Harry Corish - Sportin Journalist

Wales coach Warren Gatland has told Wales players whose hopes of going to the World Cup are in the balance, to go out and make their case against South Africa on Saturday.

The weekend clash in Cardiff is a last chance for players to impress Gatland, who will announce his 33-strong squad for the tournament within 48 hours of the final whistle.

“There is an opportunity for players on Saturday. We will come back as a coaching group after the game and finalise the squad,” Gatland said.

“We are confident that those players carrying injuries are going to be available for the first game against Fiji.

“We will get a pretty detailed injury update in terms of all the players in the squad, the ones carrying knocks and when they can return to full-time training and when they are available.

“Potentially, there may be one or two decisions, which has happened in the past, where we are still undecided and we might sleep on it and make a final decision potentially on the Sunday.

“Then it’s a matter of notifying the players and announcing the squad on Monday.”

Wales will be without British and Irish Lions Liam Williams and Dan Biggar. Both players had been selected to start the game but have been withdrawn as a precautionary measure.

Williams has a tight hamstring, with Biggar suffering from back irritation.

Cai Evans is promoted from the replacements’ bench to make his Test debut as Williams’ replacement, while Sam Costelow takes over from fly-half Biggar.

Gatland added: “Both of them, if we pushed them hard, could play on Saturday, but the decision was made, there is no point taking a risk at this stage.

“If this was a World Cup semi-final, Dan Biggar would have been fine for the weekend.”

Forwards Dewi Lake and Taine Plumtree, who were injured during Wales’ narrow defeat against England at Twickenham last weekend, are on course to be available for the World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on September 10.

Wales have recovered from a poor Six Nations under Gatland to beat England convincingly at the Principality Stadium and then lose a game they should really have won at Twickenham.

But Gatland smiled and suggested he only looks at the here and now after Welsh Rugby Union director of rugby Nigel Walker claimed Gatland would be kept in position regardless of what happened at next month’s tournament in France.

Gatland has a five-year contract, with a review clause which could be activated after the forthcoming tournament.

The New Zealander made it clear that he has yet to decide whether or not he would take up the option to lead Wales to what would be his fifth tournament in charge, having overseen those in 2011, 2015 and 2019 before returning for a second spell in January before the 2023 version.

When asked about Walker’s comments, Gatland said: “We’ll see how the World Cup goes!

“I am just focusing on the short term. I have never been a person who thinks long term too much in terms of my own personal situation.

“I am a great believer in what will be will be. I have already seen the work this group have done and strides we have made. I think we can do something pretty special at this World Cup, and I honestly believe that.

“If that happens, then those other things take care of themselves.”

Abi Tierney, one of the UK’s senior civil servants, will be the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

The Director General for Customer Services at the Home Office will join the WRU by the end of this year after serving notice at the Home Office, where she is also Ethics Advisor and Chair of their People Committee.

Before joining the Civil Service, Abi Tierney was a Business Development Director at Serco, where she also held a number of operational roles, including Regional Director and Chief Executive of Suffolk Community Services.

Prior to this, she was a Director at University Hospitals of Leicester and Aberdeen City Council and was previously Marketing Leader for IBM’s Global Services Business.

She will take over from interim CEO Nigel Walker – with a new role for Walker already announced – and join a new-look WRU Board, headed by its first appointed independent non-executive (INED) Chair Richard Collier-Keywood, who officially took up post himself in July.

“Abi’s appointment is a major coup for Welsh rugby,” said Richard Collier-Keywood, who has succeeded Ieuan Evans as Chair after the latter campaigned himself for the appointment of an INED to the position, culminating in a 97% positive vote of member clubs in March this year.

“She has worked successfully across the private and public sectors in delivering commercial value and improving the culture of some complex organisations.

“The role of the WRU is to support and serve Welsh Rugby across our elite teams to our 270 community clubs.  Her mantra of ‘putting customers at the heart of everything we do’ bodes well for the many fans of rugby in Wales.  I believe Abi will make a major contribution to our enjoyment of all aspects of the game in Wales. I am delighted she has decided to join us.”

Abi has strong family connections in Barry, where her father originated. Her Dad grew up one of six children and was part of a close-knit extended family. They were all passionate fans of Welsh rugby and Barry Rugby Club was at the heart of their social connections and Abi’s Dad played rugby for Barry, Dina Powys and Glamorgan Wanderers.

Abi has followed her family’s tradition and is a life-long supporter of Wales. She is no stranger to the Principality Stadium and says she is so lucky and fortunate to be combining one of her major passions with a her working life, when taking on the challenge of becoming the new WRU CEO.
“The opportunity to lead the Welsh Rugby Union is an immense privilege and I relish the chance to make a lasting positive difference at such a critical time,” said Abi Tierney.

