By Ben James

Copyright walesonline

Here are your rugby morning headlines for Monday, September 22. Former Wales wing Shane Williams has called upon the WRU to fix the pathways in Wales amid the ongoing uncertainty. With the consultation heading into its final week , much of the focus is on the number of professional teams in the country – with the WRU’s preferred option being to go down to two. However, Williams – who now works as head of rugby academy at his old school, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman – says he hopes the WRU’s changes also sort the way young players are developed in this country. “We’ve been through it before when we became regions and lots of people lost their jobs,” said Premier Sports pundit Williams. “So there’s the personal side of it. “I work at a school at the minutes, so the pathway is the big thing for me. I just believe that even at the moment, we put this big focus on 15-year-olds up to the age of 17. “They’re going to be the next best thing and then they get injured, or lose form, or perhaps don’t get to the physical status that the regions were hoping they would do. “So many players fall off between the ages of 17 and 21. I just believe the focus should be on the pathway so that we get as many youngsters coming through. “If it’s four regions continuing, you are going to get more players coming through. But it’s putting more of an emphasis so they’re not just put into academies and then deciding they’re haven’t made it at 17. “It’s putting a bit more finance and help into players at the age of 18, even 21, where they go to university or college and then you can bring then through at a latter stage. “I’m seeing it a lot in school at the minute where we’ve got these superstars at 15 where all this time and effort is put into them. Then a year or so down the line, it’s thank you very much. These kids are just falling off the map. “So that’s a priority for me now. I think we’ve got enough people worrying about whether it’s going to be two, three, or four regions. “Just fix the system, the grassroots and bring these youngsters through. I didn’t make it at 15 or 16. I played my first Wales game at the age of 22. “So that’s the priority for me, making sure that we get the pathway sorted. I think if we keep the four regions and we get more young players coming through, that’s the way forward for me. But I’ll let the WRU and the regions deal with whether it’s going to be two or four.” Tom Shanklin and Shane Williams are a part of the Premier Sports team showing every game live from the BKT United Rugby Championship. It all starts 26/27 September with live action from Ulster v Dragons RFC, Scarlets v Munster, Vodacom Bulls v Ospreys and Cardiff v Emirates Lions. Premier Sports was proud to sponsor the Welsh Rugby Writers Awards 2025 as the destination for club rugby fans with 400+ live rugby games every season including URC, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, Top 14, Japan Rugby League One and MLR from the USA. To join in visit www.premiersports.com New Dragons defence coach Dale MacLeod believes the club can reach the play-offs this season despite last year’s nightmarish campaign. The Rodney Parade outfit won just one league game last season to finish bottom of the URC for the first time. However, New Zealander MacLeod believes they can finish in the top eight of the league after a number of signings. “We haven’t talked too much about what lies ahead but, if I am being me, we are going to qualify for the top eight,” MacLeod told BBC Sport . I believe if you look at some of the games that were lost last year, they were in a position to win them and it was inexperience or injuries [that cost them]. “We have been very diligent around workloads and making sure we are not breaking boys, the medical team are doing a great job and Filo is leading the off-field stuff really well. “We’ve got a really good plan and are really focused on where we want to get to. “If we show the growth we have shown in the last month then I am confident that we can do something that will surprise a few people.” The Dragons finished 39 points off the play-offs last season, but that hasn’t dented MacLeod’s faith – even after he saw them lose in person against the Stormers in Cape Town. “Even if they didn’t get a result, I could see that they had a lot of intent and I am massive on a thing called ‘MEE’ – Mindset, Effort, Energy,” added MacLeod. “I would never question what I have seen in pre-season, we just have to play a bit smarter and change a few things. “The boys are really coachable and want to get better. They work hard every day, so I can’t ask for much more and I am excited about it.” By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent Ellie Kildunne insists previous World Cup finals are irrelevant as England prepare for their moment of truth against Canada at Allianz Stadium on Saturday. Kildunne has cleared herself to take part in the showpiece at a sold-out Twickenham after her two exhilarating tries in the 35-17 last-four victory over France came at the cost of a bruised knee and cramp. It will be England’s seventh consecutive World Cup final yet they have won just one of those matches, also against Canada in 2014. Three years ago they were edged 34-31 by New Zealand in heartbreaking circumstances and Kildunne, a starter at Auckland’s Eden Park that day, refuses to look backwards. “It’s a different tournament, we’re a different team and we’re up against a different opposition,” said the 26-year-old, who was named player of the match against France. “It’s a World Cup final and you don’t prepare for a World Cup final in the last week – you prepare over the last three years. There is nothing more we can do to be prepared. “Everyone wants to be in that spot and now we are there. Everything that we’ve done and everything that we have learned has led to this point. “We’ve just got to back ourselves, trust the process that we’ve been on and trust that when that whistle goes, whatever is going to happen is going to happen. “The environment is incredible, we back each other and there is a bond in the team like no environment or team I’ve ever been a part of. There is no-one else I’d rather take the pitch with than this England team. “The final is number one vs number two in the world and will be a good watch for anyone who wants to get into rugby for the first time or if you are a seasoned watcher.” By Duncan Bech, PA England Rugby Correspondent Ellie Kildunne may have provided the magic as England dispatched France to reach the World Cup final but Megan Jones insists defence will be the most effective weapon against Canada. Kildunne produced two electrifying finishes in the 35-17 semi-final victory but it was without the ball that the Red Roses truly excelled, defying a French onslaught by making 200 tackles compared to their opponents’ 88. Canada’s stunning upset of New Zealand has set-up an intriguing main event at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, but Jones says they will face a defence that has been energised by limiting Les Bleues to three tries. “That defensive shift sums us up because we’ve got so much heart and desire in this team. The number of tackles shows how much we want to put our bodies on the line,” said England’s outside centre and vice captain “I asked one thing from the girls and that was to choose how hard you’re going to hit and choose how you’re going to inspire the person next to you. That’s always important to us. “Some of the tackles we were putting in were outstanding from the girls. We were relentless and that is exactly what we want to show. “We have got a lot of heart, a lot of passion and we want to wear our heart on our sleeve as much as possible. “We can take a lot of confidence from our defensive sets because I think defence is going to win us championships. “We are going to retain the ball as much as we can but we can also feel confident not having the ball.” Kildunne showed her athleticism and killer instinct to touch down in each-half, the second try seeing her evade four tackles in a thrilling diagonal sprint across the pitch. “She’s bit of a ball hog!” Jones joked. “I love Ellie, she’s my room mate so we have a good relationship. She is outstanding and has elevated the women’s game by herself. “We have got to remember it’s a team sport, but we need to get her into the game as much as we can and keep elevating her. “She’s outstanding every time she attacks the ball, she is such a triple threat. She is so hard to defend and I feel lucky to have her on my team.”