From the sublime to the submerged. England, imperious in the Six Nations’ first two rounds, drowned under a tidal wave of emotion as Wales launched a second-half comeback to achieve their 12th successive victory and break a record that had stood for more than a century. It was a breathless, tactical, titanic battle that turned…
Month: March 2019
Australia’s tough year can end on high if history repeats itself in Wales
When Wales were thrashed by New Zealand in the 1987 World Cup semi-final, their then manager, Clive Rowlands, remarked that all was not lost, they could fall back on beating England at Cardiff. They always did then with their neighbours not tasting success at the old Arms Park for 28 years from 1963. The former…
Jonny May’s sore shoulder will not rule him out of England autumn Tests
Jonny May is set to be fit for England’s four-Test autumn campaign, which begins against South Africa next month, but the shoulder injury he sustained during Leicester’s 23-15 victory against Northampton at Twickenham may rule him out of his club’s opening two Champions Cup fixtures. Jonny May injury mars Leicester’s dismantling of Northampton May left…
Dan Biggar’s boot helps Northampton stun leaders Exeter in thriller
Northampton sent a shock through the Premiership on Friday when they beat the leaders, Exeter, 31-28 at Franklin’s Gardens. It was Exeter’s second defeat of the season while Saints made their mark without Dylan Hartley, who has a knee injury. The hosts scored tries through Piers Francis, Dan Biggar, Fraser Dingwall and Cobus Reinach, with…
England must be tooled up mentally and physically for Dublin battle
It requires little imagination to guess what England can expect in Dublin this Saturday. The Aviva Stadium will be chilly and raucous, the Irish pack will be fired up and the contest both on the floor and in the air will be ferocious. Any similarities with the quiet, sunny and mellow Algarve where England are…
Six Nations tickets worth £370,000 touted on Viagogo, investigation reveals
Click:gender reveal cannons More than a thousand tickets for the Six Nations have appeared for sale on the controversial website Viagogo for a combined £370,000, according to Guardian analysis that illustrates the grip wielded by ticket touts over in-demand events. Details of the scale at which Six Nations tickets are being touted prompted concern from…
Joe Cokanasiga has power and pace to add to England’s strength in depth
When Joe Cokanasiga was plucked from obscurity to tour Argentina last year, Eddie Jones was typically blunt as to why: “He’s big and he’s fast.” On Thursday – Cokanasiga’s 21st birthday – Jones handed the Fiji-born wing a Test debut and cited his immeasurable progress over the past 18 months. Truth be told however, the…
South Africa World Cup winner Naka Drotske shot in attempted robbery
World Cup-winning hooker Naka Drotske is said to be in a stable condition after the former South Africa international was shot three times during an attempted robbery in Pretoria on Thursday. Local media reported that the former Cheetahs player and coach had lost almost a third of his blood in the incident, was in intensive…
Owen Farrell to play for England against New Zealand despite fitness concerns
Eddie Jones has revealed Owen Farrell is not 100% fit for Saturday’s long-awaited encounter with the All Blacks but said his co-captain will “put his body on the line” after urging England to rewrite history against New Zealand. Jones admitted leaving his “warrior” fly-half out of his side was never an option but also suggested…
Decision on Michael Cheika’s Wallabies future to be made ‘ahead of Christmas’
Rugby Australia chairman Cameron Clyne has declined to guarantee or clarify the position of Michael Cheika following a presentation from the Wallabies’ coach, but says a thorough review will be completed before Christmas. Clyne came out seven hours into an unfinished RA board meeting on Monday, but spent just 50 seconds giving a statement to the…