Today's rugby news as Welsh teenager 'unbelievable' and war of words ignited with All Blacks star

Your rugby headlines on Tuesday, October 29.

'Unbelievable' teenage star gets high praise

Scarlets centre Macs Page has received high praise from former Wales internationals Alex Cuthbert and Richie Rees.

The 19-year-old sensation turned heads with his epic try against Zebre Parma in Scarlets' convincing 30-8 victory last weekend.

READ MORE:The reason Warren Gatland keeps overlooking Welsh rugby star amid All Black comparison

READ MORE:The verdict on all four Welsh clubs so far this season and the best performer at each

Speaking on BBC Scrum V podcast, Cuthbert said: "Macs Page has definitely got something about him. He's quite a special player. He's got that speed but he hits really good lines from out to in and in to out, doesn't he, Richie? You've worked with him."

"He started the season well, didn't he," answered Rees. "He scored over in Bennetton as well. We haven't seen a lot of him, but he's one of these Mason Grady types of players who can create something from nothing and generate his own opportunities.

"It's where he plays. Is he a 13 or a wing? He had the player of the semi-pro last year in that league, he was outstanding for the U20s. He's an unbelievable player."

Page came through the ranks at Fishguard RFC in west Wales before joining Crymych for his youth rugby. He was previously in Swansea City's academy set-up before deciding to play the egg-shaped game. The former Ysgol Y Preseli student has earned nine appearances for Wales at age grade level.

WIN Wales autumn internationals tickets: Just fill in the form here and you'll be entered in the draw for free Wales v Fiji tickets

England wing fires back at All Black's jibe

By Duncan Bech, PA England Rugby Correspondent

Tommy Freeman intends making it a miserable afternoon for Sevu Reece when England face New Zealand at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

All Blacks star Reece caused a stir when the rivals clashed over two Tests in July by stating that he knew little about Freeman or his fellow England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

By the end of the series Reece was only too aware of the electric finishers after Feyi-Waboso touched down in both matches and Freeman crossed in the second game.

"Not fussed if they do or don't know me to be honest. The more you play, the more you'll get known," Freeman said. "Hopefully if I can make his game a misery it's a win for me and that will make him remember me."

England lost both Tests but they were hard-fought battles which could have gone their way had they shown a little more composure at crucial moments.

Head coach Steve Borthwick has challenged his players to start turning narrow defeats into memorable wins having fallen just short against New Zealand twice, France and South Africa since the start of the 2023 World Cup.

"They were a tough two games to narrowly miss out on," Northampton's 11-cap wing Freeman said. "We felt like the last game could have gone either way decision-wise. To miss out like that is always difficult.

"We'll definitely want to put a few wrongs right and really get stuck into them on our home ground."

England have not beaten New Zealand at Twickenham since their Manu Tuilagi-inspired victory in 2012, subsequently losing narrowly three times and drawing their most recent clash at the venue in 2022. Freeman still recalls the 38-21 win under Stuart Lancaster even though he was only 11 at the time.

"I was boarding at school and I remember watching it - Manu was on one. Everything worked that day for England with their strikes," he said.

"Manu was breaking the line a lot and hopefully we can see the same from Ollie Lawrence on Saturday. We want the crowd to be rocking. They are always up for England against New Zealand. It will be exciting."

Borthwick is scheduled to announce his team on Thursday.

Hogg suffers another blow

Montpellier's Stuart Hogg is expected to be out of action for five weeks due to a right-hand fracture he sustained during Saturday’s Top 14 clash against Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle.

The-32-year old played a significant role in the early stages of the match at GGL Stadium and was instrumental in securing only Montpellier’s third win of the season.

Hogg’s kicking skills were a key factor in Montpellier’s dominance over La Rochelle, with the hosts shutting out their guests in a 16-0 victory. Despite his hand injury, the former Glasgow Warrior and Exeter Chiefs star managed to play 69 minutes before being replaced by Thomas Vincent.