“My passion and commitment for this role is unquestionable and I feel a huge sense of pride having grown up in a family where my Dad is from Barry and where rugby has been a constant and positive force in our lives.

“Rugby has the ability to enable life chances and develop people on and off the pitch. In this role, I intend to take that heritage and the skills and learning I have gathered in my career to deliver the significant cultural advancement Welsh rugby deserves.
“I have a track record in positively shaping an organisation’s culture.

“I am an inclusive leader and I will do my utmost to promote belonging, trust, understanding and mutual support at all levels in Welsh rugby.

“Alongside Richard as Chair, Nigel in his new and vitally important role as Director of Rugby and my colleagues on the Board, and the rest of the executive staff, we will realise the full potential of Welsh rugby in the years ahead and I look forward to the challenge.”

In a re-shuffle of the WRU’s executive announced last month (July) Nigel Walker has been appointed to a new position of Executive Director of Rugby and will take up this role permanently in coordination with the new CEO’s arrival.

At this time Huw Bevan, as interim Performance Director, Geraint John, as Community Director and each of Wales’ senior squad head coaches, Warren Gatland and Ioan Cunningham, will continue report directly into Walker, as the new Executive Director of Rugby. “I very much welcome Abi’s appointment ,” added Walker.

“I look forward to working closely with Abi to secure a positive and sustainable future for Welsh rugby.
“There is still much hard work to do, but we will continue to progress together and I remain hugely optimistic about the future of our game,” When Abi Tierney joins the WRU officially at the end of the year, she will join a revamped Board which already includes new INED director Alison Thorne, who became an official Board member at the start of this month (August) with incumbent Chris Morgan standing down to allow the move, and new chair Richard Collier-Keywood.

The WRU’s stated – and member approved – ambition to ensure that at least 40% of its 12-person Board should be women (ie five individuals – currently 11 of the 12 Board members are male) remains on course.  Recruitment is still ongoing for a further INED appointment, as well as a Board member with specific responsibility for the women’s game, and further elections for new council members are taking place this summer where diversity in candidate applications has been strongly encouraged.

Wales are praying for good news over hooker Dewi Lake after his knee injury was the most bruising outcome of their 19-17 defeat to England at Twickenham.

The Ospreys star – who captained his country for the first time – will be assessed over the next few days with his chances of making the World Cup squad in the balance.

Lake’s injury was a cruel blow as the hooker has had a torrid time with injuries over the last 12 months.

Before the fixture against England, Lake hadn’t played for Wales since facing the Springboks in Cape Town last July.

The highly rated front-rower missed the whole of Wales’ international schedule last term as a shoulder injury ruled him out of their autumn campaign.

A knee problem put paid to any Six Nations hopes, and it looks as if he may have suffered another serious setback.

Wales can ill-afford another problem at hooker. Ken Owens captained Warren Gatland’s side during the Six Nations but has been ruled out of the World Cup pool stages due to a back injury.

Last week fellow hooker Ryan Elias was forced off the pitch after just six minutes with a hamstring injury.

Gatland said of Lake, “He is pretty gutted and disappointed.

“He’s gone to jackal on the ball, Owen Farrell has tried to roll him, and he’s ended up landing on his leg.

“It’s unfortunate and it looks like he’s got a knee injury, but we don’t know the extent of it or how bad it is.”

Wales No.8 Taine Plumtree also went off with a shoulder injury that provides Wales with another headache.

Plumtree was making his first start at number eight after winning his first cap against England in Cardiff the previous weekend.

“We capitulated in terms of our accuracy and with some guys not knowing their roles. For me that was disappointing because we’ve spent a lot of time ensuring there is clarity and everyone knows their roles,” said Gatland.

“We gave away some soft penalties where we piggy-backed them up the field and gave them those chances. We’ll have learnt a lot from that.

“The game management in that final quarter wasn’t good enough. We should have been comfortable.

“It was a big moment not taking the kick-off and giving England back a bit of momentum by not clearing our line, allowing them to score from that and get back into the game. That was disappointing.”

Wales have one remaining warm-up game – at home to South Africa on Saturday – before Gatland names his 33-man squad for the tournament on the following Monday.

“There are still some players we need to find out about and potentially give an opportunity to,” Gatland said.

“You couldn’t ask for better warm-up matches in terms of the physicality we are looking for, with England home and away and then South Africa.

“It’s going to be the same sort of test up-front against South Africa and we need to take the learnings from Twickenham.”