Johnny Sexton will be free to captain Ireland at the Rugby World Cup in France after being handed a three-match ban for misconduct.

The 38-year-old Leinster fly-half will miss the warm-up fixtures against Italy, England and Samoa after admitting a European Professional Club Rugby misconduct charge levelled in the wake of the province’s Heineken Champions Cup final defeat by La Rochelle on May 20.

Sexton, who was not playing in the game, went on to the pitch at the Aviva Stadium after the match – Leinster lost 27-26 – and became involved in what appeared to be a heated exchange with South African referee Jaco Peyper and other match officials.

A statement issued on behalf of the independent disciplinary commission, which met last week, said: “With the consent of the parties, the independent disciplinary committee (comprising Christopher Quinlan KC, chair, (World Rugby independent judicial panel chair), Adam Casselden SC (former chair SANZAAR judicial committee) and Marcello D’Orey (former international rugby player) announced its decision and full written reasons today in respect of the misconduct case brought against Johnny Sexton and Leinster Rugby.

“Johnny Sexton admitted misconduct. The disciplinary committee found his behaviour confrontational and aggressive towards and disrespectful of the match officials.

“It included his pointing his finger at them and shouting at them something to this effect: ‘It’s a disgrace you guys can’t get the big decisions right,’ probably accompanied by expletives, ‘most likely the f-word’.

“His conduct was obviously unsportsmanlike and brought the sport of rugby union into disrepute.”

Sexton has been suspended with immediate effect and will miss the games against Italy on August 5, England a fortnight later and Samoa on August 26.

However, he will be available for Ireland’s opening World Cup fixture against Romania in Bordeaux on September 9.

Leinster have also been handed a suspended £7,500 fine for failing to exercise reasonable control over their player, and both, as well as EPCR, have until 4pm on Wednesday to appeal against the independent disciplinary committee decision.

The statement continued: “The disciplinary committee upheld the misconduct complaint against Leinster Rugby.

“Having regard to the limited extent to which it was at fault and relevant mitigation, the disciplinary committee concluded that the appropriate penalty was a fine in the sum of £7,500, suspended until the end of the 2023/24 EPCR season.

“If Leinster commits another act of Misconduct before the end of the 2023/24 EPCR season it must pay that sum in full.”

Sexton, who led his country, ranked number one in the world, to a Six Nations grand slam in March, has signalled his intention to retire after this autumn’s tournament.

Mike Tindall became the final member of England’s 2003 World Cup-winning team to retire on this day nine years ago.

Then 35, Tindall decided to hang up his boots after almost two decades in the game with Bath and Gloucester.

Four days earlier, Iain Balshaw confirmed his retirement after failing to recover from a knee injury, briefly leaving Tindall as the only member of England’s World Cup-winning squad still active.

The Otley-born back, who married the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips in 2011, started his career with Bath in 1997 and spent eight seasons at the Rec before moving to their West Country rivals Gloucester.

Tindall spent almost a decade at Kingsholm and became player-coach following the arrival of director of rugby Nigel Davies in 2012.

He played 75 matches for England and since retirement has featured on reality television shows ‘The Jump’ and ‘Bear Grylls: Mission Survive’ before finishing fourth in the 2022 series of ‘I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’.

Kathryn Dane has vowed to appreciate every moment of her rugby career after fighting her way back from a stroke at the age of 26.

The Ireland and Ulster scrum-half suffered a brain haemorrhage in November last year while training at the Irish Rugby Football Union’s high performance centre in Abbotstown, where the prompt actions of medical staff and early treatment at Connolly and Beaumont Hospitals gave her the best possible chance of making a full recovery.

Eight months on, Dane, who also works a physiotherapist in Dublin, is back in light training and completing her PhD with a fresh perspective on rugby and life in general.

She said: “Before it, I used to just kind of go through life at 100mph and not really appreciate the good things or the achievements or the learnings that I’ve had.

“Since the stroke, I have just kind of realised that when you’re in those dark places, that’s when you start to see all the light that you have in your life.

“I have so many opportunities through sport and through my PhD that I never really appreciated before, and now I’m going to be properly grateful for what I have and enjoy rugby and enjoy all the moments that I have because I think I did take it a little bit for granted before.”

Dane became unwell when an arteriovenous malformation – a cluster of blood vessels – in her brain ruptured as she prepared for an early-morning gym session with her strength and conditioning coach Ed Slattery.

