These are your evening rugby headlines on Saturday, June 15.
Regions ‘locked in battle’ for Williams
Three Welsh regions are still ‘locked in a battle’ to sign Wales full-back Liam Williams, according to reports.
The 33-year-old, who earned a surprise recall to Warren Gatland’s squad ahead of their summer Tests against South Africa and Australia, is currently contracted to Kubota Spears in Japan’s top division having joined them after last year’s World Cup
WalesOnline reported last month that Williams, whose partner Sophie Harries recently announced her pregnancy, was now eyeing a return home, despite being only halfway through his two-year contract with the Spears.
Cardiff, Ospreys and Dragons all expressed an initial interest in securing the 89-cap international’s services and a new report from RugbyPass says that all three regions are still in the hunt for his signature, claiming they are “locked in a three-way battle to land [him]”.
Williams will have to make a decision on his future before too long, but as the report states, this may not come until later in the summer if he makes the cut for the tour of Australia.
Wallaby to join Rees-Zammit?
Australia star Jordan Petaia is set to sensationally quit rugby in favour of following his dreams in the NFL.
According to Australian tabloid The Daily Telegraph, Petaia has informed Rugby Australia of his desire to pursue a new career in American football, and already been in contact with NFL officials who want him to join the International Player Pathway program later this year.
Petaia would follow former Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit in joining the IPP program, as well as fellow countryman Jordan Mailata. Of course, Rees-Zammit has since signed with the reigning Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs, while Mailata has become a star with the the Philadelphia Eagles.
While any exit by the 24-year-old would likely happen towards the end of this year, it is potentially yet another blow for the Wallabies, after Carter Gordon and Mark Nawaqanitawase made the code switch to rugby league and signed for Gold Coast Titans and Sydney Roosters respectively.
All Black heavyweights to clash in final
The Super Rugby final has been confirmed, with an all-New Zealand affair set for Saturday, June 22.
Chiefs will take on Blues in a mammoth clash for the coveted competition, with the former securing their place in the showpiece event with a 30-19 victory over Hurricanes on Saturday.
Blues booked their place on Friday with a 34-20 win over Brumbies. With the match now confirmed, next weekend’s event will see the likes of Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown come up against their compatriots at the Blues.
Blues boast a plethora of Test quality players, including Mark Telea, Rieko Ioane, Dalton Papali’i and Akira Ioane.
Reigning champions Crusaders, for whom Leigh Halfpenny played this season, finished in a dismal ninth place. Despite winning the last two Super Rugby trophies, they are suffering in the post-Scott Robertson era, with new coach Rob Penney already under pressure following his first season in charge.
Refereeing legend honoured
Refereeing legend Wayne Barnes has been awarded an OBE for his services to rugby in the King’s Birthday Honours.
The 45-year-old received the honour just over seven months since retiring from the game, taking charge of his last match in the Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and South Africa.
With 111 Test matches under his belt, he bowed out with the most Test appearances as a referee, having also taken charge of 273 English Premiership games.
Over the course of his career, Barnes officiated at 17 Six Nations tournaments and was at the helm in 10 Premiership finals. He also featured at five World Cup Cups, taking charge of 27 games.
Other sporting honours in this year’s Kings Birthday Honours list include a knighthood for cycling star Mark Cavendish, along with an MBE for Welsh referee Cheryl Foster and OBEs and CBEs respectively for former Scotland football stars Ally McCoist and Graham Souness.