Dan Biggar signs on with the Ospreys for another three years

Posted on Mar 27, 2013 in Ospreys

Dan Biggar has signed a new three year deal with the Ospreys, the region has announced.

Twenty-three year old Biggar, whose current deal expires at the end of this campaign, will now stay at the Liberty Stadium until at least the end of the 2015/16 season.

Speaking after signing the new contract, Biggar said:

"This is an organisation that has always been very good to me and supported me so it’s great that I can recognise that by committing my future to the region.

"It’s always nice to get things sorted and to be all done and dusted, and now I’ve signed it means I can concentrate on the next few weeks and helping the team to secure a play-off place without any distractions."

A product of the Ospreys’ elite youth development pathway, Biggar gained his early rugby experience with Gorseinon RFC and Gowerton Comprehensive in Swansea, before representing the region at age-grade level and playing for Swansea RFC in the Welsh Premiership.

He made his senior Ospreys debut as an 18-year old, as a late replacement in an EDF Energy Cup semi-final win over Saracens at the Millennium Stadium almost exactly five years ago in March 2008, with his first start coming in an away win over Glasgow in September that year.

Since then he has flourished in the Ospreys environment, his durability and consistency in the number 10 shirt allowing him to reach some considerable landmarks for the region.

In November 2011, less than a month after his 22nd birthday, he overtook James Hook to become the region’s all-time highest points scorer, a record he has since extended to 1,206. Having topped the scoring charts for the last three consecutive seasons he is on course to do so again this time around.

Meanwhile, in April 2012 he became the youngest ever Osprey to reach 100 regional caps, and now stands on 121 appearances.

An age-grade international, he won his first senior Welsh cap in November 2008, against Canada, and now stands on 16 caps having established himself as first choice for Wales over the last two months during their successful Six Nations campaign.

Having been in negotiations regarding his new deal for some months, Biggar admitted to being relieved to have finalised his contract, indicating that the ambition of the region matched his own which had been the deciding factor:

"Some negotiations can be straight forward, others take a little bit more time, but what’s important is that you get it right in the end" he said.

"I think that both parties are very happy with where we are and can really look forward to the future positively. The Ospreys wanted to keep me and I wanted to stay so it’s always been a case of agreeing on a few things. It’s not just financial, there are other things that come into the equation.

"This is a great environment with fantastic facilities and great coaches. It brings the best of you as a player and I consider myself fortunate to have come through this system to represent my home region. That’s very important, as you have to be happy in your environment, wherever you are.

"My aim is to be competing for trophies with the Ospreys every year. I’ve discussed this at length with the coaches and management here, I’ve made that ambition absolutely clear, and I wouldn’t have committed for the next three years if they didn’t share those aims. We know how difficult it is, with the salary cap and things like that, but that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to be successful.

"There are a lot of good players here at the Ospreys. We’ve got experienced, quality senior players and some exciting youngsters coming through and we’ve shown that we can get the right blend to be competitive. There’s no reason why we can’t continue developing from within while competing with the best. I’m excited about what we can potentially achieve as a group."

Andy Lloyd, Rugby Operations Manager at the Ospreys, said:

"The news that Dan has re-signed for another three years is a huge boost for the Ospreys, looking towards the end of season run-in and beyond that to the future of the region.

"It’s a huge statement from the business and credit needs to go those involved who have worked extremely hard to put the business where we are, enabling us to keep such a prime young, local talent.

"To be able to re-sign a young man of his calibre, particularly given how his stock has risen over the last two months on the back of some very accomplished performances in a Wales shirt, is a huge boost for everyone. That he is happy to commit his future to the Ospreys speaks volumes about the environment that we have created here.

"Daniel is an Osprey through and through but he is also a born competitor so its understandable that he didn’t just jump in and sign as although we are his home region he wanted to make sure that we shared the ambitions.

"He epitomises everything we want in an Osprey. He is hard working, committed to the cause and completely dedicated to being the best player he can possibly be. He’s a fantastic goal kicker whose record speaks for itself, but it’s important to stress that he’s not just a kicking machine, he’s got a lot of other talents and he directs our game well.

"I’m sure that he’s going to have a massive future, with the Ospreys and with Wales."

