The Ospreys are considering a move for 6ft 9in lock Ben Grant, who recently left Australian side the Waratahs. The 28-year-old's exit was confirmed last month, alongside Jack Bowen and Angus Blyth.
Ospreys tracking giant Grant
Mark Jones' side face a momentous season, with a move to St Helen's gathering pace and the club fighting for its very existence, as the WRU seek to reduce the number of professional clubs to three. That pits the Ospreys and Scarlets against each other in the battle for the west licence, but that hasn't stopped both teams in their recruitment drive. Grant could well be the next arrival in Swansea.
“I would like to thank Jack, Ben and Angus for their efforts at the club, on and off the field, during their time here,” director of high performance B-J Mather said when Grant left the Waratahs last month. “They have all shown unwavering commitment to the club and represented the Waratahs jersey with pride whenever they have taken to the field. Jack came all the way through our pathways program to Super Rugby Pacific level, while Ben and Angus have been huge assets for us in the second-row. We wish them all the best for the future and what’s next for them in their careers.”
It is understood the Swansea-based club are looking at Grant, among other options. The Ospreys have already welcomed a number of Australians to the club ahead of the 2026/27 season. Liam Wright has already signed on, as have Lalakai Foketi and Lawson Creighton, while they are expected to be joined by Wallabies legend Marika Koroibete in the coming weeks.
Erasmus airs frustrations
Rassie Erasmus has hit back at accusations South Africa are deliberately slowing down play ahead of their Rugby's Greatest Rivalry opener against the All Blacks this weekend. Coach Dave Rennie, assistant Tana Umaga and senior player Codie Taylor have all hinted at the tactic during their opening tour matches. Erasmus has taken issue with that assessment and gave his response at a press conference on Monday.
“If you go look at our last two games against New Zealand, in Auckland and Wellington last year, were those two games slow?” asked Erasmus. “We think there is a certain way to win World Cups, which is a grind [slower game style]. So, we have tried to find a balance between that and a quicker style. It is a system that we can fall back on in clutch situations. Since [attack coach] Tony Brown has been with us we feel we have been attacking all right and not too badly.”
The head coach also aired his frustrations over World Rugby's decision to stop meetings with officials before Test matches. Beforehand, Erasmus won't be meeting with the referee on a one-to-one basis, with World Rugby now deciding that both coaches need to be present - removing any element of surprise for the opposition. As such, Erasmus has confirmed he won't be agreeing to a meeting the refereeing team in charge on Saturday.
“There’s definitely frustration among the coaches that you can’t have meetings with the referee if both teams don’t agree, and it’s now at a stage where you almost accept that both teams’ coaches aren’t always going to agree to a pre-match meeting,” he said. “I myself this week said no we don’t need one because it doesn’t help now, after they played four games, and now we wanted to sort out things in three training sessions. We had to look at what they put on AMS, and that’s a central system, and then sort of learn from what the answers are from World Rugby, and I don’t think it’s a tactic; it’s an obvious thing: if you want to get something out, you have to get it out here because you can’t really talk to the referee. Sometimes there are small things which you’d normally alert referees in meetings and say, ‘Listen, we might do a midfield maul; just be aware of that and know the law’. Now you can’t because you have to have the meeting with the other coach; you can’t say, ‘We might do a front peel in the lineout, maybe don’t stand there when we do the front peel because you might not see if it’s obstruction or not’.”
Dragons' statement of support
The Dragons have offered up the use of their facilities and any other practical support to the community as fires continue to rage across the area. Fire crews from across Wales are continuing to tackle a number of wild fires, with the army now drafted in to help them. On Sunday, fire services in Wales confirmed they were attending 20 separate incidents, with 200 soldiers now sent to Wales in an effort to stop the blazes.
In its latest statement, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it was dealing with the fires in Blaenavon, Cwm, Dowlais, Wattsville, and Treherbert, as well as at Rudry Common in Caerphilly. Army support is focused on Treherbert, Cwm in Ebbw Vale and Dowlais in Merthyr Tydfil. The Dragons have offered their support.
"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the wildfires across our region, and with the emergency services working incredibly hard to bring them under control," the statement read. "As a club rooted in this community, we have reached out to the relevant authorities to offer the use of our facilities, along with any practical support we can provide, should it be helpful. Please stay safe and continue to follow the advice of South Wales Fire & rescue Service to avoid affected areas."
