By Glen Williams

Copyright walesonline

Here are your rugby headlines for Wednesday, September 10. Women’s Rugby World Cup organisers have condemned the online abuse aimed at Wales forward Georgia Evans, insisting there is “no place” for hate in the sport. Evans revealed last week she had been subjected to derogatory comments for wearing a bow in her hair on matchdays, with some online users branding her “childish” and claiming her look was not that of “a rugby player”. The remarks sparked a wave of solidarity during Wales’ pool stage defeat to Fiji in Exeter, where volunteers set up a ribbon-making station. More than 1,200 fans wore bows in support of the 27-year-old. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Yvonne Nolan, competition director of England 2025, praised the response and said it sent a powerful message. “We do have a social media monitoring protection tool and that is action-based,” she said. “It monitors, takes down and if it reaches the right level we aim for prosecution. That is a deterrent and an action-based impact. But it is important to say, this is a drop in the ocean. This is a societal issue. “For me the biggest impact at the weekend was watching that spontaneous volunteer-led ribbon station process. Spontaneously self-policing society is saying we won’t tolerate that, there is no place for that in our game. In our sport you can be who you want to be. For me that is the most powerful tool that we have and will affect social change.” Speaking after the Fiji match, Evans admitted the abuse had been tough to deal with. “It’s tough because when we sign up to this as a professional athlete, you sign up for the scrutiny of your performance and what people think of you — I can take that as an athlete,” she told the BBC . “But there is no space for derogatory comments, for hate or for any kind of abuse on social media. It’s bigger than a bow, it’s bigger than the game and it’s bigger than myself. “The support has been absolutely incredible. We haven’t put the performance in that we would have liked and we haven’t come away with what we wanted. I’m heartbroken but heartwarmed at the same time by every single person who chose to wear a bow.” Despite the fan support, Wales’ campaign ended with three straight defeats, meaning they exited the competition at the pool stage. A fresh twist has emerged in the hearing of England international Sinead Peach. The York Valkyrie star went viral last month following her red card against St Helens, with a conversation picked up on the referee’s microphone. The England international has been charged with unacceptable language and questioning the integrity of the match official. While Peach’s comments weren’t picked up on the broadcast, referee Oliver Salmon can clearly be heard telling Peach: “I’m not having you saying, “Which one are you s****ing?” before giving the hooker her marching orders. Peach’s case was expected to be heard on Tuesday evening but in a new twist her case will now be heard next week in order for further evidence to be presented. An RFL statement confirmed: “Sinead Peach’s tribunal, following a Grade E charge of Other Contrary Behaviour in the Betfred Women’s Super League fixture between St Helens and York Valkyrie on August 31, was adjourned until September 17 to allow further evidence to be presented.” Peach is facing the possibility of a substantial ban. Edinburgh boss Sean Everitt believes Duhan van der Merwe will emerge stronger after what he admits was a frustrating British & Irish Lions tour for the winger. Scotland’s record try-scorer, who started all three Tests on the 2021 tour of South Africa, failed to earn a Test cap this summer in Australia after struggling for rhythm following an 11-week lay-off with an ankle injury. Although he crossed for five tries in five appearances — including a hat-trick against an AUNZ Invitational XV — van der Merwe was unable to dislodge Tommy Freeman or James Lowe, with Scotland team-mate Blair Kinghorn eventually taking the left-wing berth for the final Test. “He would have been disappointed in not getting a Test opportunity,” Everitt said. “Everyone strives to play in a Test match for the Lions. But you’ve got to take the learnings from when things don’t go your way to become better. Knowing Duhan, he’ll bounce back and give his best for Edinburgh and Scotland.” Van der Merwe’s defensive positioning was questioned during the tour, but Everitt insisted his form for club and country told a different story. He suggested the 30-year-old may have also fallen victim to Andy Farrell favouring players he knew well from Ireland. “You’ve got to look at Duhi’s season as a whole,” Everitt added. “He didn’t play for 11 weeks before the Lions tour, so that was always going to be a tough ask. Farrell knows what he has with his Ireland players and history tells us Lions coaches often lean on familiarity. But just being part of that tour is massive, and working with some of the best coaches in the world can only make him a better player.” Newcastle Red Bulls have unveiled their new kit and club crest ahead of the upcoming Gallagher Premiership season — but the launch has already sparked debate among supporters. The new home strip has been met with a largely positive reaction, but the updated logo has drawn mixed reviews online, with one issue in particular dominating the conversation. Fans were quick to point out that the crest features the wording “Red Bull” rather than “Red Bulls”, leading to widespread confusion over the team’s official name. One supporter wrote on X: “So… are they called Newcastle Red Bull or Newcastle Red Bulls? The shirt, website logo, and other branding is different to the crest logo so someone needs to make their mind up.” Another commented: “There is an S missing on their badge. It says Newcastle Red Bull… Are they planning on playing with just one player on the pitch?” Others were less critical but still questioned the design choice, with one fan writing: “I like these! But Red Bull instead of Red Bulls on the crest is an interesting choice.” The club’s social media team was eventually forced to intervene, confirming that the official name remains Newcastle Red Bulls despite the simplified wording on the badge.