Tonight's rugby news as Welsh club issue grovelling apology and Wales captain almost quit over row
by Ben James, Dylan James · Wales OnlineHere are your rugby evening headlines for Tuesday, March 11.
Neath apologise for 'not for girls' post
Neath RFC's owner has apologised after a social media post that claimed an upcoming fixture was 'not for girls' was met with widespread condemnation.
The Welsh All Blacks had promoted an upcoming derby against Llangennech RFC on social media on Monday with the controversial tweet, which was immediately hit with an angry backlash.
Apologising via Neath's social media account on X, the club's CEO Matty Young said: "To respond to our recent post, I sincerely apologise for any offense caused. That was never my intention and in no way reflects any attitudes within Neath RFC.
"I take full ownership as the club owner and author of the post. The idea from the start was to shine a light on the casual misogyny that still exists in parts of rugby and, more importantly, to champion the incredible women and girls’ rugby players who represent our club with passion, skill, and dedication.
"I now recognise that the initial post did not effectively convey this message, and for that, I am sorry. I would also like to apologise to Llangennech RFC, who had no prior knowledge that this was our opening strategy. We look forward to welcoming them to The Gnoll.
"In light of the response, I have decided to delay the release of the intended follow-up videos to take the time to reflect, listen, and ensure that we are delivering the right message in a way that fully aligns with our values as a club — one that is committed to inclusivity, respect, and the celebration of women’s rugby.
"Most importantly, I want to make sure this message comes from the women and girls of our club, in their voices. I can categorically assure you that our commitment to women’s rugby remains steadfast, and we will continue to champion all participation in rugby."
The WRU confirmed on Monday evening that they had "asked Neath to remove the post as soon as possible and of course do not condone the sentiment it contained.”
Having taken down the original tweet - which included the hashtag '#NotForGirls' and ended with the message: "Stay tuned… Not everything is as it seems" - on Monday evening, the club then posted a second post to defend their deleted one.
That one began: "Now that we have your attention…Forget the noise. Forget the outrage. Let's talk about real change".
A lengthy explanation followed in which Neath claimed they wanted to provoke debate and challenge misconceptions about women's rugby. It also apologised for "any confusion or upset caused".
However, that post was also met with anger on social media, prompting Neath's apology on Tuesday.
Wales captain considered retiring after contract debacle
Wales captain Hannah Jones says she considered retiring from international rugby following the “disgraceful” handling of her squad’s contracts last year.
The Welsh Rugby Union apologised after threatening to withdraw the women’s national team from this year's World Cup while negotiating new deals last year.
While the WRU denied the stand-off was sexist, head coach Ioan Cunningham and executive director of rugby Nigel Walker have both since left the Union. Sean Lynn - who has worked closely with Jones at Gloucester-Hartpury - has been appointed head coach ahead of the Women's Six Nations.
And while Lynn has backed Jones to continue in her role as captain, the 28-year-old did consider her international future after last year's debacle.
“It took a night (to decide),” Jones told media at last week's Six Nations launch. “I said to Lynny straight away it was an absolute honour to lead my country. But I did have to talk about it and make sure it was the right decision.
“I just want to play rugby. Sometimes I feel like a politician. I don’t want all this off-field stuff. I just want to focus on my rugby and make sure the team is in a happy environment and happy place to play the best they can.
“I thought, ‘Is this the right time for someone new?’ The thing for me was who was coming in next, who was going to be my next coach and career-wise, whether I was going to continue to play or whether I was going to take some time back to think about playing national rugby. Once they’d announced Lynny, I thought, I can do this.”
On whether she considered retiring, she added: “Not completely, because I still love the game. But the stress of the contracts and what we’d been through as a squad was disgraceful and disappointing.
“The WRU have apologised and have appointed Belinda Moore (as head of women’s rugby). Hopefully what the players went through will never happen again. But yeah, it (giving up) was in the back of my head.
“It was very emotionally distressing. I deal with stress and pressure quite well, but a lot of my players were becoming unwell physically and mentally. When I saw my players going through that it’s a huge responsibility on my shoulders. You do really take it on yourself and you think, ‘Is this my fault? How have I let this happen?’"
Jamison Gibson-Park ‘privileged’ to learn from Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray
By Ed Elliot, PA
Jamison Gibson-Park feels “very privileged” to have learnt from fellow Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray.
Munster player Murray is poised to make a 125th and final appearance for his country during Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations finale away to Italy.
The 35-year-old has won five Six Nations titles, including two Grand Slams, and toured three times with the British and Irish Lions since his Test debut against France in 2011.
New Zealand-born Gibson-Park is favourite to wear the number nine jersey for the Lions in Australia this summer after replacing Murray as first-choice for Ireland in 2021.
“He’s been unbelievable and he’s such a great guy – I’ve been very privileged to play with him,” said the 33-year-old Leinster player.
“He was one of the best in the world for the guts of 10 years. I used to watch on and when I first arrived in Ireland I was kind of amazed at how good he was really.
“He was unbelievably consistent and I suppose in many ways I felt at that time I was probably a little inconsistent.
“So I looked up to guys like him for sure and then, getting into camp, it’s been awesome to rub shoulders with him. He’s such a great guy and he’s certainly helped my career.”
Prop Cian Healy – Ireland’s most-capped player, with 137 appearances – and flanker Peter O’Mahony will also call time on their international careers in Rome.
Simon Easterby’s side must win at Stadio Olimpico and then hope second-placed England and table-topping France slip up against Wales and Scotland respectively in order for the long-serving trio to sign off with another title.
“It would be nice to finish off in a good way for the lads that are done,” said Gibson-Park after Ireland’s Grand Slam dream was extinguished by Saturday’s 42-27 loss to France in Dublin.
“We have another game to look forward to, so that’s the beauty about this competition, we still have a game to go and we can turn it around hopefully.
“I feel privileged to have played with all three of them.”