13 - 19

Wales re-call Bath No.8 Taulupe Faletau

21 Feb 2022

Taulupe Faletau /PA

Wales have recalled Bath No.8 Taulupe Faletau, who hasn’t featured for his country in nearly a year.

Injured during the British & Irish Lions tour, the backrow has struggled to overcome an ankle issue which has seen him sidelined for seven months.

He hasn’t played for Wales since featuring against France last match inn the final game of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Six Nations Review and Sinckler’s Sauna | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 21

Video Player is loading.

Current Time 0:00

Duration 0:00

Loaded: 0%

Stream Type LIVE

Remaining Time 0:00

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Six Nations Review and Sinckler’s Sauna | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 21

We’re joined by England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie this week as the Six Nations squads take a break after two rounds of action. We hear from the Exeter Hooker about his journey with England and the Lions, his relationship with Eddie Jones and of course that volleyball moment in Edinburgh during the Calcutta Cup. Max and Ryan give their thoughts on the weekend battles in Cardiff, Paris and Rome, pick their team of the week and look forward to the rest of the tournament.

Faletau has strung together two consecutive performances for Bath in the Gallagher Premiership and has got the nod from head coach Wayne Pivac to rejoin the wider squad ahead of England week.

A short WRU statement reads: “Taulupe Faletau (Bath Rugby) has been called up to the Wales senior men’s squad for the remainder of the Guinness Six Nations. He replaces Christ Tshiunza (Exeter Chiefs), who was released back to his club following a hamstring injury earlier in the Championship.”

“Faletau joins the squad as it continues preparations for the match v England on Saturday 26 February KO 4.45pm live on ITV and S4C.”

The 86 times-capped forward, who will join Cardiff next season, started at blindside flanker against Wasps in Coventry and against Leicester Tigers at the Rec at the weekend.

“He is like a chameleon,” said Bath forward coach Neal Hatley. “You put him in a level up and he just blends in.

“He has that innate ability that, whatever the quality of the players he is playing with, he is the best player on the pitch and he has done that for ages.”

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Men's Highlights

HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Women's Highlights

Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

Comments

0 Comments

Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Latest Features

LONG READ

Will wounded Carbery come back to haunt former side Munster?

Discarded by Munster and Ireland, Joey Carbery is flourishing again with Bordeaux.

LONG READ

Despite the Croke Park horror show, Marcus Smith shouldn't be discounted from Lions conversation

Chris Robshaw believes the superstar England fly-half shouldn't be discarded on the whim of a Dublin shellacking

LONG READ

Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?

The Queensland Reds are the outstanding Australian franchise so it would be a risk to move the entire coaching team to the Wallabies

Comments on RugbyPass

JW 14 minutes ago

'We offered him a three-year deal': Hurricanes priced out of U20 star

I think NZ is his new home GD, hence the “ish” part. He’s been here since his last school years, so around 3?

Yes of course. One particular one was that he looked to be uncomfortable and lacking confidence when in France, judging by the way he cam across in the videos. So that was one reason why I liked the idea of him growing further closer to home (now that’s an English saying, don’t pull me up on that one too), growing a bit more as a man first, where he may have made progress in recently.

But if you’re using logic and putting two and two together, which is all I was doing after reading this article, you’ve got him wanting to return home and get himself amongst the Hurricanes stars, and now months later, ‘family’ being reported as the reason he’s decided against that now.

Sure, anything is possible though GD if that’s how you want to think in life. But back to your comment, you incorrectly assumed that if their were indeed shackles in place, that he wouldn’t have returned. Can you work out logically how this is a false statement? The simplicity of it will be quite striking when you realise.. it implies that this situation - him deciding months later to go to France - would be impossible if he returned to NZ.

9 Go to comments

JW 25 minutes ago

How Scott Barrett performs in Super Rugby Pacific is not a big deal

He was noting #2 more as a fault of Razor than a recommendation of Will at 15 GP! :p

13 Go to comments

JW 28 minutes ago

Suaalii stars as Waratahs topple Chiefs in Super Rugby win the for ages

Is that a Tane Edmond pun or a mix of Cane’d and tamed? lol I hope it was a rugby one at least!

7 Go to comments

JW 36 minutes ago

Suaalii stars as Waratahs topple Chiefs in Super Rugby win the for ages

More importantly Jacomb had a really good first half (all I saw), much tougher than Dmac and still a better clearer to boot.

Dmac probably shouldn’t have been starting at all when you’ve got someone like Scooter they tried so hard to get back (they’re hanging out for some good/fit wing stocks though?).

7 Go to comments

JW 38 minutes ago

Suaalii stars as Waratahs topple Chiefs in Super Rugby win the for ages

I applaud the foul play review officer for his decision to keep it a yellow. At the time I was thinking to myself how unlucky Wrampling was to actually come up against a rugby player who tries to avoid contact, a player that’s not programmed to take contact in a way that ensures ball retention. Jo is the only player I could imagine not taking that tackle and instead stopping and swaying like a boxer.

