Your rugby evening headlines on Saturday, April 13.
Giant Tshiunza stacks on weight to give Gatland options
Wales forward Christ Tshiunza has revealed he's put on a stone in a move which will make him capable of covering the second-row for Warren Gatland.
The 22-year-old is a backrower by trade but has gone up to 18 and a half stone in order to be able to make more of an impact if called upon to play at lock. Tshiunza missed the Six Nations with a broken foot but has recently returned to action for Exeter Chiefs playing a crucial role in the Devonshire clubs Investec Champions Cup round of 16 victory over Bath last weekend.
"I see myself as a back-row/second-row hybrid," Tshiunza told The Telegraph. He went on to say his previous weight limited his selection options while claiming his recovery from injury was an opportunity to work on himself.
"I learnt a couple of good life lessons, how to handle things not going your way."
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Wales endured a torrid Six Nations campaign finished with a first Wooden Spoon for 21 years.
Despite the disappointment of the past couple of months Tshiunza is confident they have the potential to bounce back. “It looked like we weren’t quite ready on the weekend (against Italy), but I actually thought in terms of training standards and how everything was run, the boys were training really well and were very enthusiastic, really wanted to win and perform for their country,” he said.
“There was good morale, a young team with good vibes around the place. I guess that probably softened the blow.”
Wales internationals play a part in Champions Cup classic
Wales internationals Dillon Lewis and Jarrod Evans played a part in a Champions Cup classic as Harlequins stunned Bordeaux 42-41 to secure a semi-final spot. The Welsh duo both came off the bench to see out a famous victory.
This was undoubtedly one of the greatest games in the competition's 28-year history as Harlequins defied the odds in thrilling fashion to upset the much-fancied Bordeaux. In a 12-try thriller, Harlequins came out of the blocks quickly as Andre Esterhuizen put Will Porter over for the opening score before the visitors were awarded a penalty try.
France international Maxime Lucu hit back with a try of his own for the hosts, before Romain Buros powered over from short range. Harlequins replied with one of the tries of the tournament when former Cardiff Met student Alex Dombrandt burst clear before offloading to Porter who chipped over the top of the Bordeaux defence to score.
Will Evans gave the visitors a 28-12 lead at the interval after burrowing over for his side's fourth try off the back of a well-worked driving lineout. Bordeaux began the second-half like a house on fire and a sensational finish from Nicolas Depoortere brought them back into the game.
Lucu made it a one score game with a penalty before Dombrandt crashed over from another driving lineout for Harlequins' fifth try. But the hosts scored immediately from the restart with France wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey racing clear.
Bordeaux took the lead for the first time in the game with a try from South African wing Madosh Tambwe but the lead changed hands once against as Harlequins full-back Tyrone Green finished a tremendous team try. Harlequins looked set to get their hearts broken when Tambwe crossed for a try with three minutes remaining but Lucu missed a straightforward conversion to send the English club into their first ever Champions Cup semi-final.
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Wales star ponders move to England
Mason Grady is still weighing up a move to England with Exeter Chiefs interesting in acquiring his services.
According to RugbyPass, Grady has not yet signed a contract with Cardiff and is wanted by a host of English Premiership clubs with Exeter Chiefs leading the charge. The 22-year-old has won 11 caps for his country meaning if he was to sign for an English club he would make himself ineligible for Wales selection.
But Cardiff are desperately trying to hold on to one of their most prized assets and Wales boss Warren Gatland will not want to lose the powerhouse wing or centre who is considered one of the brightest prospects in Britain and Ireland.
