Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby headlines for Tuesday, December 7.
Dupont named the best player in the world
France star Antoine Dupont has been named the world's best player by Rugby World, but only one Welsh player has made the top 20.
Josh Adams is named as the 20th best player in the world by the publication's countdown, which is compiled by several sports journalists.
Ardie Savea (2nd), Maro Itoje (3rd), Michael Hooper (4th) and Taniela Tupou (5th) round off the top five.
Read more: Get the latest Welsh rugby news, interviews and analysis right here
The selection of Dupont comes after strong year for the French scrum-half, who helped Toulouse to a European Champions Cup and Top 14 double, and also captained his country through a successful autumn series that included a superb win over the All Blacks.
Red Roses winger Abby Dow is the highest-ranked female player at 11th, while Fijian star Jerry Tuwai is the top sevens player.
You can read the top 20 in full here.
All Blacks star signs with Jay Z's company
All Blacks star Ardie Savea has signed with Jay-Z’s sports talent management agency Roc Nation Sports.
A sub-division of Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by the rapper in 2008, Roc Nation Sports was established in 2013 and supports athletes in the same way in which Roc Nation has advocated for entertainers since its inception.
News of Roc Nation Sports’ acquisition of Savea comes after it was confirmed last week that the back-row has signed a four-year contract extension with New Zealand Rugby.
In a press release, Roc Nation Sports said it “will manage Savea’s career both on and off the field with a focus on his brand, off-field entrepreneurial projects and philanthropy”.
“My family and I are so excited to be joining Roc Nation,” Savea said in a statement upon confirmation of his signing with the agency on Tuesday.
“Having a highly skilled team of specialists behind me looking after all aspects of my career will not only allow me to concentrate on my on- field performance but provide long term security for my family and a platform for me to pursue other areas of interest that I am really passionate about.”
Savea joins a high-profile stable of athletes currently signed with Roc Nation, including fellow rugby stars such as Springboks Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe, Trevor Nyakane, Sbu Nkosi and Aphelele Fassi, while England lock Maro Itoje is also on their books.
Ulster face questions on Kingspan sponsorship
Ulster Rugby has refused to comment on the future of its relationship with Kingspan.
The company is set to be examined as part of an ongoing inquiry into the causes of the Grenfell Tower fire, which was responsible for killing 72 people.
The firm's K15 insulation products were believed to be one of the materials installed at the tower, although the company itself has said it “played no role in the design of the cladding system on Grenfell Tower, where its K15 product constituted approximately 5% of the insulation and was used as a substitute product without Kingspan’s knowledge in a system that was not compliant with the building’s regulations”.
Nevertheless, the news has sparked questions over Ulster's involvement with the brand.
In a short statement to the Belfast Telegraph, a spokesperson for Ulster Rugby said: “In relation to your query, we will not be making any comment whilst the inquiry is ongoing".
Black Ferns star hits out at coaching staff
Black Ferns hooker Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate says she was driven to a mental breakdown by her treatment at the hands of coaching staff.
After the team's end-of-year tour, she took to Instagram to open up on her mental health struggles, writing: “One week post tour and the emotions are real. The should I speak up or should I stay quiet runs through my mind a thousand times. Never would I have ever thought that I would become mentally ill in a sport that I loved so much.
“I didn’t perform the way I wanted to this tour. And the way I have been playing the last few years hasn’t been my best.
“Over the past 8 years that I have been in the Black Ferns, I have struggled mentally and finally let it all out on the most recent tour.
“Yes, I had a mental breakdown in front of everyone.”
A day after Ngata-Aerengamate’s post, NZR general manager of performance Chris Lendrum told media that her allegations were “really distressing”, “very serious” and “thought-provoking”.
“My first reaction is it’s really distressing to read. You never like to see any human describe their own situation in the way that Te Kura has,” Lendrum said.
“We feel for her. Our first priority is to make sure she is okay. Clearly we take any issues raised like this very seriously.
“We’ve got some work ahead of us to explore this issue as part of the review.
“We’ve had an initial conversation but we have to get our processes right in order to get to the bottom of this situation and I don’t want to pre-judge any of that now.”
Want the latest Welsh rugby news sent straight to you? Look no further.