She said: “I was in at 7am doing some warm-up sets of hip thrusts with my coach Ed Slattery and just got this massive pain behind my right eye in the back of my head and I didn’t feel great.

“Ed noticed straight away that my face had dropped – I didn’t notice it had dropped, but I didn’t feel great and he quickly got the team doc, who was actually in the gym at the time, to have a look at me and they knew straight away I’d had a stroke of some description.”

Dane was rushed to Connolly Hospital, where an MRI scan confirmed the medical team’s worst fears, and later transferred to Beaumont Hospital to undergo procedure to seal the damaged blood vessel.

She spent two weeks in hospital before being allowed home to Fermanagh to start the process of working her way back to health under the watchful eye of an NHS brain injury team.

Dane said: “I was really, really lucky it happened where it happened because it could have happened on a rugby pitch in France or Italy somewhere. It was just by chance it happened there, and I do really believe that it was supposed to happen.

“I know it’s a s*** card to be dealt with, but it’s just a chapter in my story that I’ve had to overcome.”

Asked if her medical background, which had involved working with stroke patients, had proved a help or a hindrance, Dane said: “I’ve never lived in fear before, but when something like this happens to you out of the blue, you think, ‘Gosh, I’m vulnerable for the first time in my life’.

“It is beneficial to have that knowledge, but then at the same time ignorance is bliss sometimes.”

Initially having to battle fatigue and the left-sided weakness with which she had been left, has eased her way back to health and fitness, a process aided in part by a conversation with former Ireland back row Chris Henry, who returned to rugby after suffering a mini-stroke.

Asked about her own future in the game, she said: “I just want to make sure that I’m in the best place physically before I even begin to make that decision about returning to contact and returning to play.”

Joe Marler has revealed he was convinced to chase his World Cup dream again by looking England head coach Steve Borthwick “in the eye” to determine whether he was a “liar”.

Eighteen months after his last international appearance, the 33-year-old Harlequins loosehead is back in the England reckoning as part of a preliminary training squad currently out in Italy.

While he has been given no assurances about a place in the World Cup squad, which will be announced on August 7, Marler admitted he was persuaded to chance his arm after a frank conversation with Borthwick.

“I said to him…I needed to come and actually speak to you face-to-face, look you in the eye and see if you’re a liar or not,” said Borthwick, speaking to several national outlets in Verona.

“I said ‘I don’t trust anyone, but you can tell a lot about someone from their eye contact. So I need to look you in the eye and ask you if there’s a real chance of getting in your 33 (World Cup squad). But you’re saying there’s a chance if I work at it, not a guarantee but a chance, then I’m all yours’.

“Then he did the longest blink in history. It felt like a minute, before finally opening his eyes and saying ‘Joe, there’s a real chance that if you work hard enough, you can make it in my 33’.

“So that was the meeting with Steve. It was a weird encounter – for Steve mainly.”

Marler announced his international retirement in 2018 but reversed the decision a year later ahead of helping England to the World Cup final, where they were beaten by South Africa in Japan.

He made the last of his 79 Test appearances in last year’s Six Nations, but now back in the fold, the prop is motivated by the possibility of a third World Cup campaign – and going one step further.

“Imagine if we could go from the low of the 2019 (final) to 2023 and shock the world and lift that trophy,” he added. “That’s a massive driver for me.”

Former Bristol and Bath back-row forward Nick Koster has died at the age of 34.

Koster made 62 appearances for Bristol between 2013 and 2017 after joining them following a short stint with Bath.

He also captained Cambridge University in the 2018 Varsity Match against Oxford, scoring a try, and played in South Africa for Western Province and the Stormers.

The cause of Koster’s death is not known.

“Bristol Bears is devastated to hear of the tragic passing of hugely-popular former player Nick Koster at the age of 34,” the Gallagher Premiership club said on its website.

“The South African-born back row played 62 times for the club, making a remarkable impact on and off the field during his five seasons with Bristol.

“In 2017, Koster was shortlisted for community player of the season for his incredible work with the club’s Community Foundation, giving up hours of his own time to a number of programmes and initiatives with young people in the city.”

Former Bath head coaches Gary Gold and Andy Robinson, meanwhile, also paid tribute.

“Absolutely devastated to hear the news of Nick’s passing. One of the best schoolboy rugby players to have ever played the game and an outstanding person and friend,” Gold said on Twitter.

And Robinson tweeted: “He was a wonderful human being who had a huge impact on me and my families’ lives with his kindness, generosity, great sense of humour and rugby ability.”

