Tonight's rugby news as Leigh Halfpenny proves an instant hit and Wallabies hit back over Lions claims
Here are your rugby evening headlines for Saturday 28 September.
Halfpenny proves instant hit
Leigh Halfpenny has proved an instant hit at Harlequins, crossing for his first try for the club.
Having kicked a handful of penalties on his competitive debut against Sale Sharks last week, Halfpenny went on better against Newcastle Falcons on Saturday.
After a mazy run from Cassius Cleaves, the Wales full-back was on hand to take the offload and get over the whitewash for his first try in the Gallagher Premiership.
The three-time Lions tourist has joined the English club after a season with the Crusaders in New Zealand, having called time on his Test career last year.
Halfpenny's score helped his new club on their way to a 28-14 over Newcastle.
Wallabies coach insists they'll provide test for Lions
Australia coach Joe Schmidt believes they can “potentially be competitive” against the British and Irish Lions next year.
The Wallabies have slumped to 10th in the world rankings on the back of five defeats in six Rugby Championship matches as they finished last in the tournament, leading some to claim the Lions tour next year will be something of a walkover.
Their next four fixtures see them face each of the home nations this autumn - having already beaten Wales twice this year.
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“We’ll get a good look at their personnel,” said Schmidt, who has previously coached Ireland. “I know them well and I know how good they are.
“It’s a bit like when we come up against the All Blacks, you know it’s going to be a really tough tour.
“But if we can keep building through that tour, then I think we put ourselves in position of potentially being competitive next July [against the Lions].”
Wales coach disappointed after decent start goes awry
Wales women's coach Ioan Cunningham says he was disappointed after his side failed to back up their historic win over Australia last week when the two sides met again in Cape Town on Saturday.
Having beaten the Wallaroos last week in Newport, they began their WXV2 campaign against the same opposition in South Africa. But, despite trailing just 10-5 at half-time, four unanswered tries in the second-half condemned them to a 37-5 defeat.
“It’s very disappointing, but we started really well," said Cunningham.
"We weren’t quite accurate when we got opportunities in Australia’s 22. That’s something we’ve got to be better at next week.
"We’ve got to look at how physical we can be against a great Wallaroos team. Fair play to them, they put us away today, especially in that second half."
Dragons rue missed chances in Dublin defeat
Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan said his side were ruing missed chances after falling to a one-sided defeat against Leinster in Dublin.
Even with the last-gasp victory over the Ospreys last week, few would have expected the Gwent side to come away from the Aviva Stadium with anything - but the Dragons were right in the fight during a competitive first-half, being just four points down at the break.
However, that was as good as it got, with Leinster turning the screw on the way to a 34-6 win.
“It was missed opportunities,” said Flanagan. “We probably had three chances to score tries and we didn’t. That is how you build pressure on a team like Leinster.
“I thought they defended well, you’ve got to work hard to get across that line, and when we did we have to be more accurate, but I can’t fault the effort.
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“Second half they arguably turned the screw a little bit, they went a bit more direct, and we couldn’t find an answer in that moment.
“We worked hard, but how we change momentum in games is a big learning for us. Our collisions are improving; our effort is improving. It was tough for us with a six-day turnaround too, but only hard work will help us close the gap.
“We’re not going to give up, and as I said we are one pass away three times from changing the direction of the game. If you come out here and don’t take them, it is tough.
“It’s about being brave now with our skillset. When you get opportunities you feel pressure – we need to start looking forward to pressure, and thrive in it. That is a challenge for us now, but we will get there.”