Regional U23 teams are "set to be introduced into Welsh rugby," along with a reduction in the size of the Welsh Premier Division. The development sides are "likely to be up and running at the Scarlets, Cardiff Blues, Ospreys and Dragons from next season," and the semi-pro Welsh Premier Division is in line to be cut from 16 to 12 clubs from the start of the '19-20 campaign. These "radical changes are set to come in following an exhaustive competitions review" performed by the Welsh Rugby Union (WALES ONLINE, 3/13).
UK Anti-Doping told British athletes "not to refuse drugs tests if they are given collection kits that have recently been discontinued" by WADA. The global agency said last week that it "would seek alternative sources of sample collection kits" after Swiss manufacturer Berlinger Special announced it was "pulling out of the business." WADA said in January that it was looking into a "potential integrity issue" with Berlinger's sample collection bottles (REUTERS, 3/13).
Ireland "leapfrogged" England into second in rugby's world rankings after winning the Six Nations title. England's 22-16 defeat to France in Paris "crowned Ireland" as this year's champion after it had earlier beaten Scotland 28-8 in Dublin on Saturday. The results meant England dropped to third and Ireland moved up to second for the first time since Aug. '15. The All Blacks remained world No. 1 (STUFF, 3/13).
Volkswagen "ruled itself out of supplying engines" for the new FIA Formula 3 category, which will replace the GP3 Series on the F1 support bill for '19. The German manufacturer announced its F3 withdrawal while confirming it will "focus primarily on production-car competition" (MOTORSPORT, 3/13).