Johnny Sexton faces a disciplinary hearing on Thursday that could see the outcome impact Ireland’s World Cup preparations.

The Ireland captain had a misconduct complaint lodged against him following his behaviour towards match officials in the wake of Leinster’s Heineken Champions Cup final defeat by La Rochelle on May 20.

Sexton did not play in the game at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium due to his continued recovery from a groin injury.

But he went on to the pitch after the match – Leinster lost 27-26 – and became involved in what appeared to be a heated exchange with South African referee Jaco Peyper and other match officials.

Tournament organiser European Professional Club Rugby submitted misconduct complaints against 37-year-old Sexton and Leinster following what it described as a “thorough fact-finding and careful review” of Sexton’s actions, and also Leinster for not exercising reasonable control over their player.

Sexton, who intends to retire after the World Cup in France later this year, will appear by video conference call before an independent disciplinary panel chaired by Christopher Quinlan KC.

Ireland’s opening World Cup warm-up match is against Italy on August 5, followed by appointments later that month with England and Samoa.

Their first World Cup game sees them tackle Romania in Bordeaux on September 9, so a suspension for Sexton has potential to affect his availability.

Announcing the disciplinary, EPCR said: “Misconduct complaints against the Leinster Rugby player, Johnny Sexton, and against Leinster Rugby, arising from the Heineken Champions Cup final on Saturday May 20 2023, have been lodged by EPCR.

“After thorough fact-finding and careful review of Johnny Sexton’s behaviour towards match officials after the match, in accordance with EPCR regulations, the EPCR disciplinary officer has submitted misconduct complaints so that an independent disciplinary panel can determine whether any misconduct has been committed by Mr Sexton (through his behaviour) and Leinster (through failing to exercise reasonable control over Mr Sexton).”

Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg has announced his retirement from rugby union with immediate effect.

Hogg had previously revealed plans to end his career after the World Cup in France later this year.

But the 31-year-old has decided to call time “knowing that I have given my body and heart to rugby”.

Hogg tweeted: “It is difficult where to start, but with great sadness and an enormous amount of pride I am announcing my immediate retirement from playing rugby.

“I fought with everything I had to make the Rugby World Cup, but this time my body has not been able to do the things I wanted and needed it to do.

“We knew this day would come eventually. I just never thought it would be this soon.

“It’s hard to put into words just how much of an impact the game has had on my life. I will be retiring knowing that I have given my body and heart to rugby.

“I will be forever grateful to this amazing community and cannot wait to begin my journey as a proud supporter of Scottish Rugby”.

Hogg made his Scotland debut in 2012. He played at two World Cups and went on each of the last three British and Irish Lions tours in 2013, 2017 and 2021.

He moved from Glasgow to Exeter in 2019 and was named Scotland captain the following year. Hogg skippered the national team for just over two years before Jamie Ritchie took over the role after head coach Gregor Townsend opted to make a change.

Hogg was visibly emotional before winning his 100th cap against Ireland earlier this year, although the match ended on a sour note when he was forced off in the closing stages with an ankle injury that ruled him out of the final Six Nations match versus Italy.

Townsend told www.scottishrugby.org: “Following Stuart’s news we would like to wish him all the best in his retirement. He has been an outstanding player for Scotland and has had a career lit up with so many achievements, highlights and special memories.

“I have had the pleasure of coaching Stuart for the majority of his career, and he was a joy to work with and watch on the training field and in games.

“He had a love for so many aspects of the game, and not only got joy from taking on defenders with ball in hand but also putting his team-mates into space.

“His basic skills and speed set him apart from other players, and it has been an amazing effort to play Test rugby for the past 11 years”.

Owen Farrell was left to reflect on the “weird” feeling of a drawn Test series after his late penalty for the British and Irish Lions denied world champions New Zealand victory at Eden Park on this day in 2017.

England star Farrell, who won the second Test in Wellington with a 77th-minute penalty, left it 60 seconds later this time as the Lions claimed a 15-15 draw.

It meant the series finished 1-1 and left the 1971 Lions still as the only squad to have won a Test series on New Zealand soil.

“It’s a bit weird, really,” said Farrell, who booted four penalties, while wing Elliot Daly landed a long-range effort as the Lions fought back after conceding first-half tries to Ngani Laumape and Jordie Barrett.

“I suppose it is a brilliant achievement. At the same time, it is never nice to be on the end of a draw.