Andrew Hore, Ospreys’ Chief Operations Officer, added:

"It’s fantastic news that we have been able to retain Dan’s services for another three years. It’s important if we truly want to represent the local community that we have young, local talent like Dan wearing the shirt so that children can aspire to follow in their footsteps along the development pathway.

"However, we mustn’t take our ability to keep local players here for granted. We need to continue growing our support base, we need bums on seats, people watching their region, as without increased funding we face the risk of losing players like Dan in the future."

Biggar is the ninth player to have signed a new contract with the Ospreys following on from Richard Fussell, Tom Grabham, Tom Isaacs, Duncan Jones, Rhys Webb, Joe Bearman, Lloyd Peers and James King

Wales Sevens not resting on laurels

Posted on Mar 25, 2013 in Sevens, Wales

A ‘buoyant’ Wales Sevens side landed in Tokyo this morning braced for a tough draw in round seven of the HSBC Sevens World Series, the Tokyo Sevens at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground.

Paul John’s men put up a heroic performance in the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens in the weekend, losing a nail-biting final against defending champions Fiji in front of a packed Hong Kong Stadium.

It was the first time Wales had ever reached a Cup final in the IRB Sevens series. Leading 19-0 at halftime, Wales were just 10 minutes away from glory but super-sub Osea Kolinisau entered the fray and scored a second half hat-trick to deny Wales glory.

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“It was an amazing atmosphere as there was a lot of Welsh support there,” said Wales Sevens head coach Paul John. “I’m really proud of the effort the boys put in.

“The boys played some cracking rugby and entered the competition with a great attitude. They really accounted themselves well throughout the tournament. To go 19-0 up against a very good Fiji side in the first half of the final was an exceptional effort. Unfortunately we couldn’t get our hands on the ball in the second half and Fiji came away with the title.

“There is no time rest on our laurels though as we’ve got Kenya, USA and Scotland this week in the Japan Sevens. Some might say it is an easy group but as last weekend proved, there are no longer any easy groups on the circuit.

“We’re carrying a few bumps and bruises but just have to re-charge our batteries and maintain the momentum into this weekend.

“Kenya will be looking for revenge after we beat them in Hong Kong in the semi-finals and are looking for a top three finish while USA and Scotland will be desperate to get away from the bottom of the series standings as they won’t want to be relegated.”

Wales’ haul of 19 points for reaching the final has seen them jump to sixth place in the overall standings with 63 points with New Zealand leading the way with 113 with three rounds to play.

Wasps international stars ready for return to action

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in London Wasps

Wasps take on Northampton in a return to Aviva Premiership action on Saturday at Adams Park (15.15)

James Haskell won his 50th cap in the final game of the 6 Nations against Wales, and he says despite the disappointment of the loss, it was a proud moment.

“When you start out your career, getting one cap is a huge honour and so to get to 50 is massive for me. It was a frustrating end to the tournament and on a personal note even more so as that’s twice in my career a Grand Slam has slipped away. However I think that the atmosphere that Stuart Lancaster has created is great and we are heading in the right direction with lots of young talent coming through. I am almost 28 but I hope there are a few years ahead of me at international level as this is a side with a lot of potential. There are so many guys coming through in the back row so the competition is fierce. The important thing when you come back to your Club is that you have to get straight back into it”
Looking ahead to Northampton Haskell added.

“I am happy to be back and preparing for the game on Saturday. I got a bit of banter from Dai Young of course when I got back, but it’s good be amongst it again. Northampton have huge aspirations and forwards wise they are outstanding so we need to make sure we bring our A game up front if we want to get back winning.”

Joe Launchbury started every 6 Nations game and the 21-year-old says he has soaked up huge experience to bring back to Wasps.

“It is a long tournament and it’s mentally draining with the turnaround you get. It’s nice to be back at Wasps with a bit more of a regular life and crack on here now even though I hugely enjoyed being part of the England set up. It’s a great environment and in large parts of the tournament we were able to show that we were thriving on that, but of course we are bitterly disappointed with how it ended up. We have to remember that pain and remember how it felt to watch Wales lift the Championship in front of us. We need to use it to get better.”

Launchbury is relishing getting back to club action.

