Tonight's rugby news as Gatland meets his new recruits and Wales legend dies

These are your evening rugby headlines on Thursday, June 13.

Wales legend dies

Wales great Courtenay Meredith has died at the age of 97.

The former Neath prop was one of the greatest tightheads in the world during the 1950s and was the last surviving player from the famous Wales side that beat New Zealand in 1953.

Renowned for his brutally powerful scrummaging, he formed the cornerstone of the British & Irish Lions pack that drew the Test series with South Africa in 1955, playing all four Tests against the Springboks alongside fellow Welshmen Bryn Meredith and Billy Williams. An all-Welsh front row wasn't seen on a Lions tour again until 2009.

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Nicknamed 'Iron Man', he was one of the toughest men to ever represent Wales, which he did on 14 occasions. That 1955 tour saw him prove his hardman credentials as he played on for the majority of the match despite having bit through his tongue, which was profusely bleeding and required a number of stitches after the game.

The WRU today announced that Meredith had passed away on May 30th. At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving Welsh international and the second oldest Lion after 1950 tourist Mick Lane.

Remembering his former clubmate, ex-Wales and Neath head coach Ron Waldron said: "He had it all, and he knew how to use it. He was a terrific scrummager and, in the phrase of the time, a vigorous forward.

"He trained very hard and was pretty mobile, as well as being useful in the lineout. I was glad he was on my side – he could be murder in training.”

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Gatland meets his new recruits

Warren Gatland has met with his newest Wales call-ups as they get to work ahead of their clash with South Africa next weekend.

The squad met at their Vale training base this morning as the new recruits went through the formalities of having their squad photos taken.

Gatland has named five uncapped players in his summer squad, with Scarlets star Eddie James joining Ellis Bevan, Jacob Beetham, Keelan Giles and Josh Hathaway in the group. The likes of Matthew Screech and Ben Thomas have one and two caps for Wales respectively, with their last appearances coming in 2021.

The WRU shared footage of the new call-ups getting used to their jerseys during their photocall, with the hard work getting underway ahead of the clash at Twickenham next Saturday.

Alfie backs Hathaway to shine

Former Wales captain Gareth Thomas has backed Josh Hathaway to stake a claim for a starting spot in Warren Gatland's team this summer.

The Gloucester back is one of six uncapped players called into the squad for the clashes with South Africa and Australia, following a breakout season for the 21-year-old which saw him score five tries in the Gallagher Premiership..

Following the departure of Louis Rees-Zammit at the start of the year, a door has been opened for Hathaway - who has represented both England and Wales at youth level - and Thomas has tipped him to make a lasting impression on Gatland.

“Since Rees-Zammit has gone, that spot hasn’t been filled,” he said. “The great thing about when you are relatively unknown, you have opportunities to do things and showcase your talent - that you don’t get when teams are very aware of what you are capable of.

“He has played for Gloucester, but because he has come under the radar, internationally teams won’t be aware of him. It gives him a great opportunity to showcase the talent he does have. The question is if he uses this opportunity to stake a claim to keep that jersey, rather than just having it until someone else comes along that we give a try to.”

The Wales centurion's comments came after completing the Royal Windsor Triathlon for his charity, Tackle HIV, with the 49-year-old taking on the Olympic distance event alongside Olympian Perri Shakes-Drayton and broadcaster Jenni Falconer.

Thomas, who has campaigned tirelessly to tackle the stigma around HIV since disclosing his status in 2019, added: “It was important for us to do this because we have got to a place now where we want to take the message around HIV and the realisation that it doesn’t limit what you are capable of physically to mentally."

Gareth Thomas and six Tackle HIV relay teams are undertaking the Royal Windsor Triathlon to demonstrate that living with HIV need not be a barrier to achieving anything, and to raise funds for Terrence Higgins Trust. Tackle HIV is a campaign led by Gareth Thomas in partnership with ViiV Healthcare and Terrence Higgins Trust and aims to tackle the stigma and misunderstanding around HIV. For more information visit tacklehiv.org and follow @tacklehiv

Obano banned after England blow

By Duncan Bech, PA England Rugby Correspondent

Beno Obano has received a four-match ban for his dangerous tackle in Bath's defeat by Northampton in the Gallagher Premiership final.

Obano was sent off 21 minutes into Saturday's Twickenham showdown after making contact with the head of Saints number eight Juarno Augustus. The England prop argued at his disciplinary hearing that while the challenge was foul play, it was not a red-card offence.

However, the committee deemed it a sending off and issued a four-game suspension that will be reduced to three if Obano completes World Rugby's coaching intervention programme, otherwise known as 'tackle school'. The matches affected by the suspension have yet to be confirmed due to his dismissal taking place on the final weekend of the season.

Bath rallied courageously in response to Obano's exit and even led 21-18 until the 72nd minute, only for a converted Alex Mitchell try to register a 25-21 loss. The suspension cost Obano consideration for a place on England's summer tour to Japan and New Zealand, which departed for Tokyo on Wednesday, due to his potential unavailability for the upcoming Tests.

He had been earmarked for the standby list according to head coach Steve Borthwick, but the length of the ban has scuppered the possibility of him being called up in the event of injury to travelling looseheads Joe Marler, Bevan Rodd and Fin Baxter.

"From both a medical and a disciplinary point of view, I wanted to make sure this selection was one that was definitive," Borthwick said at Monday's squad announcement. "The squad meets this afternoon, we train tomorrow morning and then we fly Wednesday morning. This is a squad that is going to come together in a couple of hours, so I want to make sure we can start our preparation then."