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THE LATEST RUGBY NEWS FROM WALES AND BEYOND 07:30, 29 May 2025 These are your latest rugby headlines on Thursday, May 29. WALES INTERNATIONALS FACE OFF IN FRANCE Wales internationals Sam
Davies and George North are set to face off in the upcoming Pro 2 semi-final on Thursday. North's Provence side travel to Grenoble, who have named Davies in their starting XV, with both
sides aiming to book their place in the final. Brive and Montabaun are set to contest the other semi-final on Friday night, with just one team taking their place in the Top 14 next season.
Grenoble head into the contest as slight favourites, having racked up three wins in their last four games, while Provence head into the semi-finals with two wins in their last five. Kick-off
at the Stade des Alpes is at 8pm BST. Article continues below FOUR WALES MEMBERS CALLED UP TO LIONS Four members of the Wales backroom team have joined up with the British and Irish Lions
ahead of the upcoming tour of Australia. Rhodri Brown has been handed a role in the analysis team in what will be his fifth Lions campaign, and will be covered by Marc Kinnaird for the
upcoming Wales trip to Japan. Meanwhile, Dr Geoff Davies, who has been team doctor since May 2012 and physiotherapist John Miles, will also join the Lions medical team for their second
consecutive tours. Finally, soft tissue specialist Susie Gill, who joined the WRU earlier this year from Gallagher Premiership side Harlequins, has also been selected for her first Lions
campaign. Commenting on the news WRU CEO Abi Tierney said: “I’m delighted for Rhodri, Geoff, John and Susie having been appointed to the management team for this year’s Lions tour. “This is
a special honour for each person, their family and friends who I am sure will all be extremely proud of the achievement. “Lions tours are an incredible experience. I know everyone at the WRU
will join me in congratulating them and wishing them all the best in Australia.” WELSH SIDE TIE DOWN 'THRIVING' YOUNG STARS Cardiff Rugby have confirmed scholarship renewals for
five youngsters. Alfie Prygodzicz, Sonny McCabe, Ben Coomer, Bailey Cutts and Calen Edwards have all signed new deals to continue training full time within the club's academy set-up.
Gruff Rees, head of academy, said: “All of these players are fully deserving of further support from us. They are all really committed and proud to represent Cardiff Rugby and have
progressed brilliantly from under-16 to thriving recently with our under-18s. “They all have bespoke individual development plans and we will work closely with our school and college
partners to ensure that they can follow their high performance aspirations with us while getting the appropriate educational support for their individual needs.” SCARLETS READY FOR
'DIFFERENT ANIMAL' LEINSTER Scarlets captain Josh Macleod says his side are prepared to face a different challenge from Leinster in Saturday's United Rugby Championship (URC)
quarter-final. The Welsh side pulled a stunning 35-22 win out the bag when the two sides last met at the Parc y Scarlets last month, although the runaway leaders had admittedly made 11
changes for the trip to south Wales. But after seeing their European dreams dashed by Northampton Saints, Leinster's focus now shifts back to the URC. "We're certainly
expecting a bigger challenge this weekend with personnel," said Macleod. "Yes, they're going to be a different animal - we're preparing for that - but we've built
nicely as well." STAR OPENS UP ON LIONS SNUB _By Anthony Brown, PA_ Scotland back-rower Jamie Ritchie insists he is comfortable with the feeling that he did everything he possibly could
to put himself in with “a real shout” for British and Irish Lions selection. The 28-year-old Edinburgh forward was disappointed not to be included in Andy Farrell’s squad for the summer
tour of Australia after bouncing back strongly this season from a tough start to 2024 when he lost the Scotland captaincy. Speaking for the first time since his Lions snub three weeks ago,
Ritchie told the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast: “Personally, I feel like I’d done all I could in terms of how I performed and stuff, so I was comfortable with that. “At the end of the day,
it’s down to someone’s opinion and decision-making and what they feel they need in their squad. At that point, it’s outside of my control. For 2021, I feel like I was further away than I was
this year, but I was more upset then. “I’m a bit more mature now in terms of how I react to these things. Obviously, it would have been nice to have that moment, but I’m comfortable with
the performances that I’ve put in to put myself in the mix. I said this to my wife because she was quite upset when we watched it together. “I said to her, if you look at the position we
were in a year ago after Six Nations, where it hadn’t gone the way I wanted to in terms of selection and missing out on the captaincy and humming and hawing about whether or not I was going
to go on the summer tour, if we’d said we’d be sitting here at the Lions announcement day, feeling like we were in with a real shout and then disappointed when it didn’t happen, we would
absolutely have taken it. “That’s the perspective that I’m taking on at the moment. I felt like I did all I could. The call didn’t come, and that’s OK.” Article continues below Asked if he
had been given any indication that he might be on a standby list, Ritchie said: “I spoke to JD (Lions and Scotland coach John Dalziel) afterwards around some of the thinkings around
selection. “I’ve not heard about anything official, but I’m just trying to stay fit and concentrating on playing well for Edinburgh.”