The Monday Bulletin (31st March): Scots added to EPCR squads and Amena Caqusau becomes a Saint

03/31/2025 08:01 AM

by COLIN RENTON

Stephen added to Warriors Cup squad

Glasgow Warriors have added Scotland Under-20s hooker Seb Stephen to their squad for the Investec Champions Cup knockout phase. Another Scot, Steven Longwell, could also feature after the prop was listed by Harlequins. Elsewhere, Toulon have brought in All Black centre, Ma'a Nonu. The 42-year-old has signed as medical cover for the French club where he previously had two spells, and made a 20-minute appearance off the bench in Saturday's defeat against Castres. Meanwhile, Sean Everitt has included lock Jamie Hodgson and centre Mark Bennett (both currently listed as injured) in the Edinburgh squad for the EPCR Challenge Cup.

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Caqusau becomes a Saint

Glasgow Warriors winger Amena Caqusau will move to Northampton Saints in the summer. The 20-year-old is English qualified having been born in Salisbury but was educated in Dunblane and played for Scotland at Under-18 and Under-20 levels. Caqusau was recruited to the Glasgow Warriors academy in 2023 after a season with GHA, although he is yet to make a senior team appearance for the Scotstoun outfit and has been attached to Ayr this season. He also qualifies for Fiji.

Dutch dropped from American Test

Belgium will play at Test match versus USA Eagles in Charlotte on 5th July after taking the place of the Netherlands. The Belgians finished fifth in the Rugby Europe Championship to secure a place in November's Qualification Tournament. The Eagles will follow up the match in North Carolina with a game against Spain at the same venue before taking on England in Washington.

O’Connell takes over from Easterby in interim role

Paul O’Connell will take charge of the Ireland side on an interim basis for the summer matches against Georgia and Portugal. A proposed game with Romania has been dropped from the schedule. Simon Easterby filled the post for the Guinness Six Nations in the absence of Andy Farrell, who has been preparing for the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia. Farrell has now included Easterby in the Lions coaching team, with O’Connell stepping into the Irish role.

Sweeney survives vote

Bill Sweeney, the chief executive of the RFU, remans in post after surviving a vote of confidence. Grassroots representatives calling for his sacking forced a Special General Meeting. However, the motion was defeated by 466 votes to 206, with 36 abstentions. The disquiet stems from Sweeney’s remuneration deal which saw him take home £1.1 million in salary and bonuses for the 2023/24 financial year, despite the English governing body recording a record loss of nearly £38 million and announcing redundancies. A lack of vision and strategy for the game beyond the lite tier is also a cause of significant anxiety.

Haouas given electronic tag

Montpellier's controversial prop, Mohamed Haouas, will continue to train with the club, despite having an electronic tag fitted. The player, who has previous convictions for theft and domestic violence, was found guilty of drink driving and was fortunate to avoid a prison term, instead being sentenced to wearing a tag for three months. He will serve most of this during the close season, but will also be able to participate in pre-season training when he will be permitted to remove the tag during sessions. That will also apply if he plays in any matches. Haouas recently signed a two-year contract extension with the club.

Lions set for Stade showdown

A possible match between France and the British & Irish Lions, mentioned in the Monday Bulletin of 24th February, has moved a step closer, with negotiations between the two parties gathering pace according to insiders. The game would take place at the Stade France.

Long and winding road to Australia unveiled

South America Rugby has confirmed details of the complicated process to decide which nation will join Argentina at the World Cup in Australia. Brazil will meet Chile and Uruguay will clash with Paraguay in a knockout competition over two legs. The winners will qualify automatically and the runners-up will meet whichever of Canada, United States, Samoa and Tonga is lowest ranked in the Pacific Nations Cup. Three of these four teams will qualify for the World Cup with the fourth playing home and away against the South American runners-up. The winner of that tie will qualify and the loser will feature in the Final Qualifying Tournament in November, where they will be joined by the third-placed South American side.

Caledonia Cup Finals Day triumphs over hostile conditions

Over 600 young rugby players took part in the Saltire Energy Caledonia Cup Finals Day at Countesswells in Aberdeen on Sunday, with 16 matches in total on the itinerary. To reach this showcase event, each side had topped their respective regional leagues, as well as Cup, Shield, and Bowl knockout rounds. In the Boys’ Under-18s Cup, Robert Gordon's College defetaed Howe of Fife 53-28, while Stirling County defeated Caithness 36-7 in the Girls’ Under-18 Cup Final. Click HERE for a full report from the day. Meanwhile, Boroughmuir defeated Currie Chieftains 17-12 in the Boy’s U18 East Youth Cup Final on Saturday.

Merchiston clinic returns to Melrose

The Howden Melrose Sevens has announced the return of the Merchiston Coaching Clinic, in partnership with St. Mary's School, Melrose, taking place on Friday 23rd May, the day before the world famous sevens event is due to be staged at The Greenyards. Running from 1pm to 2pm, the clinic is free of charge and is open to boys and girls aged 11 to 18 from across the Scottish Borders and beyond, offering young rugby players the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge of the game through expert coaching, which will include a session from Sir Gordon Tietjens, the legendary New Zealand Sevens coach, who is being inducted into the Jackson Distillers Melrose Sevens Hall of Fame this year. To register for the Merchiston Coaching Clinic, visit www.merchiston.co.uk/admissions/open-events/melrose7s-rugby-clinic

Henry an instant hit for Coventry

On-loan Edinburgh winger, Jake Henry, made an instant impression on his debut for Coventry in the 43-33 Championship win at home to Cambridge. Henry, was on hand to finish a move for the hosts after 12 minutes:

Try time, Jake Henry: 15 minutes into his @CoventryRugby debut ⭐️#ChampRugbypic.twitter.com/HUA311wME1

— Championship Rugby (@Champrugby) March 26, 2025

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The post The Monday Bulletin (31st March): Scots added to EPCR squads and Amena Caqusau becomes a Saint appeared first on Scottish Rugby News from The Offside Line.