Wallabies second-row Matt Philip will make his long-awaited return to action for the Melbourne Rebels when they face the Highlanders in Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific clash in Dunedin.

Philip has been sidelined since last October with an ACL injury which he sustained while on duty with Australia.

Injured during Wallabies training

The 29-year-old sustained the injury during a training session shortly before the Wallabies were due to depart from Australia for their end-of-year tour to Europe.

His return to action is a major boost for the Rebels as he will provide the team with plenty of leadership, and he will also strengthen their lineout and ball-carrying capabilities.

Philip‘s return is one of four alterations to the Rebels’ run-on side after last weekend’s defeat to the Waratahs in Sydney.

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He comes in for Trevor Hosea in the second-row, while Reece Hodge shifts from outside centre to fly-half, where he replaces the injured Carter Gordon, with Lukas Ripley now starting at 13 alongside Stacey Ili, who takes over from David Feliuai at 12.

Speaking to the media earlier this week, wing Lachie Anderson said the Rebels are excited to take on the Highlanders in this crucial trans-Tasman encounter.

“We’ve reviewed hard and taken our learnings from last week, so there’s a real good feeling in the group, and we had a great training session on Tuesday, so we’re looking ahead to the Highlanders with excitement,” said Anderson.

“We’re playing a really great attacking style of rugby this year, and we’re really enjoying that.

“We’re just looking to the Highlanders this week, and we’re going there to win, and that’s what the group is excited about and focused on.”

Momentous match for Reece Hodge

It will be a momentous match for Hodge as he will become the Rebels’ most-capped player when he runs out to make his 98th Super Rugby appearance for the Melbourne-based outfit.

The 28-year-old has become a Rebels stalwart since making his debut against the Western Force in Perth in 2016.

Hodge has scored 547 points over eight-seasons with the Rebels and has made 62 Test appearances for the Wallabies.

The Rebels have won three of the last four Super Rugby matches between these teams and will be returning to Dunedin for the first time since 2020’s exciting 28-22 triumph over the Highlanders.

Melbourne Rebels: 15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Lachlan Anderson, 13 Lukas Ripley, 12 Stacey Ili, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Reece Hodge, 9 Ryan Louwrens, 8 Richard Hardwick, 7 Brad Wilkin (c), 6 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 5 Matt Philip, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Sam Talakai, 2 Alex Mafi, 1 Matt Gibbon
Replacements: 16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Isaac Aedo Kailea, 18 Pone Fa’amausili, 19 Trevor Hosea, 20 Tamati Ioane, 21 James Tuttle, 22 Nick Jooste, 23 Joe Pincus

Date: Saturday, May 20
Venue: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Kick-off: 16:35 local (05:05 BST, 04:05 GMT)
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Dan Waenga (New Zealand), Mike Winter (New Zealand)
TMO: tbc

Jamison Gibson-Park admits that the agonising Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle last season has spurred on Leinster this campaign.

Last year, replacement scrum-half Arthur Retiere scored a last-gasp try in Marseille to secure La Rochelle’s maiden Champions Cup title, denying Leo Cullen’s side their fifth.

Last hurdle

Speaking ahead of the final, Gibson-Park concedes the disappointment of the dramatic climax at Stade Velodrome was a bitter pill to swallow but that the loss has spurred Leinster on this season.

“It’s one of those things that’s mentioned all the time with great teams over the years, the way they use defeats and having it spur you on for the next year,” the scrum-half said.

“There’s probably no doubt that it has for us in getting to this point.

“When you work with a collective group to try and get somewhere, and you fall at the last hurdle, it’s hard, especially when it’s like that, a few minutes from the end of the game.

“It’s tough moments in the dressing room and on the pitch afterwards.

“You live for those moments where you get to lift trophies, and you enjoy those moments in the dressing room with your brothers.

“But the sombre feelings after a defeat stick with you as well.”

“Big carrot” Aviva Stadium

This season’s showpiece event at the Aviva Stadium gives Leinster a shot at redemption, this time in front of their home fans.

Gibson-Park adds that the prospect of securing the title at a sold-out Aviva Stadium has been a motivating factor throughout the campaign.

“Last year was obviously tough, having to go away to France and play a French team,” said the 31-year-old.

“The La Rochelle fans were out in force that day, like they always are, so I’m sure there will be a few of them that show up to the Aviva Stadium, no doubt.

“It was a pretty big carrot for us at the start of the year, the fact it was going to be here in the Aviva.

“We’re looking forward to it; we’ve got the chance to be in front of our friends and family and hopefully a few home supporters.”

Leinster adjusting to life without Sexton

Leinster captain Johnny Sexton has been ruled out of the final after sustaining a groin injury during Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam. His absence means that Ross Byrne is now set to start alongside Gibson-Park in the half-back position from the start after coming off the bench in last season’s showpiece.

While admitting that Leinster will miss Sexton, the scrum-half says there is little adjustment needed for Byrne.

“Ross has played all of our games this year in the Champions Cup, so I suppose we’ve adjusted a little bit to life without him (Sexton),” said Gibson-Park.

“He’s been such a big part of Leinster over the last, however long it is, and he’s an unbelievable player, so we miss him massively.

“But I think Ross has done a pretty good job up until this point.”

READ MORE: Caelan Doris: Ireland forward claims top Irish award after ‘phenomenal’ season

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Ligue 1 side Rennes are in negotiations with Turkish giants Galatasaray to sign 26-year-old Belgian right-back Luis Pedro Cavanda, according to RMC.

