Rugby morning headlines as Argentina make shock U-turn to reinstate disgraced captain and Scott Robertson likely to get Lions role

pHere are your rugby morning headlines from Wales ad beyond for Thursday, December 3./p h3Sir Clive criticises Eddie Jonesapos; apos;alarmistapos; comments/h3 pSir Clive Woodward has taken issue with Eddie Jonesapos; decision to dismiss current concerns over the game as apos;massively alarmist and quite sillyapos;./p pThe England boss believes the focus on defence is just a part of the sportapos;s tactical cycles, admitting that rugby in the Autumn Nations Cup has been quot;tough and physical, a real game for the puristsquot;./p p Sir Clive a href=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-9011485/SIR-CLIVE-WOODWARD-Rugbys-tipping-point-box-kicking-killing-game.html rel=Follow target=_selfresponded in his MailOnline column/a by saying: quot;Eddie Jones is right when he says trends in rugby tend to be cyclical #x2014; but he is wrong to label the current concerns of many as alarmist and silly. /p pquot;This feels very different. The fundamental nature of the game is changing and many diehard rugby stalwarts I speak to are beginning to lose faith. If their appetite is waning, I cannot imagine what new viewers are thinking./p pquot;Rugby needs to look to inventive coaches #x2014; like Eddie #x2014; who can think outside the box to help get us back on the right track./p pquot;We need the coaches to bust the game out of its rut. After all, isnapos;t that the very point of coaching: to innovate and reinvent the game?/p pquot;If they lead, the players will follow.quot;/p h3Scott Robertson: Lions role likely/h3 pCrusaders coach Scott Robertson says it is highly likely he will join Warren Gatlandapos;s coaching staff for the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa./p pHe has been in talks with Lions management after approaching Gatland about joining the team following his missing out on the All Blacks job to Ian Foster./p p quot;Weapos;ve had some good conversations the last couple of weeks around the opportunityquot;, he a href=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/super-rugby-aotearoa-crusaders-coach-scott-robertson-reveals-its-likely-he-joins-british-and-irish-lions-for-2021-south-africa-tour/5EBE53URPW3L7NJPK4DGBJYWME/ rel=Follow target=_selftold the New Zealand Herald./a /p pquot;Iapos;m looking at potentially being involved with the team, that could play against the Springboks and then stay on in some capacity./p pquot;It wasnapos;t an assistant role I was wanting, it was a learning opportunity for me, [to] help a lot around the professional development and support their current coaching group, it wasnapos;t about being an assistant as such./p pquot;Those conversations are continuing #x2026; itapos;s a highly likely chance, Iapos;m finding ways I can get there.quot;/p pThe Super Rugby coach will be looking to win a fifth consecutive title with the Canterbury franchise in New Zealand in the next year./p h3Argentina in shock U-turn as they reinstate captain/h3 pPablo Matera has been reinstated as Argentina captain and had his and two team-matesapos; suspensions for quot;discriminatory and xenophobicquot; comments on social media lifted./p p Matera, Guido Petti and Santiago Socino were suspended on Tuesday for posts made between 2011 and 2013, but in a shock U-turn the Argentine Rugby Union has said the measures were quot;unnecessaryquot;, a href=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/55170028 rel=Follow target=_selfBBC reports./a They are not, however, named in the Pumas squad to face Australia on Saturday. /p pquot;The preventive measures are unnecessary so we have resolved to lift the suspension of the three players and reinstate the captaincy to Pablo Matera,quot; the UAR said in a statement./p pquot;The disciplinary process continues and the commission will arrive at a final resolution in the next few days.quot;/p pScreenshots of historical posts which disparaged black people and people from other South American nations circulated widely./p pIt came after the Argentina team was criticised for not doing enough to mark the death of football legend Diego Maradona before facing the All Blacks last weekend./p h3 spanEx-Wales captain Liza Burgess elected as WRU vice chair/span /h3 pLiza Burgess has been elected vice-chair of the Welsh Rugby Union Board./p pFormer Wales captain Burgess became the first woman director to be elected to the Board via the route of winning a member club vote in November 2019./p pHer appointment completes a period of transition which has seen Robert Butcher take over from Gareth Davies as chairman and former group finance director Steve Phillips installed as CEO in place of Martyn Phillips./p pFormer Wales and Lions wing Ieuan Evans, who filled the position vacated by Davies when he won election to the Board, also replaces the former chair as one of the WRU#x2019;s three nominated representatives on World Rugby - alongside new chair Butcher and executive board member Julie Paterson who both continue in the roles. Evans also joins the Lions Board alongside CEO Phillips./p pButcher and Phillips will also represent the WRU on the Six Nations Board./p pChairman Rob Butcher said: quot;Liza has been an integral member of our Board since her election in 2019 and though she is joined by other senior female figures in Amanda Blanc and Aileen Richards, as an elected representative she is a particularly powerful role model for the new breed of Board member we all hope our clubs will continue to help us produce./p pquot;We also welcome Ieuan to two vitally important positions, on World Rugby and with the Lions, and I know he will represent Welsh rugby to the very highest of standards in both roles.quot;/p h3 spanWorld Rugby boss to step down/span /h3 pWorld Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper is to step down early next year when he will take up a new role as head of the NFL in Europe and the UK./p pChief operating officer Alan Gilpin will perform the role of interim CEO until Gosperapos;s replacement is appointed./p p#x201C;Rugby is a wonderful sport and World Rugby is a fantastic organisation, and therefore it was a very difficult decision to leave, but with a new ambitious strategic plan set to launch and the strong foundations in place to drive the sport forward beyond the pandemic, the time is right for me to begin a new challengequot;, Gosper said./p pquot;I am proud of what we have achieved together as a rugby family. While I will miss working in the sport, my passion and enthusiasm for what rugby and its values mean to so many will never diminish.quot;/p