TODAY'S RUGBY NEWS AS HIGHLY-RATED COACH JOINS REGION AND GEORGE NORTH ISSUES INJURY UPDATE

These are your rugby headlines on Saturday, May 4.

Highly-rated coach joins region

Cardiff Rugby have announced that Jonny Goodridge will join the region as an assistant coach ahead of the 2024/25 season.

The former Gloucester and Bristol full-back will take up the position of assistant attack / skills coach at Arms Park following the departure of Richie Rees. He previously worked within the academy at Bristol Bears, and as a coach at Christ College Brecon and Hartpury College, before spending two and a half years as Transition Attack Coach at Worcester Warriors, where he worked closely with Matt Sherratt.

Having returned to Hartpury following the Warriors' demise, Goodridge will now be reunited with Sherratt, with the highly-rated coach expected to help develop emerging youngsters in the capital as well as improve the side's attacking game.

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“Jonny is an excellent coach," said Sherratt. "He has a great work ethic, a thirst for detail and makes great relationships with players.Our goal at Cardiff is to run a programme where players feel they get individual development and this is all the more important now with such a young squad.

“[His] skill development work is excellent having worked with young players such as Finn Smith, Ollie Lawrence and Louis Rees-Zammit. Jonny has had Premiership experience and has also done a long apprenticeship coaching in academies and in the Championship. It is a great fit to acquire a coach who lives in Cardiff, and is looking to take his career to the next level.”

Goodridge, who will link up with the club for the start of pre-season, said: "The opportunity to coach at a huge club, with a squad full of young talent and current internationals, is something I am really excited about. It is a new environment and exciting league to test my coaching.

“I have actually lived in and around Cardiff since 2011, so to coach what I already know is a fantastic club is brilliant and I am hoping to add to and enhance the coaching group and environment at the Arms Park. I am particularly excited about all of the potential there is within the squad and the brand of rugby they have been playing. Working together, we can really push on the development of this group," he added.

“I have also been lucky enough to be coached by Matt Sherratt, while I was playing at Bristol, and to work with him as a coach at Worcester. We have similar views on how the game can be played and the importance of skill development within that. I really enjoyed my time working with him at Sixways and I’m really looking forward to linking up with him again, as well as the rest of the coaching staff and such a talented squad.”

North issues injury update

George North has issued a significant update as he recovers from the injury that ended his Ospreys career.

The centre ruptured his Achilles in the closing moments of his Wales career, as he was forced off with two minutes remaining in his side's Six Nations defeat to Italy in March, in which he won his 121st and final cap.

Given the nature of his injury, the next time North will play will be for French side Provence as he leaves Wales for the Pro D2 next season.

Since undergoing surgery, he has shared parts of his recovery journey online and in his latest update, revealed he was close to being able to walk without a protective boot again.

"Boot update," he wrote on X. "Positive appointment with surgeon, new flatter heel. Can start rehabbing in trainers, phase out the boot and crutches over two weeks, then I’ll be on my own two feet."

Coach hopes for Tshiunza return

Cardiff academy boss Gruff Rees says he hopes to see Wales international Christ Tshiunza return to the region some day.

After moving to Wales in 2010, Tshiunza turned out for Rhiwbina RFC while attending Whitchurch High School, while he trod the Cardiff pathway with their under-16 and under-18 sides.

The lock soon attracted interest from English clubs and in a desperate bid to keep him in the capital, he was offered the biggest academy contract in the club's history. However, he turned it down, signing for Exeter Chiefs in 2019 at the age of 17.

Reflecting on Welsh talent lost to England, including Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Rees admitted it was tough to lose Tshiunza having gone "above and beyond" to keep him at Cardiff. However, he is hopeful that the 10-cap international will return to the region one day.

“I guess it’s about picking out the ones who are there and offering them the absolute maximum in terms of your staff and support to help get them through," said Rees as he spoke about talent ID at Cardiff. "We like to think we offer a service to every youngster involved in our set-up.

“Christ Tshiunza was with our under-18s and we did our utmost to try to keep him, going over and above financially, but Exeter University appealed to him. We lost out there, but he’s someone with a huge affinity for Cardiff and we’re hoping he’ll come back at some point.”

Young Welsh captain signs Scarlets deal

Scarlets U18s captain Tiaan Sparrow has been awarded a Senior Academy contract with the region for next season.

Flanker Sparrow has been a standout performer this season, producing a string of player-of-the-match performances as his side lifted the Regional Age Grade Championship under his leadership.

The 18-year-old Coleg Sir Gâr student was named Players’ Player and Coaches’ Player of the Year at the Scarlets U18s awards last weekend and has been compared to Justin Tipuric by Head of Academy Scott Sneddon.

“Tiaan is a player we are all excited about here at the Scarlets," said Sneddon. "He is a dynamic, back-row forward with a great skillset and fantastic work ethic and he showed during the RAG campaign his maturity as a leader.

“There is a hugely talented group of U18s players coming through our pathway which augurs well for the Scarlets future and Tiaan is the first of a number of that championship-winning Academy squad who will be progressing to development contracts.”

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