Here are the latest rugby headlines on Tuesday, June 13.
Ban 'could finish Sexton's career'
Ireland's Johnny Sexton could reportedly be forced into retirement if a 24-week ban is imposed on him, according to City AM.
The fly-half has reportedly been accused of three counts of misconduct following Leinster's loss to La Rochelle last month.
Sexton wasn't playing, but the 37-year-old still clashed with officials afterwards - with the fly-half alleged to have mouthed obscenities towards South African referee Jaco Peyper and his English assistants Karl Dickson and Christophe Ridley.
READ MORE: The new life of Paul James, the unsung rugby hero whose son now plays for Wales
The mid-range sanction for Sexton, if he is found guilty of threatening match officials, is 24 weeks, which would currently take us into December. However, while bans are usually dished out in terms of weeks, the disciplinary panel will use relevant laws to ensure Sexton is banned for meaningful matches rather than fallow periods.
Even a low end 12-week ban could force him out of the World Cup and, City AM report, likely enforce an early retirement, given there are only 10 meaningful matches between now and should Ireland make the World Cup final. Sexton is due to retire after the tournament in France.
There are suggestions that Sexton's history of berating officials' decisions in the past could be taken into consideration when the ban is handed out.
Sexton could face a lesser charge of disrespecting match officials rather than using 'threatening' words. However, the report adds that EPCR and members of the refereeing community want a strong sanction to imposed upon the outside-half to ensure this sort of thing is stamped out of the game.
Ireland play three warm-up matches before their four pool matches in France.
English Championship winner signs for Pontypridd
Former Cardiff second-row and English Championship winner Macauley Cook has signed for Pontypridd for the 2023/24 season, the club has announced.
Rhondda-reared Cook, 31, joins from Jersey Reds, who won the Championship title in England this season. Cook was named in the RFU Championship team of the season last month.
He left the Welsh capital side in 2020, having made 167 appearances, after his contract was not renewed, heading to Jersey where he has spent the last three years. But he is no stranger to Pontypridd RFC: while with Cardiff Blues' academy, Cook played his first senior game of rugby for Pontypridd during the 2009-10 season.
The former Wales U16, U18 and U20 international said: "I’m really happy to sign with this famous club. I played my first senior game of rugby here at the age of 17 a long time ago surrounded by some club legends. I hope to wear the jersey with pride as many incredible players have done so before me. It’s an exciting young team and the club have been recruiting well for next season so I’m excited to get started and hopefully use some of my experience to help the team in any way I can.”
Team manager Dan Godfrey said: "He’s played for us before and knows exactly what Pontypridd RFC is about. He brings a wealth of experience which will benefit our young squad. We are very excited to have him on board.”
Poll: How far will Wales go at the World Cup? Have your say here or below
London Irish stars heading for exits
A glut of London Irish stars are lining up their net moves after the club was suspended.
Rising star Henry Arundell, who has seven caps for England having previously been eligible to compete for Wales, is the headline act leaving Irish, with French giants Racing 92 in for his signature, according to The Telegraph. They are reported to have beaten off competition from Bath.
A move to France would not affect Arundell's eligibility for the World Cup, however after that his selection might come under more scrutiny.
They also report that England's Will Joseph is poised to join fellow English capital side Harlequins, while Ben Loader is set to head to South Africa to join the Stormers.
New Dragons arrive for pre-season
The Dragons have reported for pre-season duty but head coach Dai Flanagan is warning them to pace themselves with their first competitive United Rugby Championship fixture a whole 18 weeks away.
Aside from six Wales players in the World Cup training squad and those away with Wales under-20s, the Dragons' senior group and senior academy members reported to Ystrad Mynach on Monday, June 12, for screening and testing ahead of their pre-season kicking off. New signings Dane Blacker (scrum-half) and Cory Baldwin (utility back), who have both moved east from the Scarlets, were among the players checking out the new surroundings.
Flanagan is heading up an initial four-week block of training before another short break.
“Everyone is excited to come back together and look forward after the way we finished against the Scarlets,” said Flanagan. “In many ways, they are creatures of habit and miss each other. Pass Ystrad Mynach in recent weeks and you’ll have seen several of them running. It’s been a long time. They are pro athletes who enjoy training, and they don’t want to let their team-mates down.
“The key now is to not peak too early. The first game is 18 weeks away. We don’t want to get a couple of months into pre-season and be ready to play. We need to make sure we are maintaining fitness and that training is both enjoyable and challenging. Block one is about re-learning how we train and connecting with people with some light-hearted competition.”
Japan coach: 'We can achieve anything at World Cup'
Japan head coach Jamie Joseph believes his team's "unorthodox" style means they can "achieve anything" at the Rugby World Cup.
The Brave Blossoms' free-flowing rugby took them to the quarter-finals on home soil in 2019 and they have been drawn with England, Argentina, Samoa and Chile in Pool D for this year's tournament in France.
Joseph told AFP that England "have suffered a little bit" since replacing coach Eddie Jones with Steve Borthwick in December following a dismal run of results, while the Kiwi is hopeful his side's energetic style can flummox England in Nice in September.
"We have a really attacking-based game using our fitness, the skill, the speed and a little bit unorthodox compared to the teams that we're playing against," Joseph told AFP. "We know what England are going to bring, we know what Argentina are going to bring. They're going to put us under a lot of pressure, but we create pressure in different ways."
Japan have not beaten any of the world's top sides since the last World Cup but they ran France and New Zealand close in home Test matches last year.
"When we can get to a level where everyone understands what their roles are and get physically right, we can achieve anything," added Joseph, who has been in charge since 2016 and has a contract running until the end of the World Cup.
READ NEXT:
Scarlets announce historic Barbarians match to honour late Phil Bennett
Former First Minister Jones interviewed for WRU job and Gatland's son gets big move