Wrampling didn’t know what to do, so he rose with him and Jo wasn’t fast enough to get away. I fully expected it to be a red but the ruling completely matched my perception so well done.

I didn’t watch the second half but thought Feketi’s dissalowed try was a good square up for scoring off a forward pass for their first. There was also no way Jacobson passed that ball forward, it only travelled forward about a meter despite going all the way to the sideline while running at full tilt. Great to see the loyal crowd getting incited and behind their team though.

7 Go to comments

JW 1 hour ago

Crusaders hold on for dramatic win over Hurricanes on the road

What would that have looked like?

4 Go to comments

JW 1 hour ago

Hurricanes vs Crusaders: Only two true Kiwi contenders, Bluesprint in full effect

The Hurricanes could easily be the most dangerous team come semi final game, a very even game without many of their best either performing or playing, and they should have one that game if not for some brain dead substitutions from Laidlaw and a freak opportunistic try by O’Connor.

While the two Canes midfields started the season pretty rusty, and I thought in Sullivan’s case especially, well out of form, they have started playing very well together as Peter suggested on TV last night. Still though, their is some class to come back, and if Roigard can sort out his game and actually provide some impact, and Laidlaw can get things right at 10, well that’s a very dangerous side if that front row start getting into gear. Dissapointed Kirifi didn’t quite bring the big game like Lakai did. Missing players like Rayasi and Moorby from last year for sure.

3 Go to comments

Katy Martin 1 hour ago

WRU reveal how much they paid for Cardiff Rugby

As a truck driver who spends long hours on the road, I understand the value of hard work. My job demands long shifts, constant focus, and time away from loved ones. To make extra income during my limited downtime, I started mining cryptocurrency. After months of dedication, I finally saved enough to buy BITCOIN through P2P on Binance. It felt like a major milestone. I was proud of what I had built, turning my effort into BITCOIN, an asset I believed in. That pride quickly turned into heartbreak. Someone I trusted scammed me out of $85,000 worth of BITCOIN in a single transaction. I was crushed. I had sacrificed sleep, missed out on time with friends and family, and worked relentlessly, only to have everything taken from me in seconds. The emotional and financial blow was devastating. Still, I was not ready to give up. I started researching ways to recover stolen BITCOIN and came across TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY. I saw countless testimonials from people who had lost cryptocurrency and managed to recover it with their help. Desperate but hopeful, I reached out and shared my story. To my complete shock, TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY managed to trace and recover my stolen BITCOIN within just 21 hours. The funds were safely returned to my wallet. I cannot describe the relief I felt. Months of hard work were not wasted after all. My belief in BITCOIN as a store of value had been shaken, but thanks to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY, I got a second chance. Even more incredible, their team helped law enforcement track down the scammer responsible. That person was arrested, and justice was served. I could finally breathe again, knowing that the person who took advantage of my trust was held accountable. If you have lost BITCOIN or other crypto to a scam, whether through fake investments, phishing schemes, or fraudulent platforms, do not lose hope. TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY specializes in recovering stolen BITCOIN and other digital assets, even from apps like Binance, Cash App, or Coinbase. Their team is fast, trustworthy, and truly committed to helping victims like me. Losing BITCOIN you worked hard for is painful, but recovery is possible. Reach out to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY today and take back control of your financial future. CONSUL THEM wa.me/15617263697

0 Go to comments

JS 1 hour ago

Glasgow the latest victims of a Leinster Champions Cup beatdown in Dublin

Best result ever. Have Glasgow EVER been held scoreless before,I doubt it

1 Go to comments

JW 1 hour ago

Waratahs vs Chiefs: McKenzie needs to be No.10, James O’Connor is right

Yes all for the sake of progress though. They were willing to take the risk but they likely underestimated the Tahs.

There was talk Dmac might take his sabatical next year, so MacMillan wouldn’t want to leave the club in the lurch without a proven/developed first five.

13 Go to comments

JW 1 hour ago

Waratahs vs Chiefs: McKenzie needs to be No.10, James O’Connor is right

Yeah but Saders could finish top of the table still and wouldn’t that make all those calling for Penney’s last year, and this, look stupid!

13 Go to comments

JW 1 hour ago

Waratahs vs Chiefs: McKenzie needs to be No.10, James O’Connor is right

LOL what? The Canes were poor last night, Roigard was directionless compared to Hotham, and Laidlaw blew the win with his substitutions.

Large parts of the Saders game was great though yeah, the tight work led by Barrett and those two young halves were brilliant.

13 Go to comments

Ritea 1 hour ago

Waratahs vs Chiefs: McKenzie needs to be No.10, James O’Connor is right