The rugby stories making headlines on Saturday, May 24
Here’s your round-up of all the latest rugby news for Saturday, May 24.
Club World Championship gets green light
Rugby’s inaugural Club World Championship will reportedly take place in Europe at the end of the 2027-28 season, following the approval of a landmark deal in Cardiff on Friday.
According to the Telegraph, the move follows on from five years of discussions, and will replace the knockout stages of the Champions Cup every four years.
It’s claimed the Premiership, United Rugby Championship and the Top 14 have all agreed to move their domestic finals forward in 2028 in order to make room for the new competition, which would be held as the climax of the season.
The 16 competing teams made up of the eight qualifiers from the 2027-28 Champions Cup pool stages and the top seven in Super Rugby Pacific, which would also adjust its season dates.
One invited Japanese side would also take part, with the proposed format seeing the teams compete in four pools of four, ahead of a semi-final stage and then the final.
The 16 teams would comprise the eight qualifiers from the 2027-28 Champions Cup pool stages and the top seven in Super Rugby Pacific, which includes teams from New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, plus one invited Japanese team. The proposed format is four pools of four teams, with two semi-finals and a final.
Wales international swaps regions
The Dragons have confirmed the signing of Wales second-row Seb Davies from Cardiff ahead of next season.
The 28-year-old, who can also play in the back-row, has become the Rodney Parade club’s eighth new signing. The Men of Gwent have already announced deals for Tinus de Beer, Thomas Young, Wyn Jones, Dillon Lewis, Fine Inisi, Levi Douglas and Harry Beddall.
“I’m excited about the move as the future looks bright for Dragons,” said Davies. “The club has made plenty of positive signings and have a great hardworking core group already there.
“I’m also excited about playing for the loyal fans at Rodney Parade. The atmosphere is always brilliant when I’ve played there in the past and I look forward to now having their support right behind me.”
Cardiff had announced the departure of the 17-cap international earlier this week, with Davies having spent 10 years playing for the Arms Park’s senior side.
He recently played his 150th game for Cardiff.
Head coach Filo Tiatia added: “We’re really pleased to be able to bring Seb into our environment and excited by what he’ll bring to our squad.
“Seb brings a vast amount of playing experience, having also featured at international level, and is a powerful second row who has real versatility to his game.
“His best rugby years are ahead of him, and I know he is very motivated to make an impact at our club in the seasons to come.”
Wales captain scoops up awards
Wales captain Jac Morgan scooped up the supporters’ player of the season and coaches’ player of the season at the Ospreys’ end-of-season awards night.
Morgan, who is preparing for his first Lions tour, picked up the two awards after a strong season for the Ospreys – having skippered them to another European quarter-final.
Even with the Ospreys’ struggling at the start of the season and Wales failing to win a Test match in the 2024/25 campaign, Morgan’s performances never dipped – leading to his call-up as one of two Welshmen to tour with the Lions in Australia.
Full-back Jack Walsh picked up players’ player of the year, while Dan Edwards won try of the year for his effort against the Stormers back in September.
Bath win Challenge Cup
By Andrew Baldock, PA Rugby Union Correspondent
Johann van Graan was delighted that Bath were “enjoying the journey together” after they completed the second leg of a possible trophy treble.
Bath’s 37-12 victory over Lyon saw them lift the EPCR Challenge Cup in Cardiff to clinch their first major silverware since winning the same competition in 2008.
They add the Challenge Cup to Premiership Cup success earlier this season and are two victories away from league title glory.
“This is a moment in time,” Bath head of rugby Van Graan said. “We will enjoy what this trophy represents.
“We are enjoying our journey together and it is huge for the whole group. We all fight for each other.
“We have taken it step by step by step from the start and it is a group that wants to achieve together.
“Everyone has pulled together, every day on the training pitch and I give credit to the leadership group and all the players.”
Van Graan’s team overcame first-half yellow cards for Sam Underhill and Will Muir at the Principality Stadium – they had 13 players for four minutes – to subdue dogged opponents and post the tournament’s biggest winning margin in a final since 1998.
Tries from hooker Tom Dunn, centre Max Ojomoh, prop Beno Obano and captain Ben Spencer saw Bath home, while Spencer’s half-back partner Finn Russell kicked four conversions and three penalties.
Spencer told Premier Sports: “I thought we showed a different level of intensity tonight that we’ve not seen this season.
“I am just so proud to be able to give the fans what they deserve after so many years of hurt.
“We speak a lot about working hard for each other and the yellow card period is something we pride ourselves on.
“When we go down to 14 it’s not an ideal situation, but to not concede in that yellow card period I thought was outstanding.
“The togetherness in this group is absolutely unbelievable. It’s something we spoke about before the game in just being the best version of ourselves tonight and not playing the occasion, just playing the game.”
Lyon led through wing Ethan Dumortier’s early score, with number eight Arno Botha also touching down – as fly-half Leo Berdeu added one conversion – but Bath were comfortable winners.
And they appear to be on an unstoppable roll ahead of a Premiership play-off in two weeks’ time, when their opponents could be west country rivals Bristol.
Lyon coach Karim Ghezal said: “We didn’t score when they were down to 13. They had two yellow cards.
“One of them was rather dodgy. I will never complain about refereeing.
“It is always hard losing a final. A lot of energy went into this tournament and we came here to win the cup. Bath are a very strong team, but we lacked efficiency.”
Welsh player relishing his rugby after second chance
Cardiff No. 8 Alun Lawrence says he’s relishing his rugby after being given a second chance at the Arms Park.
Lawrence had left the club in 2022 to join Jersey Reds, helping them to a Championship title. However, the club sadly went under – although Cardiff offered him a return that he has taken with both hands.
This season saw him named the club’s players’ player of the year.
“It’s the one that you want to win, to get the appreciation from some of your best mates,” said Lawrence.
“That means a lot, and is something I’m incredibly proud of and I am thankful to the boys because I’m a part of the and they’re a part of me, being a part of that group, particularly the group that we’ve got, is something real special.
“Obviously, just going under was an incredible disappointment and a real shame. I’ll always be super appreciative for Jockey and Cardiff for taking me back.
“Something they didn’t have to do, but it speaks volumes of this club and this culture that they did that for me.
“I just relish it and enjoy it and that’s what it’s all about. We just got to enjoy being out there every single time. There’s been a lot of improvement this year.
“The big thing that we talked about was growth, how we got better and how we improved. The stats speak to themselves. Within a whisker, getting to the playoffs, which we were all devastated about, doubling our bonus point tries, doubling our points, all that positive stuff on field makes for next season even more exciting again.
“We generally believe that next year we’ll make it to the playoffs and then it’s just knockout rugby. And that’s super exciting.”
