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No Welsh return for Lions No.8 Faletau

Wales back row Taulupe Faletau (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

There will be no dramatic return to Welsh rugby for Taulupe Faletau it seems, with reports the Lions No.8 is set to ink new terms with Bath.

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WalesOnline and Somerset Live both claim that Faletau is set to sign a two-year contract to stay at The Rec, the club he has called his home since 2016. The news dashes hopes of a Faletau return to a Welsh region.

There was no mention of the British and Irish Lions forward in a squad update back in June, leading many to presume the club were yet to agree terms with the Tongan born star. He was then linked to Beziers in the ProD2, who had been on verge of being bought out by UAE investors. That deal has since fallen through.  In any event, specialist No.8 Alex Tulou had already agreed terms with the French club, suggesting Faletau negotiations were more ‘paper talk’ than anything of real significance.

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The latter part of Faletau’s career has been marked by a seemingly never-ending bid to remain fit. A collarbone injury forced the forward to miss the Rugby World Cup in Japan. While he’s managed 76 caps for Wales, struggles with injuries have cost him in recent years.

In January he admitted he thought his Test career might be over following his most recent injury set-back.

“There was a lot that went on in that time, and I am just glad to be back in the fold,” said Faletau in the lead up to Wales’ Six Nations clash with Italy in Cardiff.  “My first game back (for Bath) it was like having my first run-out for the Dragons – it had been that long.

“I was definitely nervous. At one point you wonder if you can still play rugby. I am just glad to be out there playing.”

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“It has been a tough period in my career, and with the management I’ve had I have known how to deal with those situations.”

“I hadn’t played any rugby (following a previous injury) and that made it tougher as I thought I would be available to play some of the friendly games before the World Cup to see if I could have a chance to put my hand up.”

 

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

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