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The 1-minute phone call that convinced Wales newcomer Sheedy to spurn England

By PA
(Photo by Bob Bradford/CameraSport via Getty Images)

Uncapped Bristol fly-half Callum Sheedy has been named in the Wales squad for their six-Test autumn schedule. Cardiff-born Sheedy, 24, also qualified for Ireland through his parents and England on residency, and he represented England in a non-cap game against the Barbarians last year.

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He has been a pivotal figure behind Bristol’s qualification for the Gallagher Premiership play-offs and European Challenge Cup final this season, starring alongside high-profile imports like Semi Radradra and Charles Piutau.

And Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has now handed Sheedy a first senior call-up, selecting him and his Bristol team-mate Ioan Lloyd among seven uncapped players in a 38-strong squad. Pivac said: “It was about a one-minute phone call in relation to eligibility.

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“He told me he was born in Cardiff, raised in Cardiff and he’s Welsh through and through, and I can tell by his accent. He was very, very keen to represent his country, and his country is Wales.

“We’ve had some well-documented injuries in the 10 position. Gareth (Anscombe) is out for a year, Rhys Patchell is just back from a long lay-off since the World Cup. He’s played about 13 minutes of rugby. So we are always looking at depth in that position. Callum has been playing well for Bristol, and we think he has a good all-round game. He has a big future in front of him.”

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Sheedy and Lloyd will be joined by fellow Test rookies Louis Rees-Zammit, Johnny Williams, Kieran Hardy, Sam Parry and Josh Macleod for the autumn programme. Wales face a friendly against France in Paris on October 24, followed by the delayed Guinness Six Nations appointment with Scotland seven days later, then four Autumn Nations Cup fixtures, including games against Ireland and England.

Ex-London Irish and Newcastle player Williams, who was born in Weston-super-Mare but whose father is from Rhyl, also featured for an England XV in the 2019 Barbarians match, scoring a try. Wales World Cup 2019 squad members Tomas Francis, Rhys Patchell and Jonathan Davies are all back after injury, but injuries sideline Rob Evans, Aaron Shingler, Tomos Williams, Owen Lane and Johnny McNicholl.

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Pivac said: “We are looking forward to getting back to international rugby and getting the squad together again. This campaign is hugely important looking to the future and long term to the (World Cup) in 2023. We kick off the campaign with a game against France, which will help prepare us for the rearranged Six Nations match versus Scotland, which is an important game and important we get a good performance from.

“We then go into the Autumn Nations Cup, which is an exciting tournament and a great opportunity for us. It is a chance for us to continue developing our game, give opportunities to players and test them at this level.”

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Soliloquin 2 hours ago
Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us

I don’t know the financial story behind the changes that were implemented, but I guess clubs started to lose money, Mourad Boudjellal won it all with Toulon, got tired and wanted to invest in football , the French national team was at its lowest with the QF humiliation in 2015 and the FFR needed to transform the model where no French talent could thrive. Interestingly enough, the JIFF rule came in during the 2009/2010 season, so before the Toulon dynasty, but it was only 40% of the players that to be from trained in French academies. But the crops came a few years later, when they passed it at the current level of 70%.

Again, I’m not a huge fan of under 18 players being scouted and signed. I’d rather have French clubs create sub-academies in French territories like Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia and other places that are culturally closer to RU and geographically closer to rugby lands. Mauvaka, Moefana, Taofifenua bros, Tolofua bros, Falatea - they all came to mainland after starting their rugby adventure back home.

They’re French, they come from economically struggling areas, and rugby can help locally, instead of lumping foreign talents.

And even though many national teams benefit from their players training and playing in France, there are cases where they could avoid trying to get them in the French national team (Tatafu).

In other cases, I feel less shame when the country doesn’t believe in the player like in Meafou’s case.

And there are players that never consider switching to the French national team like Niniashvili, Merckler or even Capuozzo, who is French and doesn’t really speak Italian.

We’ll see with Jacques Willis 🥲


But hey, it’s nothing new to Australia and NZ with PI!

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