Tonight's rugby news as Johnny Sexton reveals 'instant regret' and Jiffy makes Wales prediction
These are your rugby headlines on the evening of Monday, August 28.
Sexton's instant regret
Johnny Sexton says he instantly regretted the comments he made in the immediate aftermath of the Heineken Cup final earlier this year.
It took almost two months for Sexton to learn his fate for "confrontational and aggressive" behaviour towards referee Jaco Peyper in Dublin. The Ireland captain was eventually hit with a three-match ban for his behaviour.
He has now spoken about the incident and says he has held his hands up, adding it was an emotional day for him.
“Of course, yeah," he said when asked if he had regrets. "I held my hands up. I made a mistake in the heat of the moment. I was obviously very emotional on the day, not being part of what I had mapped out at the start of the year, which was playing my last game for Leinster in the Aviva, winning a European Cup.
“That’s what I dreamt of and then obviously to miss that, there was a lot of emotion that goes with it and in that split second, I went on [the pitch] to console my team-mates, I made a remark, and I regretted it instantly. You make mistakes, you say sorry, and hold your hands up.”
Jiffy: Wales and Fiji to progress
Wales rugby legend Jonathan Davies says he fancies Wales and Fiji to progress from their World Cup group.
Warren Gatland's men are in pool C along with the Pacific Islanders, Australia, Georgia and Portugal.
His prediction would see Australia bow out at the first hurdle, with Eddie Jones' side falling to a 41-17 defeat to France on Sunday night in their last warm-up match before the tournament starts in a fortnight.
Wales face Fiji in their first game on September 10 in Bordeaux.
"Fancy @WelshRugbyUnion and @fijirugby to get out of the group," Davies wrote on . Asked in which order, he responded to the question: "Wales 2nd."
Fiji have moved ahead of England in the new world rugby rankings after stunning Steve Borthwick's team at Twickenham on Saturday.
Farrell persuaded Earls to keep going
By Ed Elliot, PA, Dublin
Ireland boss Andy Farrell has revealed he persuaded World Cup-bound wing Keith Earls not to retire. Munster veteran Earls is preparing for his fourth trip to rugby's leading tournament after being named in Ireland's 33-man squad for France ahead of Ulster's Jacob Stockdale.
The 35-year-old celebrated his 100th cap by coming off the bench to claim his 36th Test try in the 29-10 Dublin win over England earlier this month.
Earls wrote in his 2021 autobiography that he came close to calling it a day with immediate effect the previous year amid breathing difficulties caused by restricted lung capacity.
According to Farrell, Ireland's second-highest try scorer, behind Brian O'Driscoll, was again considering hanging up his boots last year.
Asked which of his squad members made up the most ground to secure a place on the plane, the head coach name checked the likes of tournament debutants Jack Crowley and Joe McCarthy before mentioning Earls.
"I had a conversation 18 months ago to try to stop him from retiring," said Farrell.
"He's certainly come through the other side. He's been outstanding over the last nine weeks as regards giving to the squad his whole self, his experience but at the same time being as fit and excited as I've ever seen him."
Earls went more than a year without international action following Ireland's 2022 tour success in New Zealand amid injury problems before lining up against Italy at the start of the month.
He withdrew ahead of Saturday evening's 17-13 warm-up win over Samoa in Bayonne due to a "niggle" but is now preparing for Ireland's World Cup opener against Romania on September 9.
