Here are your rugby headlines for Friday, December 1.
Wales rugby stars carry coffin as giant of Welsh rugby is laid to rest
Alun Wyn Jones, George North, Sam Warburton, Ken Owens, Robert Howley and Robin McBryde were the pallbearers as Former Welsh Rugby Union president and secretary Dennis Gethin was laid to rest on Thursday.
Gethin held the role of WRU president from 2007 to 2019, having previously been WRU secretary between 1998 and 2002.
Hundreds of mourners paid tribute at Thornhill Crematorium at a service led by Dr Barry Morgan, the former Archbishop of Wales.
Mourners clapped as his widow Jan said: "Nos da my lovely boy, I love you cariad."
Farrell could miss entire year after 'shameful' treatment
Owen Farrell could miss an entire year with England following his decision to step away from Test rugby to focus on his and his family's well-being.
The England captain made the announcement on Wednesday that he wouldn't take part in the Six Nations, but it's reported that his time away from the international game could extend to longer than just the one tournament.
The Telegraph report that he is "almost certain" to miss next summer's tour of Japan and New Zealand, while there are "serious doubts" over his involvement in the autumn internationals. The news comes as his club boss, Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall, slammed the "shameful" treatment of the fly-half.
“His happiness and well-being is paramount,” said McCall. “If that, in time, involves returning to the international fold then so be it. He has nothing to prove. All those caps, being captain, wasn’t enough for some people.
“If he wants to go back after a break and it’s something that he enjoys and loves, then good for him. If he doesn’t want to in six, eight months’ time then we’ll support that, too.
“Certainly, I didn’t try to persuade him to change his decision – and I’m pretty sure that Steve Borthwick didn’t, either.
“I can’t tell you why he feels the way he feels. His happiness – and his family’s – is the most important thing going forward. And he’ll have the club’s full support going forward as always.
“We need to make sure that we’re checking in all the time with him. Like Steve [Borthwick] said yesterday, it was courageous and brave of him to open up. I admire Owen for many reasons anyway, but even more for doing this.
“The person that is portrayed and has been portrayed from time to time in the media down the years is not the person that I recognise. There was a narrative created and started and that’s been there for quite some time. There’s only so much that someone can take.
“It’s remarkable that he played the way he played during the World Cup, if we take into account how he’s feeling. A person who is right on top of his game at the moment, yet he and his family have been made to feel the way they feel. It is shameful.”
He added: “Rugby probably needs to do something. This is a wake-up call for all concerned because there’s no way that a referee should face what Wayne faced and there’s no way that a player – a person – like Owen should have to face what he faced, over a longer period of time.
“It wasn’t the emotional toll of playing a lot that created this - it was something completely different.
“Social media we have zero control over. For me, this began in the mainstream media – not from everybody – and the narrative that was created around Owen. And then there was a pile-on on social media. There are some in the media industry who need to look at themselves.
“Down the years he has been made to feel that he has done something much worse than he has done. Every single thing that has been picked up on and scrutinised – that doesn’t happen with other players.
“You might say ‘he’s the England captain’, but I’m not sure that England captains have faced the level of scrutiny that he has. Very rarely is it positive and we’re talking about someone who is a model professional, who cares deeply about what he does and who he does it with.
“He has been portrayed in a way that doesn’t fit the person that people close to him know. We’ve ended up where we’ve ended up.”
READ MORE: The prospects George North is backing for big Wales futures and the one who is 'incredible'
Wales hooker joins Harlequins after collapse of Worcester
Welsh international Carys Phillips has signed for Harlequins Women after the collapse of her former club Worcester Warriors Women. The former Wales captain was among several internationals left without a club after Worcester's collapse.
Phillips said: "I'm really looking forward to getting started with the team and playing my rugby in London."
Harlequins forwards coach Steve Halsey added: "We're really pleased to sign a player of Carys' quality and experience," he said. "She'll be an excellent addition to the squad."
