We start Media Watch with the story that despite moving towards rugby league, has both codes, and the whole sporting world, talking – Izzy Folau’s return to action. French rugby league club Catalans Dragons this week confirmed the signing of the controversial former Australia rugby union international for the imminent Super Rugby season. Folau, 30, was sacked by Rugby Australia for a series of homophobic social media posts and as expected the reaction to the signing was huge, with Wigan Warriors particularly creative in stitching up Catalans. That news even overshadowed the highly-anticipated Guinness Six Nations for a short time but with many of the squads for the opening weekend set to be announced on Thursday it soon took back over. The Guardian takes the line that Ospreys back George North is a shoe-in at outside centre, based on reading into Wales attack coach Stephen Jones’ comments, and also provides the welcome update that Taulupe Faletau is ‘ready to go’. Ireland’s squad was of course announced yesterday and there’s been plenty of analysis into Andy Farrell’s first stamp on a job as head coach. And who are going to be the key men across the tournament as a whole? The Sportsman has identified six, with Leinster’s Johnny Sexton likely integral, likewise an Ospreys-Cardiff Blues combo in the back row. We finish on news down in the southern hemisphere, it’s always good to have a man like Warren Gatland back in the game and not holding his tongue! He now finds himself on the other side of club-country debates.
