Ospreys head coach Mark Jones has defended making 12 changes for the Welsh side's defeat to the Lions in South Africa on the weekend. Following their 41-24 defeat to the Sharks in Durban, the Ospreys boss rotated their side heavily ahead of their second URC match against the Lions in Johannesburg. Some changes, like co-captain Owen Watkin, were injury-enforced.
Despite leading at half-time, the Ospreys ultimately fell to a 35-19 defeat - leaving them heading into Friday's Welsh derby against the unbeaten Dragons still in search of their first win of the campaign. Despite that, Jones stands by making so many changes as part of the testing South African tour at the start of their season.
Jones: 'Nobody's hiding away'
"I'm not happy with the drop-off in the performance in the second game," he said. "I'm pretty disappointed with that, as are the players. We felt that, going in at 12-10 up with all the changes we made, that extra bit of air could help the team. But it just didn't play out that way."
"I have to be fair to the Lions, they found an area of our game that was vulnerable and they just picked on it. They kicked contestable, won the aerial battle, forced knock-ons and scrum, had dominance there, and that led to red-zone entries. It wasn't a complicated gameplan. They worked out what was strong for them and weak for us. So we're disappointed in that. Nobody's hiding away from that."
"I'm pretty confident we did the right thing by the playing group given the turnarounds and the physicality. I think if we hadn't started how we did against the Lions and been up at half-time, you could make an argument that cohesion was a problem. But I think it was more around our execution of what we needed to do as a group in that second-half."
"Aerially, the Lions are very strong - as they are at the set-piece. We didn't get enough aerial or set-piece dominance to put ourselves in with a chance. It's not like we were never in the games. It was a one-score game at one point against the Sharks and then we were winning at half-time in the other."
Challenge to put 80 minutes together
"Our challenge is to put 80 minutes together. That's the big focus from South Africa. I'll always accept the responsibility around the team's performance - that's absolutely on me - but I felt like giving players an opportunity was the right thing to do. I'll never make an apology for trying to give the guys an opportunity to show us what they're about and give them an opportunity to stake their claim, but clearly now, we need to start putting in better 80-minute performances and hopefully start that winning trend. When that starts, obviously everybody's a lot happier."
Jones added that, this early in the season, he is still working out his strongest side after a summer of change at the club. "I know that changing the team, making 12 changes, everybody wants you to play your best team, but what is your best team? It takes a while when you have new players in to actually work out," he said.
"Your best team on paper looks different to the team that actually gels together so I think you've got to give yourself and the players an opportunity to work it out for themselves. You have to experiment a little bit. We've got a lot of new people in the building. It's early days, particularly as some are arriving later than others. Lawson Creighton, for example, went home for 10 days because he got married and he took Ryan Smith with him because he was part of the wedding party, so there's all sorts of things that go on to take them out of pre-season games and training."
"It's never smooth. We thought it's an opportunity here to give guys a chance because we know at certain times of the year we are going to pick consistent. Guys are going to work out who's number one in their position, who's number two. We're going to need to win games and we're going to pick our best team as often as we can, but we've got to work out who it is first. I'm probably not 100% sure in some positions, to be brutally honest."
"Training's training, but playing's completely different animal, so I think just feel like the message is that you'll get an opportunity and whoever puts their hand up and performs will play. That's the message I'm trying to send to the group is."
Venter hits out at 'autocratic' fine
Brendan Venter has branded the Gallagher Prem's decision to fine Saracens over his refusal to perform media duties "autocratic", after the club were fined. The former South Africa international says he wants to stay out of the spotlight after press commitments stole his "joy" during his previous spell at the club, denying accusations of arrogance.
Ventre returned to the club on a full-time basis this summer as director of rugby Mark McCall's successor. However, following a failure to appear at the Prem's pre-season launch day - which resulted in a £5,000 fine for the club - it was reported in England that Venter had "resigned" as director of rugby and taken up a new role. That job was titled "head of rugby culture and wine consultant", with head coach Joe Shaw assuming media responsibilities. However, the "wine consultant" stunt was ultimately short-lived, according to those same reports.
Last week, Saracens clarified he was appointed as technical director and head of culture. But while the expectation was that Shaw would now front the majority of media duties, Venter did face the media on Wednesday to hit out at the league for fining Saracens.
"I have the desire as a human being not to want to talk because it is not about me, it is about the team," Venter told a press conference on Wednesday. "I expressed that desire before I came. If we get obsessed, get into an argument and fine a club, that for me does not make sense. It sounds like something from an autocratic land, not a democracy where people have the right to say: 'This is what I want to do'. If you want an interview, you have a brilliant person in Joe. I do not have the desire to do an interview. It stole my joy the previous time and I want to have a low profile. That was my desire and to help to coach the rugby team."
The ex-Springbok also stressed his stance on media duties should not be interpreted as arrogance. "It's not because I think I'm better than anybody else," he said. "The input you can get from those who work with me is brilliant. To be put over as an arrogant person who thinks he's better than doing interviews… it's not at all that. My motivation is completely different: how can I just get on with my desire to coach the rugby team?"
England coach to leave after World Cup
England defence coach Joe El-Abd will leave his position after next year's Rugby World Cup in Australia to take up a role in France's Top 14. The former Bristol and Toulon flanker joined England in 2024 as Felix Jones' replacement. El-Abd, 46, previously coached at French clubs Oyonnax and Castres.
England head coach Steve Borthwick said in a statement: "Joe is an outstanding coach and continues to make a significant contribution to both the team and the environment. I know he will continue to give everything to the team and will be working as hard as ever to help us achieve success over the next 12 months. Thereafter, I am sure he will go on to great success back in France."
