These are the rugby headlines from around the world on the morning of Wednesday, December 17.

Louis Rees-Zammit holds talks

Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit has started negotiations with Bristol Bears about extending his stay at Ashton Gate. The 24-year-old initially penned a one-year agreement with the Bears following his return from the NFL, with the Welshman previously earmarked for a lucrative switch to R360 once his deal ran out.

However, that prospect is now off the table, as the 2026 launch date for Mike Tindall's ambitious project has been delayed by two years until 2028. This means the ex-Gloucester player Rees-Zammit is searching for fresh terms, with the Daily Mail claiming that Pat Lam's outfit are eager to retain him in the West Country, though a salary increase is likely to prove crucial in discussions.

Last month, Rees-Zammit spoke enthusiastically about his experience in Bristol.

"I absolutely love it," he told TNT Sports after their win over Northampton. "It's so good to be back in the Premiership. It's amazing to be at Bristol as well.

"The whole club, my team-mates, they've all made me feel so welcome. The supporters as well. We get such a good turnout every week."

His influence has also been praised by team-mate Harry Randall, who remarked: "He's had a very big impact. The person he is coming into a squad. He's brilliant for our commercial team I should think!

"He's probably brought a few more followers for them! But he's been brilliant. He's fitted in seamlessly, and it's been a joy to have him round the place. He's massive for us to have on the field as you can see from the small period of time he's been here already."

The news comes just days after he was withdrawn from the squad at the last minute.

No regrets over Wales stars

Gloucester head coach George Skivington has expressed no remorse over his recruitment of Welsh rugby stars Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake, stating his desire to see Welsh rugby flourish once more.

The decision of the Wales captains to join is a significant setback for Welsh rugby, particularly with the Welsh Rugby Union's imminent plan to reduce one of the regions.

The departure of this pair is likely not the last, as over 80 players in Wales are set to be out of contract at the end of the season.

Skivington recently witnessed one of his key players, Welshman Tomos Williams, announce his own departure from Kingsholm.

"I don't think there's any guilt, because I don't think the team that are taking Tommy feel any guilt towards us," Skivington said.

"What I do feel, and I believe everybody in the rugby community wants, is to see Welsh rugby thrive.

"There's a brilliant history of rugby in Wales and the Principality Stadium is absolutely awesome on international days.

"I remember days in the Heineken Cup where the Welsh teams were ferocious and it was a real tough day to go down there and play. So I think everybody wants Welsh rugby to get aligned and push on.

"I'd love to see Welsh rugby getting back to being where it was before, but these guys want to play competitive rugby and right now the Prem offers that week in, week out.

"The guys have got to make decisions that are right for their careers and hopefully Welsh rugby sorts itself out over the next couple of years, as we all want, and then hopefully for Welsh rugby the picture is rosy."

Daly: We struggle against Ospreys

Munster's Shane Daly is bracing himself for a challenging encounter against the Ospreys this weekend, admitting they consistently find it difficult against the Swansea outfit.

The Irish province secured a commanding 31-3 victory over Gloucester in the Champions Cup last weekend and are expected to rotate some key players for Saturday's fixture at Brewery Field.

However, the final score doesn't fully reflect the match, as Munster required three tries in the closing 13 minutes to secure the triumph.

"The way we performed at the weekend, I think if we did that against Ospreys we probably wouldn't come out on the right side of the result," Daly admitted.

"They're a tough team. We always struggle against Ospreys, they're hard to play against.

"They're tough out, they stay in every battle and every game until the very end. So we know it's not going to be an easy game at all this week so we need to get our stuff right.

"We're very aware of where we stand and what we need to get better at.

"So just kind of focusing on ourselves and making sure that we get a performance that we're proud of this weekend and then hopefully that leads into a result into Christmas and to the other games."