Here are your Six Nations headlines for Thursday, February 18.
Dan Biggar set for potential rest in England
Wales fly-half Dan Biggar could be in line for a rest from Northampton Saints duty this weekend if comments from director of rugby Chris Boyd are anything to go by.
Biggar is one of six Wales players who could feature in England's Gallagher Premiership this weekend during a fallow week of the Six Nations.
Players who ply their trade in England have to be made available to their clubs during a fallow week or if they're not involved in an international matchday squad.
"We've had discussions with Dan, he was very busy for us at the back end of last season and then went straight into (internationals)", Boyd told BBC Radio Northampton.
"We have some obligation around giving him some rest, time will tell whether that's this week or not."
Pat Lam praises 'superb' Callum Sheedy
Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam says "superb" fly-half Callum Sheedy should be "very proud" of his part in securing Wales' Six Nations win over Scotland.
Sheedy replaced Dan Biggar after 48 minutes and featured in the second-half comeback.
"I thought he was superb, he can be very proud and he was a credit to Wales," Lam told the BBC.
"I thought he was superb, Callum's all about making the guys around him look really good. He could see opportunities and he had the courage to call them," Lam told BBC Radio Bristol.
"He played flat to the line, brought guys into the game and I thought he did really well."
Louis Rees-Zammit is a 'world-class' finisher
Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit is back with Gloucester and has been dubbed a "world-class" finisher by head coach George Skivington.
He said: "All the internationals, except Johnny May, are available for selection.
"He (Rees-Zammit) has been back training with us this week and the first thing he said to me was let's get into Bath and try and beat them on Friday night, so that's a credit to him.
"He is a world-class finisher, there are not that many people with the pace and ability to score tries like that and he is thriving on that.
"He is a very impressive young man and is very humble. He works hard and gets on with his job and knows he has lots to learn in his game.
"He is in two good environments he can bounce off. He is at the very start of his journey and it's teeing up to be an exciting one for him."
Exeter being 'cautious' over Alex Cuthbert
Exeter Chiefs are being ‘cautious’ with former Wales winger Alex Cuthbert after he came off on Saturday with some tightness in his back and hamstring, DevonLive reports.
He made a stunning return to action from a long-term calf injury, scoring two outstanding tries in two appearances but was replaced the 46th minute in the 26-3 victory over London Irish on Saturday.
But having spent the majority of his Chiefs career sidelined with a series of injuries, including a hamstring tear which required surgery, Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said he is taking no risks with the explosive 48-cap international.
Baxter said: "He is a bit sore.
"He has had a long injury period out, he started to tighten up, you could see how fantastically well he was playing, how well he played last week as well [against Newcastle], but he just started to stiffen up around his lower back.
"It was a bit of neural tightness and tension which was giving him some hamstring tightness so we weren’t going to hang around so we got him off then.
"There is no point in us getting someone back fit and then try to push him through something which has been an issue in the past.
"We took that precaution which means he is okay but he has got that and we are just going to be very careful as to whether we get him back quickly or whether we get him back to 100 percent before we get him back out on the field.
"We are just going to have to monitor him and look after him. It is early in his return so it is our responsibility to give him the right game time at the right time."
Ospreys bring in Premiership Rugby head of elite performance
The Ospreys have announced Corin Palmer as the region’s new performance director.
Palmer will fill a newly-created role and will boost a rugby department already including Mike Ruddock as Development Director, Dan Griffiths as Rugby General Manager, and Development Pathway Manager, Gareth Walters.
He will leave his current role as head of elite performance and player development at Premiership Rugby to join the Ospreys, and will be tasked with driving and leading the off-field performance team for the first team squad.
The Ospreys say he "will be focused around linking the high-performance department and provide support to Head Coach, Toby Booth, and brings a rugby CV that boasts time as Rugby Operations Director at Worcester Warriors, Head of Academies and Development at Premiership Rugby, General Manager at Bristol Rugby".
Palmer said: "The project and the journey Toby Booth has begun at the Ospreys is something that I really wanted to be a part of. We are both passionate about restoring the region to the forefront of Welsh rugby.
"I believe in the philosophy that you need to have clear leaders on the grass and clear leaders off the grass. Professional rugby programmes have developed to such an extent that there is so much more to be managed than just the rugby."
