Here are the rugby evening headlines for Friday, December 10.
World's best player heads to Cardiff for Europe opener
France scrum-half Antoine Dupont has been named World Rugby men’s player of the year for 2021.
The Frenchman, who captains Toulouse when they face Cardiff on Saturday in the European Champions Cup, saw off competition from Wallabies duo Samu Kerevi and Michael Hooper and England lock Maro Itoje to claim the title.
He is the first Frenchman to win the prestigious award since Thierry Dusautoir in 2011, and claimed two thirds of the public vote. The 25-year-old Toulouse No. 9 is the third France player to win the award overall, following in the footsteps of Dusautoir and the current Les Bleus head coach Fabien Galthié.
Dupont crossed for three tries in the 2021 Six Nations when Les Bleus finished runners-up, before his side won three from three in the Autumn Nations Series. Dupont was pivotal in France's first win against the All Blacks on home soil since 2000 in November.
"It’s hard to believe,” Dupont said of the award. “Of course, a lot of joy and pride.
"A lot of feelings and emotions that blend together. To be named alongside two French players, Fabien Galthié and Thierry Dusautoir, you have players like [Richie] McCaw and [Dan] Carter.
"They have won three each I believe. They are legends of our sport, so it’s weird to see myself named in this list. You almost have the feeling of not deserving this place.
"You have to do everything to be able to repeat it and always keep performing, keep going and give more. I am very happy and very proud to have been named 2021 player of the year. I can’t wait to tell my loved ones and be able to share it with them too."
England forward Zoe Aldcroft named World Rugby player of the year
England forward Zoe Aldcroft has been named World Rugby's women's player of the year for 2021.
The 25-year-old Gloucester-Hartpury second row beat England team-mate Poppy Cleall and French duo Caroline Boujard and Laure Sansus to the award, which was determined by a poll of fans.
It completes a notable England double after Red Roses boss Simon Middleton was named coach of the year.
Named England captain for the first time on her 25th birthday, Aldcroft led her team to an 89-0 victory over the USA and marked the occasion with a try.
She started all eight of England's matches in 2021 as the Red Roses extended their unbeaten run to 18 Tests and won a third successive Women's Six Nations title.
Scarlets end Covid nightmare
The Scarlets have returned home after completing their 10-day isolation period at a quarantine hotel near Belfast.
The Welsh region had been isolating in Antrim since returning from South Africa, where the United Rugby Championship schedule was thrown into disarray amid the emergence of the new Omicron Covid variant.
They were forced to forfeit their Champions Cup opener against Bristol amid player safety concerns.
A statement said: "The travelling party of 32 players and 15 staff flew out of Belfast International Airport to Cardiff in the early hours of Friday morning.
"The squad will spend the weekend with their families before returning to Parc y Scarlets on Monday to begin preparations for their Heineken Champions Cup round two clash with French Top 14 leaders Bordeaux-Begles on Sunday, December 19 (1pm).
"During their time in isolation, the group returned four rounds of negative PCR tests. Tickets for the Bordeaux game are available at tickets.scarlets.wales".
Injury problems for Edinburgh ahead of Saracens clash
Edinburgh will be without the injured Jamie Ritchie, Darcy Graham and Blair Kinghorn for their European Challenge Cup clash with Saracens in the Scottish capital.
Edinburgh had previously confirmed that Viliame Mata and Damien Hoyland faced lay-offs with knee injuries.
Charlie Savala comes in at stand-off after Kinghorn was ruled out with a head injury, while Jaco van der Walt makes a timely return from injury to be named among the replacements.
Mark Bennett, Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally, WP Nel and Marshall Sykes all return to the starting line-up.
Head coach Mike Blair said: "This is a real challenge for the club. Saracens are one of the best teams in Europe and it will give us a really good measure of where we're at.
"We've been really pleased with some of things we've been able to achieve in the URC so far, but this week has a different feel to it and we're just looking forward to the challenge."
Want the latest Welsh rugby news sent straight to you? Look no further.
