalty try, but they had a player in the bin, and we gave up two soft tries. We simply cannot accomplish that.
“Toward the end of our way there, we lost our way against a good team, whoever they appear to field. That Leinster team has a lot of familiar faces, and no matter who they field, they are a great team.
“The way we handled the time following the penalty try, when we gave up two soft tries, was the most disappointing thing for me.
I’ll have to watch it once more in the dark and cold. We talked a lot about it because they have a lot of quick-tap moves. We discussed it, demonstrated it earlier in the week, and trained it, but we must improve. We must be better than that in the battle’s boiling heat.”