“It was another tough and proper Test match. It has been a brilliant series – this is a fantastic team we were playing against.

“Ours was put together not so long ago, and it shows the quality of players that have been picked to have such little preparation and be able to not just compete, but properly be up there and feel like we could have done better.”

Farrell played down his match-levelling exploits in Auckland, but once again the Saracens marksman’s goal-kicking withstood fierce pressure as he recovered from a hesitant overall performance, especially during the opening 40 minutes.

And the Lions returned home after surpassing most expectations of what they might have achieved on New Zealand territory, even if Test series glory eluded them.

Farrell added: “It has been an unbelievable tour. I think everybody has thoroughly enjoyed it.

“We always thought we would be competitive – I don’t know what everybody else thought. We came here to win, and we always said that.”

Luke Cowan-Dickie says he was ready for change after completing his move from Exeter to Sale.

The 30-year-old England and British and Irish Lions hooker will join up with the Sharks immediately after injury ruled him out of this autumn’s World Cup.

“I’ve been at the same club for 13 years and I felt it was time for a change,” Cowan-Dickie told the official Sale website.

“This is the perfect move for me and I can’t wait to get started.

“I know Jonny (Hill) and Tom (O’Flaherty) from Exeter and they have raved about this club since they came up here.

“They have told me how good the environment, the lads and the coaching team are so it was an easy decision.

“It’s been a long journey trying to get fit and not knowing where I’d be playing but I can already see myself being here for a long time.

“This team reached the (Gallagher Premiership) final last year and speaking to the boys here, they all want to go one better.

“I want to win and I’m confident we can have a successful year.”

Cowan-Dickie made his England debut in 2015 and has gone on to win 41 caps for his country, while representing the Lions on their 2021 tour of South Africa.

He scored 41 tries in 165 appearances for Exeter and had been due to join Top 14 club Montpellier this summer.

But reports from France suggested the deal broke down on medical grounds as Cowan-Dickie worked his way back from ankle surgery.

Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson said: “Luke is a fantastic player and we feel really fortunate and happy to have secured him for the foreseeable future.

“Already it feels like a good match for him and for us, with the type of team we want to be on and off the pitch.

“To be able to bring in an England international and a British and Irish Lion to a squad that’s already as good as this one is really exciting.

“We’re all looking forward to working with someone who’ll bring new ideas. Last year was brilliant but we are always looking to improve.

“The worst thing would be to say ‘nothing changes’ because we did well last year. We have to keep improving and a big part of that is bringing in top quality players like Luke.”

Hull KR coach Willie Peters knows any lingering memories of his side’s emphatic 40-0 derby win at the MKM Stadium in April will count for little when the city rivals meet again in a potentially pivotal Betfred Super League clash at Craven Park on Sunday lunchtime.

Rovers’ win gave Peters a best possible first taste of the derby drama whilst piling more misery upon Hull FC, who looked abject as they surrendered to a sixth straight defeat that appeared to leave the position of experienced head coach Tony Smith under serious threat.

Fast forward three months and it is injury-ravaged Rovers who are feeling the heat, scrabbling to cling onto a top-six slot while Smith’s men have belatedly stirred, their recent statement win over St Helens steeling them for a late play-off push that looked wholly improbable amid the wreckage of April.

Just as telling as the two sides’ form-lines this season are the respective attitudes of the two coaches as they head into a game that could go a long way towards defining their respective seasons, and for which the ‘sold-out’ signs have been hung over KR’s home for over a week.

Peters is intent on living and breathing every moment of his first home derby, which he describes as a “special occasion”, and which he firmly believes is precisely the right fixture to rejuvenate his ailing squad after last week’s disappointing reversal at Leigh.

But for Smith, who the baggage of being sacked as KR coach last season with him across the city, it is nothing to get excited about.

“Defeats all hurt,” insisted the 56-year-old veteran. “I’ve played against a lot of former clubs, and I was no more upset (after the derby) than some of the other games I’ve lost. What hurts is the manner in which you lost, and if we are not giving a good account of ourselves.”

Peters experienced a number of NRL derbies as a player and maintains there is nothing to rival the passion and noise levels of the east Yorkshire showdown, not least one which promises to shape the season run-in for both clubs so significantly.

“When I first came over here I was always told this was a special game and I experienced it first-half at FC’s stadium – obviously for the result but also the atmosphere and the build-up and everything the derby stands for,” said Peters.

