Ospreys have confirmed the signing of Super Rugby back-liner Marty McKenzie until the end of the 2019/20 season.

The 27-year-old, who can play at fly-half or full-back has played for Super Rugby franchises the Blues, the Crusaders and most recently the Chiefs, but failed to be handed a new deal for the 2020 season and has taken the opportunity to come overseas to play. 

Ospreys general manager Dan Griffiths is delighted to have signed a player of McKenzie’s quality and confirmed he will take the place of the injured Gareth Anscombe. 

“It was disappointing to lose Gareth, but our focus was to bring the right quality of player into the squad for the remainder of the season,” Ospreys general manager Dan Griffiths said in a statement. It’s been a challenging start with World Cup representation and a series of injuries having a significant impact, particularly to backline resources. With the addition of Marty we have recruited a player who has been a regular feature for the Chiefs in Super Rugby, playing with and against some of the world’s top players on a weekly basis. He will bring experience, creativity and a fresh perspective on and off the field. We are looking forward to seeing him in an Ospreys jersey,” he said. 

McKenzie is the older brother of All Blacks ace Damien, who has been suffering from a ruptured ACL since April, the same injury Anscombe picked up ahead of the World Cup. 

The Ospreys have also secured the signings of South African pair Marvin Orie and Shaun Venter and will be hoping that the addition of McKenzie will take them up the PRO14 table, where they currently sit in second-last in Conference A. 

However, they must turn their attention to the European stage once again this weekend as they prepare to take on Saracens in the Champions Cup.

Glasgow Warriors have announced that Danny Wilson will replace Dave Rennie as head coach come the end of the current season.

It was confirmed last night that Rennie will leave the Scottish giants at the end of the season to take up the role as Australian head coach, after Michael Cheika left the role following their Rugby World Cup exit. 

However, the PRO14 outfit have moved swiftly to fill the vacancy with current Scotland assistant coach Wilson set to take the reins once the season concludes. 

The 43-year-old forwards coach is delighted to be given the opportunity to work with the Warriors. 

“The opportunity to coach such an attractive club as Glasgow Warriors was too good to miss. I’ve been extremely impressed with the Scottish system in recent years and I’m looking forward to working with an exciting and talented squad of players at Warriors. I want to build on the high-tempo style of play that I know the fans love and pay to see week in, week out. The club has been challenging at the top end of the Guinness PRO14 on a regular basis and as a coach, it is that type of environment and culture you want to be involved in,” he said. 

Wilson comes into the role with a wealth of experience already to his name having coached the Cardiff Blues to a European Challenge Cup crown during a three-year stint, as well as roles with the Scarlets, the Dragons and with Wales’ U20 team, before his move to the Scottish national side. 

Speaking on the appointment Scottish Rugby chief executive Mark Dodson believes that Wilson’s prior experiences will help him in his new role. 

“We’re very pleased Danny has accepted this important role at Glasgow Warriors as it retains an excellent coach within the Scottish professional game. Danny has worked hard to develop Scotland’s set-piece into a real area of strength and his technical expertise, aligned with his working knowledge of many of the Warriors’ players, will be key to maintain the club’s progression in the coming years. He has a depth of experience from previous roles with PRO14 teams and we feel this, alongside his recent international coaching, makes him the right person for the club at this time. I’d like to thank Danny for his contribution to the Scotland team and wish him well as we continue our ambitious plans to make both Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh as competitive and successful as possible in their respective competitions,” he said. 

Wilson will continue to work with the national side through their upcoming Six Nations campaign as they look to put a disappointing World Cup behind them, before he moves on to his new position with the Warriors. 

EPCR have just released the below statement.

Saracens have accepted that they breached the 2019/20 Heineken Champions Cup Participation Agreement by not making the required club representatives available for a key EPCR promotional event.

On Wednesday, 6 November 2019, Saracens’ Director of Rugby, Mark McCall, and captain, Brad Barritt, did not attend the official Season Launch of the 2019/20 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup for Premiership and PRO14 clubs which was being staged at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

Having previously indicated that they would be represented at the event, Saracens’ failure to attend constituted a breach of the 2019/20 Heineken Champions Cup Media Rules, and compromised EPCR’s ability to deliver the rights contracted to its broadcast, commercial and media partners.

In light of this breach of its rules, EPCR has decided to impose a fine on Saracens which has been paid by the club, and the sum of which will remain undisclosed.

EPCR appreciates the subsequent efforts made by Saracens to grant rights-holding broadcasters special interview access to members of their Heineken Champions Cup squad in the week before the start of the tournament.

Statement ends.