French reports from RMC state that Hogg underwent surgery for the fracture on Monday, with his recovery period expected to last around five weeks. Fortunately, his absence coincides with a two-week break in the Top 14 calendar between the 9th and 10th rounds, allowing him extra time to recover without missing much game time.

The Scotland centurion joined Montpellier this season and has quickly become a central figure in the team’s backline. Hogg has even stepped in at fly-half for his new side in recent weeks.

While the timeline for his return remains tentative, the break in the competition offers a window for recovery that could reduce the number of matches missed.

Hogg, who has been dealing with legal issues back in Scotland, is facing another setback with a recent injury. Earlier this year, he was seen at Jedburgh Sheriff Court following an arrest for allegedly breaching bail conditions related to charges of domestic abuse involving his estranged wife.

The father of four has refuted charges of stalking and controlling behaviour over a seven-year period. Hogg, who retired from rugby last summer, signed a two-year contract with Bernard Laporte’s Montpellier and is due to stand trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court later this year.

Wales fly-half loving Premiership life

Wales international Jarrod Evans says he is learning a lot about himself since joining Harlequins.

The 28-year-old won the player of the match award against Exeter Chiefs on Sunday evening, after helping steer his side to a 36-19 victory.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Evans explained how switching to the English league has helped him develop. "I'm starting to learn a lot about myself since coming to the Prem," he said. "I feel like when I am more relaxed, that's when I play my best rugby.

"I think I speak for a lot of the boys as well, when they're a little bit more relaxed, which is tough, given how hard the league is. That composure, and when we are a little more relaxed, I think we really shine through."

The eight-cap Welshman was then asked about the significance of competing with England star Marcus Smith for the Quins 10 jersey.

"We work closely, along side each other," he answered. "We've got different combinations, we can play together as well as bringing options off the bench. Like you said, we've seen how tight this league is, and ultimately when we're at the back end of the season, the squad depth is what separates the best from the rest."

Bevan: Wales must find 'edge'

Wales scrum-half Keira Bevan has emphasised the need for the team to discover "an edge" to be competitive in the upcoming Rugby World Cup. The draw, which took place on 17 October, placed Wales in Pool B with Canada, Scotland, and Fiji.

Following a challenging period that saw Wales finish at the bottom of the 2024 Women’s Six Nations and fifth in the recent WXV 2 tournament, Bevan acknowledged the tough road ahead.

Speaking after her game for Bristol Bears against Saracens at Ashton Gate, Bevan reflected on the pool draw: "We were at Bristol training and I was sat in between two Scottish girls! It is probably the toughest pool, I think, to be involved in. Canada are obviously class at the minute and Scotland are performing really well. They [Scotland] are kind of chasing our tails a little bit, and we have just under a year to sort that out if we want to compete in that pool otherwise it is going to be tough."

She added, "We play Scotland quite a lot, and we know a lot of the girls. It’s an interesting one. We had them in the last World Cup as well, playing them in the Six Nations before that, you kind of get bragging rights to a certain degree, but anything can happen in a World Cup. They are playing some great rugby at the minute whereas we are probably not there yet. They are going to be full of confidence, and we need to find that edge about us if we are going to compete at the World Cup."

At 27, Bevan, who recently took on a more significant leadership role with Wales during the WXV 2, believes the experience has enhanced her performance.

"I think it brought out the best in me because I had to ask the girls for stuff; if I wasn’t prepared to do it myself, it didn’t mean anything," she reflected. "I think it brought the best out of my game, and I am playing the best rugby I have probably played in a while, which is quite nice. I think I took it in my stride. The girls were easy to lead; they did everything I asked, and I know they gave their all when we were out there, so I couldn’t ask for more.

"From an on-pitch look at it, it is quite a nice role. The stuff that comes with the off-pitch stuff can be quite difficult, especially when you aren’t winning games. The press conference after the Australia game is quite difficult. I don’t know what plans Ioan [Cunningham, Wales head coach] has moving forward. I think he sees me as a leader in the team, but he has a lot of trust and faith in Hannah [Jones] as well, so it’s completely up to him."