These are your rugby headlines on Wednesday, March 27. Carter the solution for Wales - Flanagan Dai Flanagan insists Ben Carter could be the solution to Wales’ ball-carrying problem in the front five. Wales struggled to get a foothold up front throughout the Six Nations , with a lack of carriers in the pack identified as a problem. And Flanagan believes Dragons lock Carter, who has recently returned from injury, could be Wales’ answer in the long run. “He has massively,” said Flanagan when asked if Carter has a very high ceiling. “Ben knows his work-ons which has been quite consistent with Wales and with us. You can see the physicality he’s developed. “We expect Ben to ball carry, win collisions and win collisions across the park defensively. Warren (Gatland) has spoken publicly about Wales lacking some collision. We are very confident Ben could provide that for Warren if and when he’s called upon. Ben knows that’s been his biggest work on. SIGN UP: Get the new exclusive Inside Welsh rugby newsletter for full insight into what's really going on around all the big issues. This special offer will get you full access for the entire year for just £10 instead of £40. “His work rate is through the roof, his numbers are always top of any chart when he plays but with this extra weight he’s put on and his lean muscle we expect more positive impacts in the game.” The 23-year-old has already won 11 caps for his country and Flanagan is confident Carter will come good for Wales. “He’s superb. Some of our best players are our younger players like Ben (Carter), like Ryan (Woodman) and Aneurin (Owen). “It’s great because we need to surround them with good leaders as well so they can learn off. Surprisingly or not surprisingly they are also some of our best players who have played this year.”
Scotland international died in horror accident Former Scotland international rugby star Greig Oliver was killed in a horrific paragliding accident after an instructor pilot showed a “total disregard” for his passenger's safety, an official report has said. The 58-year-old died in
South Africa while supporting his son Jack, 20, and the
Ireland under 20s squad last year. The dad-of-two decided to take a dare-devil trip to Cape Town to paraglide when tragedy struck on July 3 last year. The paraglider he was attached to collided into another flier and plunged down into the Atlantic Ocean. Oliver was recovered from the water after the crash but was pronounced dead at the scene. A damning Air Accident Investigation said the crash was "avoidable", The Daily Record report . The report found the 22-year-old South African pilot had put Oliver through a series of quick dynamic acrobatic turns the paragliding canopy was not designed for. The report was issued by the Accident and Incident Investigation Division of the SA Civil Aviation Authority and was published yesterday. The report found the instructor deployed the emergency parachute which inflated before they hit the water, and released his own harness and swam himself back to safety. He left stricken Oliver trapped in his harness unable to free himself and swamped with the weight of the chute and rigging under the water. The report read: "There was no evidence of the instructor retracting the wing or rescuing the student pilot or assisting him to unclip or release his seat safety buckle. The flight instructor unclipped himself from the seat harness and swam to the shore. However the student was caught between the rocks and could not free himself. “Additionally he was not in possession of a hook knife that would have enabled him to cut himself free from the suspension lines and wing fabric and he remained trapped." Take the Welsh rugby survey now and have your say Officials apologise for TMO gaffe The RFU's Professional Game Match Officials Team (PGMOT) has apologised for the incident that occurred during the Saracens v Harlequins game at the weekend which appeared to see the TMO dismiss a piece of foul play involving Owen Farrell. During the hosts crushing Premiership victory over Harlequins, TMO Stuart Terheege was caught on the mic discussing with referee Christopher Ridley why he didn't want to review an incident of foul play which involved former
England captain Farrell after he had been hit off the ball by Harlequins forward Stephan Lewies. Former England international Austin Healey, who was commentating for TNT Sports, picked up the incident during commentary. Terheege was heard saying on the mic: “The problem I have got now is that it looks like Austin has instigated it, because we’re late, so I don’t want to talk about it, OK?” An investigation was set to be launched by the RFU and PGMOT has now moved to clarify Terheege’s actions in a lengthy statement. “In relation to the act of foul play committed by Stephen Lewies against Owen Farrell, the TMO saw the initial contact off the ball,” the officiating group said. “He decided on the evidence that it was no more than a penalty advantage. As Saracens went onto score, that advantage was deemed to have been taken, so no further action was required. “In response to Stuart’s initial request for images the Director asked the TMO if he wanted to look again at the incident. The TMO declined, as he was confident in his original decision. At the same time, the TNT Sports commentary team also saw the replays and posed the question whether Lewies’ actions warranted a review. “TNT Sports’ audio directors can cut to the TMO if there is a moment when viewers would benefit from their insight in their decision-making. At this juncture, some of the conversation between the TMO and Match Director with regards to the replays requested and whether an official review was needed were broadcast ‘live’. “The conversation between TMO and Director that was broadcast ‘live’ was regrettable, they were not intended to be heard outside of the broadcast truck nor were they the reason for the foul play incident not being formally reviewed. “Terheege is disappointed that he allowed himself to be distracted with interactions with the broadcast team and did not communicate his decision to the on-field match officials. “The incident was an unusual and unfortunate occurrence. The PGMOT, Premiership Rugby and TNT Sports are working closely together to make sure this does not happen again. The three organisations enjoy a close and positive working relationship based on a mutually beneficial system that has worked for many years. All parties will continue to work hard to further refine and perfect systems to ensure player safety and high-quality rugby.” Skivington: Rees-Zammit confident of deal Gloucester boss George Skivington says he has kept in touch with Louis Rees-Zammit since his move Stateside and is keeping tabs on his progress. The Wales winger swapped rugby for
American Football earlier on this year and has just completed the 10-week International Player Pathway course with a view to hopefully securing a contract with a pro team ahead of the 2024/25 season in the US. The 23-year-old has been visiting teams in the last few days as a decision appears to inching closer. Skivington, whose side secured silverware last week by beating Leicester Tigers at Kingsholm, says he's been keeping in contact with his former player, adding he "seems pretty confident" of securing a deal. “I don’t follow anything in terms of
Social Media but I have messages with him and I know he is in a good spot and he feels good and obviously he is visiting different teams,” said Skivington . “He seems pretty confident he is going to get a contract of some sort, which I hope he does. I am looking forward to watching it from the sidelines if he does get on the field. Yeah, it’s very much direct contact how I’m keeping track of it. As I say, I’m hoping he goes on and we can all watch him doing some good stuff.”