These are your evening rugby headlines on Monday, February 24
Thirteen players leave Wales camp
Thirteen players are set to leave the Welsh camp this week and return to their club sides.
Under Six Nations regulations, Wales will not have any English or French-based players involved in camp this week, with nearly half of those who started against Ireland on Saturday part of that group.
READ MORE: Matt Sherratt changed three things behind the scenes to transform Wales
Forwards Nicky Smith, WillGriff John, Dafydd Jenkins, Tommy Reffell and backs Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe and Max Llewellyn were all part of the line-up at the weekend, with Jarrod Evans coming off the bench.
But all eight will be training on the other side of the bridge this week, together with Josh Hathaway, Freddie Thomas, Christ Tshiunza and Nick Tompkins, while Racing 92's Will Rowlands also won't be in camp.
Whether any Welsh-based players in the squad will also return to their clubs ahead of this weekend's URC games remains to be seen.
Barclay: Gatland got it wrong
Former Scotland star John Barclay says the speed with which Matt Sherratt was able to turn around Wales' performance suggests that former coach Warren Gatland "got it wrong".
After a dismal start to the Six Nations saw their record losing run continue, Wales looked a different team under Sherratt at the weekend as they pushed Ireland all the way, leading for much of the game before ultimately falling to defeat. It was a performance that saw pride restored in the Wales shirt, with a clear attacking identity finally visible and players throwing everything they had at the opposition.
The scale of the turnaround was discussed by Barclay and former Wales captain Sam Warburton on the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast, with the latter listing the quick fixes that he believes Sherratt was able to implement during the four training sessions he had with the squad before facing Ireland.
They included allowing Adam Jones more autonomy to pick his top scrummagers and best performing forwards, as well as playing a 9-10-12-13 combination who were in form and familiar with each other's game.
Giving his take on the situation, Barclay said that the fact those changes proved so effective showed that Gatland "got it wrong", rather than it being an issue with the players at his disposal.
"You can't say all of the stuff that Warby said there and then not say that Gats got it wrong, with selection, with how he's playing," said the former Scarlets man. "Because those small changes were made.
"The perception of the power was totally different," Barclay added as he reflected on the Ireland match. "We perceive [Wales] as though they don't have the big players who can get over the gainline, but you look at the stats against one of the best defences in the world and they're getting over the gainline.
"It is a bit chicken and egg - do you need big players who can get over the gainline and you have a strategy to support that structure, or do you have a structure that allows players that perhaps aren't the biggest to give you gainline? [But] you showed at the weekend that you can do that."
On the difference in Wales' performance under Gatland and Sherratt, Warburton added: "I've found it hard, it's been a very difficult position for me. It's not just Warren, any coach that loses 14 in a row, it's very hard to defend at this level.
"The turnaround has been incredible. I've been sat here and I said Wales don't have the calibre of the player that maybe other teams have, because that's what it's looked like on the pitch.
"Suddenly I'm watching games and I'm watching WillGriff John have a really effective carry, bounce off an Irish player, quick speed of ball, bang, Tom Rogers scores in the corner. I've never seen him do that before. There are players who just look like different players."
URC coach to depart
Benetton head coach Marco Bortolami will depart the URC club at the end of the season, it has been confirmed.
The 44-year-old's contract was originally set to run until the end of next June, but he will now leave a year earlier following a mutual decision between him and the club.
Bortolami joined the Italian side in 2016, working as an assistant coach under Kieran Crowley before stepping up to the top job in July 2021. Benetton are currently seventh in the URC table and chasing a play-off spot, while they are also through to the Champions Cup Round of 16.
A statement from the club on Monday read: “The decision was taken with the utmost agreement between the parties, considering this the most appropriate choice with a view to ensuring the best development of the club’s sporting project and at the same time offering the coach new opportunities for his professional career.”
Meanwhile, Bortolami said: “I thank the club as well as every athlete, staff member and, last but not least, all the employees who have given their best every day to achieve the important goals of these years.
I am thinking of the victory of the Rainbow Cup, the historic passages in the URC and European Cup and, above all, the prestigious access to the Champions Cup round of 16 that will see us engaged in a few weeks. Only the commitment and dedication of everyone have allowed the achievement of such ambitious results and for this I am grateful to everyone”