“I knew it would be passionate but whilst I’ve experienced some great derbies, including the Roosters and the Rabbitohs, and the Dragons and Sharks, the crowd here is two or three times as loud.

“You can play it down and say it’s just another game but it’s not, it’s a special occasion. When you look back at your career you look at those moments that stood out the most and these are the moments – there is no doubt that performance we had last time is the best moment for the team this year.”

Both sides face selection dilemmas, with FC bolstered by the prospective returns of the likes of Tex Hoy and Liam Sutcliffe, whilst KR must reshuffle due to the absence of loose forward Eliot Minchella and the returns to Catalans of loan pair Tanguy Zenon and Fouad Yaha.

Smith’s return to Craven Park for the first time since his controversial departure is sure to give an already tasty tie an extra dimension but the veteran Black-and-Whites coach is unconcerned by the fiery welcome he can expect to receive.

“It’s the least of my concerns,” added Smith. “During my time, I have given my all to all of the clubs I was in charge of. For those who remember that, great. For those who don’t, that’s fine, I don’t care.

“I hope it’s a fantastic game that both sets of supporters can enjoy. I’m not one to encourage that rivalry to boil over into bitterness. I want people to enjoy rugby league for what it is. Whoever wins, the other tips their hat, and we move on.”

Alun Wyn Jones has joined Toulon on a short-term contract.

The former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain has signed for the French club as a “medical joker” for the duration of this year’s World Cup.

“We are delighted and honoured to welcome a legendary player like Alun Wyn Jones to Toulon,” director of rugby Pierre Mignoni told the official club website.

“His career demonstrates the immense talent of this player. His experience and his mental and physical strength will add to the locker room and to his team-mates.”

Jones, 37, announced his international retirement in May as the most-capped player in world rugby.

The second-row forward, who had been named in Wales’ preliminary World Cup squad, has played a world-record 170 Test matches – 158 for Wales and 12 for the Lions.

Jones ended his 17-year stay at the Ospreys in June.

He has initially signed a short-term Toulon deal to cover squad absences as the domestic Top 14 season starts in mid-August before resuming after the World Cup in the final week of October.

Biarritz have confirmed the signing of former Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb.

Webb, who announced his retirement from international rugby in May, has agreed terms until 2025.

He is the latest recruit for a club that finished 11th in the French second division last season, joining players such as England centre Jonathan Joseph and France prop Mohamed Haouas.

It will be 34-year-old Webb’s second playing stint in France, having featured for Toulon between 2018 and 2020.

He won 40 Wales caps and was recalled to the national set-up by head coach Warren Gatland during last season’s Guinness Six Nations.

But Webb then decided to step away from the Test arena after being named in Wales’ preliminary World Cup training squad, following his fellow former Ospreys colleagues Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric.

Richard Wigglesworth insists winning trumps entertainment as he ruled out England adopting a ‘Bazball’ approach to take on the world this autumn.

While Ben Stokes’ cricket team have contributed to a thrilling Ashes series against Australia, adhering to the swashbuckling instincts dubbed ‘Bazball’, Wigglesworth believes pragmatism offers England their best chance of success at the World Cup.

Entrusted with overseeing Steve Borthwick’s attack after being recruited from Leicester at the end of the season, the 40-year-old is devising a gameplan that is “tactically flexible”.

“The beauty about rugby is there is loads of different ways to do it. If we all try to play the same way it wouldn’t be entertaining,” former England scrum-half Wigglesworth said.

“We want to be tactically flexible. Does the word entertainment come into my thinking when I am planning? No. It’s about the best way to play. The best way to play and attack will end up being entertaining.

“There are games you have to go and win in a different way and I want us to be able to do that and make sure that when the time is right, we can move the ball as well as anyone.

“We are aiming to have the best plan for the players we’ve got. I’m not going to say: ‘this is how we want to attack.’ What we have to do is match the right personnel on the field with the best attack for them.

“We will attack well. We don’t want to be passive, we want to go and make sure we cause some problems.”

Wigglesworth has been keeping tabs on the Ashes and while England have fallen 2-0 behind entering the third Test on Thursday, he admires a set-up that provides players with freedom.

“It’s funny because they’ve been lauded, then they lose two games in an Ashes series and there are questions. That’s sport and that’s why you have to try to do what you can to win,” Wigglesworth said.

“Hopefully they can turn it around and win three in a row, so they’re back to being lauded again.

“I’m really interested in the environment they’ve got there – where players can go out and express themselves and be happy. That is certainly something that we want to do.

