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Wales Online
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Tom Coleman

Today's rugby headlines as Wales close to playing in new international competition and England told to cap Welsh-qualified sensation

Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby headlines for Tuesday, May 10.

Robinson says England cannot lose talent to Wales

England legend Jason Robinson has told Eddie Jones to cap teen sensation Henry Arundell this summer to avoid him pledging his allegiance to Scotland or Wales.

The London Irish man shot into the spotlight on the weekend when he ran in a 114-yard try from his own tryline. He burst through a gap in his own 22 before gear-changing to leave six would-be tacklers in his wake as he slalomed his way almost 100 metres at devastating speed to dive over in the corner.

READ MORE : Wales' uncapped contenders for the summer tour

Arundell, an England U20s international, is still just 19 but there now seems to be a clamour for him amid a seemingly impending scrap to get him capped at senior international level. And World Cup-winner Robinson believes Eddie Jones should do just that when England play Australia this summer.

"If he (Arundell) is going to be producing moments like that then you have to give him a chance to see what he's capable of doing at the next level," Robinson told the Daily Mail.

"I know there is a bit of a fight on now in terms of who he commits to. You wouldn't want someone like that slipping through the net. I hope he gets an opportunity and if England don't tie him down then there will be a big queue of people waiting.

"It's not very often I watch a game and get really excited, but I have to admit that's the most excited I've been for a long time. Seeing a try like that is very special and I'm sure we'll be seeing replays for a long time to come."

Rugby chiefs move to seal new competition

Rugby bosses will hold discussions later today over a proposed new tournament that could potentially have a radical impact on the international calendar.

Representatives from the Six Nations, Sanzaar (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby) and World Rugby, will meet in Dublin to try and finally nail down the plans, which could potentially see the introduction of a new biennial north v south competition from 2026.

The concept is not a new one, with a previous attempt to form a Nations Championship failing, but we appear to be reaching decision time. Twelve nations would take part, with Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy joining South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Fiji and Japan. It's believed that the emerging nations are in favour of the idea, and will likely sacrifice annual fixtures with tier one nations to launch a global second division in 2024. This would contain the likes of Georgia, Spain, Romania, Portugal, the Netherlands, Samoa, Tonga, Namibia, the United States and Canada, according to the Times.

Early indications suggest the competition would be held in even years, avoiding the World Cup and British & Irish Lions tours. The schedule would then reach a climax in late November with a grand final and promotion/relegation play-off.

Crucially, membership of the Six Nations would be unaffected.

Jones in Racing 92 talks

Eddie Jones is reportedly in talks with French side Racing 92 over potentially replacing the outgoing Laurent Travers.

Travers is set to take the role of club president from owner Jacky Lorenzetti, and reports in France claim Jones could potentially take the reins. According to Midi Olympique, Jones himself is interested in taking over the Parisian side, although the same report says discussions have not concluded with an agreement.

Jones is poised to leave his role as England head coach after next year's World Cup, meaning he wouldn't be available to take the role for next term. In any case, Racing would surely face competition for his signature.

Double World Cup winner Phil Kearns has already said that he believes Jones would be the perfect fit to take over at Australia, adding that the Wallabies should consider him as an option.

Tuilagi says sleep helping World Cup dream

Manu Tuilagi claims that a change to his sleeping pattern has helped him stave off injury, as he bids to play in next year's World Cup.

The England star has struggled with injuries in the past, but is back firing on all cylinders for Sale, and says a lack of sleep was at the heart of his time in the treatment room.

“I used to sleep really late,” Tuilagi said. “Wake 20 to 30 minutes before we had the walk-throughs and then you get into training.

“As an athlete sometimes you get too excited, just want to be out there on the field, and ignore what your body is telling you. You’ve got to listen to it. Because if your body says no, you can’t do anything.”

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