“It feels like a long time since I was here so I’m delighted to be back. I was a bit ill for a few days when the tournament ended so I had a few long sleeps and had a few days to recover but I am raring to go now again. It is a big challenge for us, up front this weekend. Northampton have some huge ball carriers so we need to impose ourselves physically. The games we have left are challenging but it’s a really exciting time and we’re not shying away from it. We want to be in the knock out stages of major competitions and it is up to us to take these next few weeks by the throat and take what we can out of it.”

Andrea Masi was one of the stars of Italy’s 6 Nations campaign, also returning to Wasps in the middle of the tournament.

“I am tired because there were so many games in the last few weeks but it is always a pleasure to come back here and play for Wasps. The next few games are hugely important for us and I want to be part of all of them and take a break when the season ends.”
On Italy’s overall tournament, Masi is taking plenty of positives, while playing down his nomination for 6 Nations Player of the Tournament.

“We finished the tournament well with the win over Ireland and overall I think we played our best rugby ever at times in the 6 Nations and that’s important as we are now really building something for the next World Cup. The game against England was disappointing that we didn’t win it and we needed a bit more belief but we were very competitive against one of the best sides in the world which we need to take positives from. Being nominated for that award is nice but I don’t feel I deserve to be in that category. There are so many players in Wales who deserve that much more than me.”

McBryde Looking Forward to Summer Tour

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Wales

Fresh from witnessing Wales retain the RBS 6 Nations title, forwards coach Robin McBryde believes the success will breed new confidence in his side.

Wales lifted the RBS 6 Nations trophy for the fourth time in nine years on Saturday as they beat England 30-3 in a thrilling encounter at the Millennium Stadium. The victory meant Wales retained the title, winning it in back-to-back years, for the first time since 1979.

As he did back in 2009, McBryde will step up to lead Wales on their summer tour later this year and he will be in the stands at the Millennium Stadium on March 30 to run the rule over contenders for tour places as the Judgement Day encounters pit all four Welsh regions against each other. He believes the squad that heads to Japan will be brimming with confidence.

“The squad we take to Japan will head over there full of confidence and belief,” he said. “Players who played in the Championship will have the belief behind them but also players who maybe didn’t feature will be boosted as success breeds success. It was a very accomplished performance on Saturday.

“We spoke during the week that it was just another test match that we had to go out and win and that’s exactly what we did. We didn’t focus on the points difference or the advantage they went into the match with, we were focused on the 80 minutes in front of us.

“The side went out and started well, controlled the early exchanges and took us into the break with a small cushion. In the second half we stepped it up and showed the sort of performance we all knew we were capable of and it was a fantastic way to win the Championship.

“In was a huge day. The city and the stadium were packed and the crowd were at their best and it was great to put that sort of performance together to reward them. It was a very physical and I thought our defence and physically was fantastic. We were always on the front foot and the pack did really well at set piece and around the park and really gave us a really good platform.

“The squad worked extremely hard to retain the title. After the disappointment of the Ireland game to put themselves back in contention and to then go out and win the Championship was impressive and they deserved that reward.”

Wales head to Osaka and Tokyo on their two-test tour of Japan this summer and McBryde will announce his squad following the British and Irish Lions squad selection later this spring. The former Wales hooker is looking to blend experience and youth in his squad and believes it will be a valuable trip for less experienced Test players.

“For North America in 2009 we took a good mix of experience and youth and I’m sure that will be the case again this summer,” he added. “It’s a good chance to reward players with more international game time and give players the opportunity to play at this level.

“Back in ’09 we took boys like Sam Warburton, Jonathan Davies, Dan Biggar and Craig Mitchell with us and look at where they are now. It’s great to see how far they have come and what they have achieved since that tour.

“The Lions will obviously impact on selection but it will be taking experience out to Japan with us. We will also be looking to reward players who have performed for their regions week in and week out and who put their hand up towards the end of the season.

“There are some big games coming up and some very big head-to-heads on Judgement Day and it’s a chance for players to show us what they can do and to fight for their chance to play for Wales this summer.”

Scarlets looking to stay in top four race as they take on Italian side Zebre

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Scarlets

The Scarlets travel to Italy on Friday night to take on Zebre for the first of five crucial games in their bid to gain a play-off place in the top four of the RaboDirect PRO12.

