Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, April 20.
Players support young star after brave statement
Ospreys rugby player Harri Morgan has received swathes of support from team-mates, fellow professionals, fans and rival teams after revealing he tried to take his own life in February.
Morgan is taking time out from the game after dealing with severe mental health issues. On Wednesday night he issued a public statement bravely explaining the difficulties he has been enduring.
Many of his Ospreys team-mates were quick to show their public support, including Wales stars Rhys Webb and Gareth Anscombe, with Webb telling the 23-year-old: "I'm always here for you, brother."
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Former Wales centre Tom Shanklin shared Morgan's statement, adding: "Please read and share. It might help you or someone else reach out. Well done Harri."
Cardiff Rugby, who the Ospreys play on Saturday, said: "Incredibly brave of you to share your story Harri and we have no doubt that your bravery will help many.
"Good luck for whatever you decide comes next and if we can help you or our friends at the Ospreys in any way, we are here besides you."
Morgan revealed he had been suffering mental health issues for a number of years, culminating in him taking an overdose on February 5. You can read his brave statement in full here.
For confidential support the Samaritans can be contacted for free around the clock 365 days a year on 116 123.
Missing player may have drowned
Cruise ship staff reported trying to save a man who was in the water near Barcelona's commercial port on the night rugby player Levi Davis went missing, his family have said.
The 24-year-old former Bath player and Celebrity X Factor contestant was last seen at The Old Irish Pub in Barcelona on October 29.
However, a statement shared with the PA news agency on behalf of Mr Davis's family said police had told them his phone last registered with a phone tower at the far end of Barcelona's commercial port.
The statement said that his mother Julie Davis and friend Richard Squire met local police on Monday for an update on the investigation into his disappearance.
"Extensive work has been done to track Levi's movements on the night of the 29th October and they are able to confirm that following his last reported sighting at the Hard Rock Cafe, Levi walked back down La Rambla and entered the commercial port," the statement said.
"His phone last registered in the early hours of Saturday 30th October with a phone tower at the far end of the port closest to the sea entrance."
The statement said cruise ship staff reported trying to save a man in the water by the port on the same night.
"Reports of a man in the water by staff on a cruise ship entering the port at 6.30am on 30th Oct have been investigated," his family said.
"Four staff confirmed seeing a man in the water with specific details including him asking for help in English and the colour of his clothing.
"A life jacket was thrown from the ship and emergency sea and air rescue services searched the area but they were unable to find him."
The statement added that the investigation is continuing and asked for the privacy of Mr Davis's family and friends to be respected.
Mr Davis appeared on ITV's Celebrity X Factor in 2019, alongside fellow rugby stars Ben Foden and Thom Evans, in a singing group known as Try Star.
He was also on E4's Celebs Go Dating in 2020.
He had signed a record deal and had gone to stay with Mr Squire in Ibiza to work on some songs.
Speaking to the BBC last month, Mr Squire said he dropped Mr Davis off in Ibiza Town on October 28 and has not seen him since.
He said Mr Davis told him he was heading to Barcelona.
Mr Davis told Mr Squire he would call when he arrived in Barcelona but he never did.
As concern grew, Bath Rugby shared a missing persons appeal in November.
Smith to leave England in future
Marcus Smith will one day join the swelling ranks of England stars playing overseas but for now the Harlequins sensation has unfinished business with club and country.
Smith's Quins contract expires in June 2024 but despite interest in one of the game's most inventive fly-halves from the Top 14, the 24-year-old sees a move abroad as a project for the future.
Of more immediate concern is reversing Harlequins' slide since winning the 2021 Gallagher Premiership title and reclaiming England's 10 jersey from main rival Owen Farrell.
"I'm still early on in my career. Obviously I want to experience different cultures, I want to play in different leagues," said Smith ahead of Saturday's 'Big Summer Kick-Off' match against Bath at Twickenham.
"But I'll do that when the time's right for me, my family, my girlfriend and in my development as a rugby player and as a person as well.
"But at the minute I'm loving playing in the Premiership, I'm loving playing for Harlequins and I guess we'll see what happens in the future."
While Smith's present focus is on these shores, he has noted the number of red rose internationals to have signed for clubs across the Channel.
Luke Cowan-Dickie, David Ribbans, Joe Marchant, Sam Simmonds and Jack Nowell will join French clubs after this autumn's World Cup as pressure grows on the Rugby Football Union's restriction on selecting overseas-based players for England.
Smith believes that by raising a salary cap that is scheduled to increase from £5million to £6.4million next year and being more creative in marketing the Premiership, the exodus can be reversed.
"If you look across to the Top 14, you see the dominance they have in Europe. For me that's mainly down to the salary cap," he said.
"If they've got more resources and finances to build their squads then they're probably going to be in a better position to win those tournaments.
Baxter reminds players of social media pitfalls after Nowell charge
Exeter boss Rob Baxter has reminded his players about careful social media use after Chiefs star Jack Nowell was charged for criticising a referee's decision on Twitter.
England wing Nowell faces a hearing on Wednesday night. He has been charged by the Rugby Football Union with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the union and the game. Nowell spoke out after his Chiefs colleague Olly Woodburn received a second yellow card and was sent off during Exeter's 62-19 Gallagher Premiership defeat against Leicester on Sunday.
Woodburn, who had earlier been sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on, collected another yellow from referee Karl Dickson for diving on Tigers wing Chris Ashton on the floor in an attempt to prevent a try after Chiefs full-back Stuart Hogg had tackled Ashton. Dickson awarded a penalty try, which meant another yellow - and therefore a red card - for Woodburn, although a subsequent sanction of his sending-off being sufficient punishment means he is available to continue playing.
Nowell and two other Exeter team-mates who were also not involved in the game - fellow England internationals Luke Cowan-Dickie and Henry Slade - vented their feelings.
Cowan-Dickie tweeted that "rugby had lost the plot", while Slade said "I have no words", but Nowell posted a since-deleted tweet that read: "I'm actually in shock, like shock shocked. What the hell is happening? That's one of the worst decisions I've ever seen. EVER".
Baxter said: "With Jack's charge, it came through as I was getting ready for a players' meeting. I said, 'just be careful, you know you need to be really careful on these things'. That is all you can really say.
"Jack hasn't done it with any intention of criticising the referee at all. He has misworded it. All he has talked about is the decision. It hasn't been directed at Karl Dickson, it has been directed at the game and been done in frustration at the laws of the game, rather than the referee. He has not gone after the referee at all.
"Jack was the captain when we played Bath (last month) and Karl Dickson was refereeing, and their relationship was fine. If we had a panel of five or six Premiership referees on here and asked, 'how do you get on with Jack Nowell'? They would all smile and say, 'he is a great bloke'.
"He has made a mistake. He knew very quickly he shouldn't have done it, (he) removed the post, and he will be the first person to apologise to Karl Dickson. Dickson, at the same time, will know it is not directed at him, it is at the circumstances of the laws. There is nothing there, no malice intended at all.
"He (Woodburn) is not intentionally doing anything illegal, he doesn't hurt anybody, there is no head contact, he is doing everything he can to remain legal, but it is an impossible situation to make a tackle. How does he influence that scenario? He should be able to, and yet he can't, not legally. I think we should debate that, and we should look at it.
Any period of suspension could sideline Nowell from Exeter's Heineken Champions Cup semi-final against La Rochelle in Bordeaux on April 30.
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