SRFC have already reach an agreement with the player and they are now negotiating an option to buy in an eventual loan deal with Galatasaray.

Rennes are hopeful of wrapping this deal up for next week.

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Reims left back Atila Turan has returned home to Turkey to sign for Kayserispor following the expiration of his previous contract.

The 25-year-old let his contract at the Ligue 2 club run down after spending four years at Reims, and will join his new club on a deal until 2020 in the Turkish First Division.

Turan played 15 Ligue 2 games this season as Reims missed out on an instant return back to Ligue 1, but the Turkish U21 international will not be staying around in the fight for promotion.

T.S.

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Newly appointed Rugby Australia president Joe Roff feels like a “dam is about to burst” with Eddie Jones at the helm of the Wallabies.

The Wallabies great believes that under Jones the side can grow into a formidable side – one with a psychological edge to their game.

Jones has five Tests to align the stars in the Wallabies camp before the two-time winners descend on France for another crack at the World Cup.

Jones can provide winning edge

Roff feels there is talent in the Australian ranks, but the side lacks a winning mentality, something Jones could well develop during his time in the hot seat.

“The psychology and the one per cent wins is something that in my early days playing for the Wallabies we didn’t quite have but we learnt that and we built that as a team,” Roff told AAP.

“Eddie will bring that edge, that psychological edge to the game.

“We know that playing against the Pumas, he’s coaching against his old friend Michael Cheika and let’s hope the acoustics in the respective coaches’ boxes are strong because there will be plenty of noise and rivalry between those two old friends and foes.

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“And this is what Eddie is great at. He’s never backward in putting a strong and confident step forward and players will feel that and it will rub off on them.

“There’s no question about the talent that is in this team and it’s about building the combinations and the winning momentum and so these Test matches early on are going to be an exciting opportunity to get that momentum started.”

Golden era loading?

Roff was a member of one of the greatest Australian sides that won the World Cup in 1999 and one of the few to hold the Bledisloe Cup – a trophy the Wallabies have not won since 2002.

With the World Cup later this year, the British & Irish Lions tour in 2025 and hosting the 2027 World Cup, Roff underlined the “strong national agenda” to get back to winning ways.

“I had the great honour of being in the change room when we held the Bledisloe Cup and when we held the Rugby World Cup and I feel like it’s a dam that’s about to burst,” Roff said.

“Not only with the fact that we have the Rugby World Cup and we’ve always performed well in the northern hemisphere.

“We have the Lions coming (in 2025) and we have a home World Cup in a few years (2027).

“There’s a strong recruitment drive, there’s a strong national agenda and approach to what we’re doing.

“So it’s an exciting time to be a part of it.”

The Wallabies’ first Test is against the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld on July 8 in the Rugby Championship.

Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith is looking for his team to refresh ahead of their Challenge Cup final after being knocked out of the United Rugby Championship.

Smith’s side crashed out of the URC at the hands of Munster, who beat the Scottish side 14-5 at the weekend after a first-half red card to fly-half Tom Jordan took its toll on the clash.

Straight forward call. Tom Jordan given his marching orders. #URC #GLAvMUN pic.twitter.com/ucAnE3DYYO

— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) May 6, 2023

Rest time

Despite the disappointment, Smith has chosen to look on the bright side, which is the additional time his team has to prepare for their Challenge Cup final against Toulon on May 19.

Smith underlined that the Warriors went all in for the Munster clash but will now use the rest period to their advantage.

“In all honesty, to ask these boys to play in two finals, from where we are in year one, would have been a huge task. Now, in retrospect, obviously not before,” he said.

“We were all in to win this, there was no talk about taking our foot off the pedal.

“But now we are going to be smart about it. We probably won’t train until way later this week.

“We are going to use the rest days in our benefit. There will be four or five days where we reset the bodies and get their minds liberated a little bit.

Looking to finish on a high

“I could sense in the dressing room there is so much determination to finish this season on a high.

“I am looking forward to making a proper plan for Toulon and then with freshly-recovered bodies to
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see if we can go and bring something back.”

The Challenge Cup showpiece game will be the club’s first European final and is an impressive feat in Smith’s first season at the helm.

Toulon will present a huge challenge for the Scottish side, who will want nothing more than to lift the title.

Defensive midfielder Eden Massouema has signed for Dijon on a deal until June 2021.

The former Paris FC man will join up with Dijon this summer following an impressive season in the capital, playing 25 games in the National Championnat.

“Our scouting network has been following this promising young player for several months,” explains Olivier Delcourt. “I am very pleased that he has chosen to join our club.”

When talking about the move to the official DFCO website, Massouema said “it is a great pride! This was a move I simply could not turn down. My choice was with Dijon because it was the club that spoke to me the most. It is a family club where one can work serenely, without too much pressure.”

T.S.

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Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur have decided not to activate a clause in their complex arrangement with Marseille that would allow them to recall Cameroonian international Clinton N’Jie, according to L’Équipe.

There was an automatic buy-clause in their loan agreement with Marseille for Clinton N’Jie last summer, which OM have had to act on, but there was also a clause that allowed THFC to take N’Jie back if they decided he was worth it which would have over-ruled Marseille’s automatic buy clause.

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THFC have decided not to activate that and N’Jie will remain a Marseille player.