Zebre have lost all 23 matches they have played this season in all competitions, eight by seven points or less. Scarlets only defeat in the last four rounds of RaboDirect PRO12 play was 5-32 to Leinster in Dublin on 23 February.

The West Wales region have slipped up in Italy this season, going down 20-22 at Treviso on 29 September however the Scarlets won 22-13 when the two sides met in round 8 of this season’s RaboDirect PRO12.

After a two-week break in regional fixture action, the Scarlets have combined a few days break for players to refresh minds with training days at Parc y Scarlets to stay sharp and ensure the momentum built before the break wasn’t derailed.

And it’s been a healthy break from match action for the Scarlets squad, according to their Head Coach Simon Easterby, who said that this week’s full training sessions had showed that some time off had re-energised his team.

Back into the Scarlets starting line-up come three Welsh internationals, with Liam Williams moving to the wing as Gareth Owen returns from injury to take up the full-back spot after an impressive run of games earlier this year; Aaron Shingler starts in the back row alongside experienced colleagues Johnathan Edwards and captain Rob McCusker and Matthew Rees starts at hooker with another set of experienced Scarlets campaigners in the front row – props Phil John and Deacon Manu.

Wales international centre Scott Williams is on the Scarlets bench for some added strike power and Aled Davies get the number nine jersey to start with Owen Williams at outside half and impressive Wales 20 scrum-half talent Rhodri Williams on the bench.

Simon Easterby said: “We needed to finish the last block of rugby with a win which we secured against Edinburgh and the boys have benefitted from the chance to rest a few tired, bruised and battered bodies as well as the opportunity to clear their heads a little.

“It’s been a very positive week back in full training at Parc y Scarlets, with the boost of the international players coming back energised by their victory in the Six Nations and we are now clearly focused as a group on these next five games which we have to win to retain our control on a top four finish.

“During the international window, the players who remained at Parc y Scarlets shown real commitment and we have kept us in a good position.  We have to respect all the teams we play now and that includes how we approach our challenge against Zebre on Friday night.

“Zebre may have lost a lot of games this year but have come very close to teams at nearly every point – so we have to be really focused on our job in hand as players and as coaches. They will be very competitive and we will not be going out there underestimating what we need to do to get a result. 

“The Italian players will be very upbeat after Italy’s finish to the Six Nations and with that they will post a real threat to us and our ability to retain our control on our play-off ambitions.

“They’re well-coached and we are going to have to be really up for this and need a strong performance to get the result we need.

“We’ve hopefully managed time off with some good rugby preparation as well with our players – we will see the response to that on Friday night.”

“A play-off place is still in our control and that’s up to us to follow through with that now with results.”

Easterby said an exciting finish to the season was really building: “There is plenty to go in terms of the fixtures left, we have to play Glasgow and a lot of the top placed sides still have to play each other – so it’s going to be about points taken from taken from sides as well as the ones you win.  We are in the mix and it’s great that there is still so much to play for in the short amount of games left; we have potentially a really good run in.”

Scarlets Team v Zebre Friday March 22nd 2013 kick off 7pm at Stadio XXV Aprile; 15 Gareth Owen 14 Liam Williams, 13 Gareth Maule, 12 Adam Warren, 11 Andy Fenby, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Aled Davies, 1 Phil John, 2 Matthew Rees, 3 Deacon Manu, 4 George Earle, 5 Johan Synman, 6 Aaron Shingler, 7 Johnathan Edwards, 8 Rob McCusker (capt)

Replacements: 16 Emyr Phillips, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Jacobie Adriaanse,  19 Jake Ball,  20 Sione Timani, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Aled Thomas, 23 Scott Williams.

Wales internationals Ken Owens, Jon Davies and George North are rested following their intense campaigns during the Six Nations. The Scarlets internationals are expected to return for the big Double Header Welsh regions fixture ‘Judgment Day’ at the Millennium Stadium next Saturday March 30th (kick off 2.30pm Dragons v Scarlets & 5.15pm Blues v Ospreys).

Injured Scarlets players not available for selection include:  Rhys Priestland (Achilles), Josh Turnbull (shoulder), Tavis Knoyle (wrist), Samson Lee (back), Jordan Williams (pectoral), Richard Kelly (hand).