Dewi Lake Announces Engagement
Wales captain Dewi Lake has announced his engagement to partner Rebecca Baker in what is shaping up to be a memorable summer both on and off the rugby field. The hooker shared the happy news with his followers on Instagram, posting a series of photographs from the special moment. The first image showed Lake down on one knee in front of Hensol Castle, situated just yards from Wales' national training base at the Vale Resort. Another photo captured the couple celebrating with family and friends, who emerged from around a corner with their arms raised after Baker accepted the proposal. Lake kept the caption simple, posting only the date "12.06.26" alongside a diamond ring emoji. The announcement was quickly met with a flood of congratulatory messages from across Welsh rugby.
Ospreys team-mate Dan Edwards wrote: "Congrats both!!" Former Wales wing George North added: "Congrats guys xx", while Adam Beard posted: "Congrats both xx". Alex Cuthbert wrote: "Congrats both", with fellow Wales international Sam Costelow commenting: "Congrats both x". Blair Murray added: "Congrats guys!" Joe Hawkins, Ellis Bevan, Dan Lydiate, Alex Mann, Keelan Giles, Nicky Smith, Josh Hathaway, Josh Adams, Kieran Hardy and Harry Deaves were among the many other players to send their best wishes.
The 27-year-old has captained Wales in the absence of Jac Morgan and remains one of the leading figures in the national squad. He is also preparing for a fresh chapter at club level after agreeing a move to Gloucester, alongside Morgan, ahead of next season, bringing an end to his time with the Ospreys. There had been concerns over Lake's fitness heading into the summer after injury issues, but he has been included in Steve Tandy's squad for the upcoming fixtures against the Barbarians, Fiji, Argentina and South Africa. No captain has yet been confirmed for the summer campaign, although Lake's leadership credentials have already been demonstrated during previous spells in charge of the national side. For now, however, the Wales hooker has far more personal reasons to celebrate after sharing his engagement news with friends, team-mates and supporters.
All Black's Behaviour Slammed as 'Disgusting'
All Blacks scrum-half Cam Roigard has come under fire after being accused of "disgusting" behaviour during the Hurricanes' emphatic Super Rugby Pacific semi-final victory over the Blues. The Hurricanes booked their place in the final with a dominant 57-21 win in Wellington, with Roigard playing a key role in the success by scoring a try and helping create another. However, it was one moment early in the contest that sparked a fierce reaction from supporters and pundits alike. Just two minutes into the match, Blues full-back Beauden Barrett chased his own kick and collided with Roigard, who was airborne while gathering the ball. The Hurricanes star fell to the ground and initially appeared to be hurt, with players from both teams stopping to check on his condition. But moments later Roigard sprang to his feet, took a quick tap penalty and burst through the Blues defence, launching an attack that eventually ended with Jordie Barrett crossing for the opening try.
The incident immediately drew criticism on social media, with some fans accusing the All Blacks star of simulation. Australian rugby commentator Steve Lenthall wrote on X: "Miraculous recovery from Roigard to take that quick tap." Fellow commentator Andrew McKenna added: "Er, hang on?! Cam Roigard potentially gets taken out in the air – penalty. A couple of people are checking he's ok, Roigard stands up and makes a 60m break from a quick tap, which the Hurricanes score from! That is going to attract a lot of attention." One supporter branded the incident "football stuff", writing: "Dear Cam Roigard, massive fan here brother but this is football stuff not our game. Shame." Others went even further. Brenden Shields wrote: "This penalty should have been reversed and Roigard yellow-carded for simulation. Lying on the ground crying in pain looking at ref then suddenly takes quick tap." Another fan commented: "Yeah that was just dirty and shameful. I can't stand that. No place in the game for faking death, trying to milk a yellow card then when you don't get it you're all of a sudden perfectly good and you take a quick tap. Disgusting play from Roigard." Even former All Blacks full-back Mils Muliaina predicted the incident would become a major talking point. Commentating on the match, he said: "There will be plenty of talk around how this eventuated. It was a penalty way back for being taken out; Roigard gets up after initially looking like he had been injured. Everyone is coming in and then play on here from the referee." The controversy did little to derail the Hurricanes, who ran away with the match after a closely-fought first half to seal their place in the Super Rugby Pacific final.
Baxter Predicted Outcome
Exeter boss Rob Baxter revealed he was "really confident" his team could produce one of the greatest fightbacks in Gallagher Prem history and leave champions Bath stunned. The Chiefs wiped out a 16-point interval deficit, scoring 17 unanswered second-half points to win 27-26 and book an appointment with Northampton at Allianz Stadium next Saturday. It was only the seventh time in 46 Prem play-off games that an away team had triumphed, with replacement prop Ethan Burger's 68th-minute try leaving Bath down and out and securing Exeter's first appearance in the final since 2021. "The first words I said at half-time were 'I'm really confident we're going to win the game'," Baxter told TNT Sports. "I watched the last five minutes of the first half and Bath were doing everything they could to just slow the tempo down. We actually worked them very hard for the scores they got, and as the half grew on, the fact that we didn't let that growth get any bigger than the 16 points, the more it's happening. The harder we were making them work, the more I kind of felt we would have time in the second half. I know we are fit, I know we're resilient, and the harder they had to work, the more they were starting to flag and just taking their time getting back onside – all the things you can start to see in body language. I just thought 'this is going to be our time'. If we were ever going to exploit it, it was going to be now."
Exeter finished ninth in the Prem last year, with their defeats including a 79-17 loss at Gloucester, and Baxter added: "It might not be a final, but this is up there because of the bounce from last season. You look at the players fighting to a standstill – I don't know how they did it. They are the same players who shipped 79 points at Gloucester, but they are different men now. Bath are a hell of a team, and the only thing that makes our performance worth anything is we have beaten a very good, well-coached team." Bath went through 40 phases of play during a frantic finale, but replacement prop Billy Sela was held up over the line, and Chiefs had made it mission accomplished. Bath dominated the first half, scoring tries through Beno Obano, Thomas du Toit, Joe Cokanasiga and Henry Arundell, while Santi Carreras kicked three conversions. But Exeter somehow turned things around following touchdowns from Christ Tshiunza, Ben Hammersley, Greg Fisilau and Burger's 68th-minute clincher, with Henry Slade kicking three conversions and Harvey Skinner landing a penalty. "Our intent was excellent in the first half, but we did not put them away. We left a few chances out there," Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan said. "One point is the biggest and smallest margin in sport. We were set up for the drop-goal and to take it wide. Ultimately, the decision was taken to pick and go and I back the team with that. We win together and lose together. I am proud of what we have done. We will reflect tonight on the memories we have made."