“We want players to enjoy being part of this England squad. We are really conscious of that.

“I’m definitely interested in the Ashes as a spectator, from afar. Maybe with this rose on my chest now, I might be able to visit a few places and pick their brains.

“They’re pretty busy at the moment but I’ll be sending some messages and seeing if I can. There will be many a sport I try and tap into, to try to learn from.”

Wigglesworth is England’s fourth attack coach since the 2019 World Cup but unlike his predecessors Simon Amor, Martin Gleeson and Nick Evans, he brings with him the experience of having being involved in three previous tournaments.

In 2011 and 2015 he was present as a player while in 2019 he was an assistant coach with Canada.

“There’s an overriding sense of disappointment as both 2011 and 2015 didn’t go well,” Wigglesworth said.

“I want to give the players the best chance to experience something positive they’ll remember for the rest of their lives, not look back like I did with a tinge of regret and disappointment. Our job is to help them as much as we can.”

Joe Cokanasiga is ready for a second tilt at the World Cup having found the ‘why’ behind his England career.

Cokanasiga was present in Japan four years ago, only for a knee injury to limit him to a single appearance against the USA.

While he crossed twice on that humid afternoon in Kobe, he spent much of the tournament hobbling around with a heavy brace on his damaged joint.

Having recovered from that setback, a second serious knee problem then struck the giant Bath wing of Fijian heritage, but the greatest challenge of all came off the pitch.

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While his mum Kitty was struck down by a cancerous brain tumour that needed chemotherapy and two surgeries, his father Ilaitia was barred from re-entering the UK despite having served in the British Army for 14 years.

Since those dark days Kitty has made a full recovery and Ilaitia has been granted indefinite leave to remain, but it was during the crisis that their 25-year-old son began looking inwards for the answers needed to realise his potential.

“I’ve been doing a lot more mindfulness work, discovering my ‘why’,” said Cokanasiga, who has been included in a 41-man training squad for the World Cup.

“I worked with (performance psychologist) Katie Warriner and the why was the one thing I struggled with.

“It’s a long process, going through my whole life from when I was born, how I grew up. My why has always been there, it’s just been about tapping into it.

“My why is always my family, but you forget that you play for yourself as well. I always play for young Joe who wanted to play in a World Cup.

“I think back to the 2015 World Cup when I was a mascot for Fiji in that first game against England, standing there and thinking ‘I want to do this, I want to play at Twickenham’.

“I like to think back and play for the young Joe and it’s having the right balance, but family will always be my why.

“The mindfulness has helped me a lot, especially during this summer. It has made me more determined and hungry for it.

“I’ve been doing lot of breathing exercises. One thing I got into was journaling before I sleep – after a big week of training having a nice debrief, or just writing down before games. That helped me a lot.”

Apart from his efforts to continue shining a light on the plight of Commonwealth serviceman denied entry to the UK, the 6’4” Cokanasiga has been busy making the lifestyle changes needed to take full advantage of his physical attributes.

Shackling his sweet tooth has resulted in 11lbs being shed and the 14-cap international is determined to end the yo-yoing in and out of the England team caused by injury and form.

“I’ve been getting my body into the right shape. I lost a few kilos, which for me is hard to do in the off-season,” Cokanasiga said.

“My girlfriend Rosie put me on a strict regime. So less sweets, no snacking at night, avoid drinking. Squashies or Haribos were my weakness! They can sponsor me if they want…

“Towards the end of the season I was 117-118kg, but now I’m 113-114. I feel I can run – it’s better for my joints, my knees.

“Mentally I’ve been a lot more driven to try. It’s like this is my shot, being in and out of squad this was my opportunity to get in so I needed to do everything I could.”

Warren Gatland has called up uncapped back-row forward Taine Plumtree to Wales’ World Cup training squad for a two-week camp in Switzerland.

Plumtree is part of a group that has travelled to Fiesch in the Swiss Alps, the Welsh Rugby Union said.

The 23-year-old was born in Swansea and is the son of former Ireland, Japan and New Zealand assistant coach John Plumtree.

A New Zealand Under-20 international, he has played Super Rugby for the Auckland-based Blues and will link up with the Scarlets next season.

Wales head coach Gatland has seen his back-row options hit by Justin Tipuric retiring from Test rugby and Josh Macleod suffering a shoulder injury.

And Plumtree now has a golden opportunity to showcase World Cup credentials ahead of Gatland announcing his final 33-strong squad next month.