The replacement flanker Ardie Savea scored a try in the final minute as New Zealand staged a stunning comeback to secure victory over South Africa at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria in their final Rugby Championship game. The Springboks led by 12 points with four minutes to play, but after the lock Scott Barrett brought the…
Month: March 2019
England women hoping investment will deliver grand slam glory
With investment comes expectation for England. As the first full-time XVs squad in women’s rugby, a move their captain, Sarah Hunter, has called revolutionary, there is an obvious backdrop against which this year’s championship takes place. As their head coach, Simon Middleton, said: “We’ve got it now, we’ve got to use it.” But he believes…
Scotland lose injured Finn Russell as France drop Lopez and Parra
Finn Russell has been ruled out of Scotland’s Guinness Six Nations clash with France on Saturday after failing to recover from a head injury he suffered playing for his club Racing 92 over the weekend. Ellis Genge hoping to be the man with a dragon tattoo The stand-off had given Scotland a glimmer of hope…
Ian Robertson hangs up his mic: ‘You don’t gain anything from being an assassin’
At school the teachers called Ian Robertson “Chatterbox”. It was “Chatterbox! Silence!” and “Chatterbox! Stop it!” and “Chatterbox! Shut up!” And he would tell them: “Yes sir, sorry sir, but I just mean to say, sir!” Robertson has had a lot of jobs since. He has been a player, teacher and coach, he has written…
Rankings, redemption, running: how England are shaping up for World Cup
Click:Hinode 1000SPF315S 315A 1000Vac aR Fuses 1) Climb the rankings Eddie Jones’s aim when he took charge was to get England to the top of the world rankings before the start of the World Cup. Reaching the top three would be an achievement with Ireland following their Six Nations grand slam with victory over New…
The All Blacks’ secret? Never stand still or you get overtaken
Everyone wants to know the All Blacks’ secret. How is it, exactly, they have won 83 of 93 Tests under their head coach, Steve Hansen, and held the mantle of the world’s No 1 ranked team for nine consecutive years? To put that dominance into perspective, since 2012 the next best record in world rugby…
Saracens have the look of champions and Bristol can make their mark
Bath Director of rugby Todd Blackadder Perhaps the most eye-catching signing Bath have made is on the coaching rather than playing staff with Girvan Dempsey arriving to sharpen the attack. Dempsey has considerable pedigree and Todd Blackadder is optimistic that, with the Irishman in position, his side can find the consistency needed for a top-four…
19 for ’19: unmissable sporting events to mark in your diary
Special Olympics World Games, 14-21 March, Abu Dhabi More than 7,000 athletes from 170 nations are due to compete at the largest multi-sport event for people with intellectual disabilities and one which in 2019 celebrates its 50th anniversary. There will be 24 different individual and team disciplines, ranging from athletics and badminton to cycling and…
Owen Farrell finally gets to run the show as England dig deep for options
The opening autumn fixture against South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday will, if nothing else, reveal the extent of English rugby’s strength in depth. Eddie Jones has picked thousands of sides in his time but with more than 400 high‑profile caps unavailable up front alone, he cannot recall ever digging deeper for victory at the…
Wing commanders: why Six Nations quicks are rolling back the years
Interviewing Maurice Richards, the Wales wing who scored four tries against England in 1969, was a warming return to days long gone, when matches that were clotted with set-pieces and punch-ups were invariably interrupted by moments of brilliance that endure in the memory. Richards kick-started the golden era for Wales when they won the triple…