Today's rugby headlines as Pivac set to omit Alun Wyn Jones from Wales XV and WRU launch defence of Friday night Six Nations match

Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby headlines for Tuesday, March 15.

Wayne Pivac will not throw Alun Wyn Jones straight back into the starting XV against Italy this weekend, report MailOnline.

The Wales stalwart has not played a minute of rugby since October, however fans were taken aback last weekend when it was confirmed the second-row would come back into contention for the visit of the Azzuri.

Jones has been missing owing to a shoulder injury and, rather than being thrown straight back into the side, it is claimed that a place among the replacements is the best he can hope for.

It is reported that burgeoning lock pairing Will Rowlands and Adam Beard are set to start a fifth straight Six Nations game.

That would leave Pivac with a decision to make over who his second-row option is on the bench, with Seb Davies, Ben Carter and Jones all vying for one spot.

Should Jones get on the pitch on Saturday, he would win his 150th Welsh cap.

Dan Biggar is set to continue as captain and will win his 100th Wales cap in the process.

Wales are due to announce their team today at . We will have all the live updates on our WalesOnline rugby page .

The Welsh Rugby Union has hit back at criticism around the decision to host the Six Nations clash with France on a Friday night.

The contest at the Principality Stadium failed to attract a capacity crowd, with around 11,000 seats left empty on the night.

It has sparked a debate around both the decision to hold games on Friday nights and indeed the prices charged to supporters, with tickets costing around £100 each.

However, the WRU has insisted it was happy with the attendance of this latest fixture, and added that they are expecting a "near capacity crowd" for the upcoming