By this stage of a post-Lions season there are usually only two sorts of professional rugby players: the ones already lying in a knackered heap and those about to join them. Rare to the point of invisibility are Englishmen who trekked all the way around New Zealand last summer, finished fifth in the recent Six…
Month: March 2019
England’s Ellie Kildunne dazzles again in Six Nations win over Ireland
England’s women, with their fly-half Katy Daley-McLean controlling the game impressively behind a powerful pack, secured a triple crown with victory over Ireland in Coventry on Friday night. But it was only a consolation. Half an hour after they had left the Ricoh Arena pitch they learned in the dressing room that France had won…
Ireland crowned Six Nations champions and set up grand slam shot in England
Ireland have won the Six Nations championship after England lost 22-16 to France in Paris and will have the chance to complete their third grand slam at Twickenham on Saturday. Joe Schmidt’s side had moved to within touching distance of their first title since 2015 by beating Scotland 28-8 in Dublin. Jacob Stockdale ran in…
England run rampant against Wales in Women’s Six Nations
England are on course for another grand slam. In miserable conditions at the Stoop they ran in eight tries against a Wales side every bit as outclassed as they had been in losing 63-0 in Cardiff last season. England played with ambition in the driving rain with their big, physical back row – Poppy Cleall,…
Champions Cup pulled into firing line in Premiership ring-fencing wrangle
Downsizing the European Champions Cup has been proposed as a way to protect player welfare if the Premiership is ring-fenced with more than 12 teams. Twenty clubs – including up to seven from England – currently take part in Europe’s elite competition but streamlining is among the suggestions made by powerbrokers of the English game…
Wales open talks with Wayne Pivac about succeeding Warren Gatland
The Scarlets coach, Wayne Pivac, has confirmed he has held talks with the Welsh Rugby Union with a view to replacing Warren Gatland as Wales head coach after the 2019 World Cup. Pivac’s stock has risen after he guided the Scarlets to the semi-finals of the Champions Cup – a season after winning the Pro12…
‘I’m absolutely loving it’: Eddie Jones defiant over England’s losing Test run
England may be down and out in the Beverly Hills, the beachfront hotel where the squad have stayed for virtually their entire South Africa tour, but no one eavesdropping on Eddie Jones in the lobby on Monday would have guessed it. According to the England coach he has “never seen such an upbeat group” and…
Joe Marler admits to pain of missing out on England games
Five minutes before full time at Twickenham, it struck Joe Marler like a sledgehammer. Until that point Marler had avoided watching any of England’s nail-biting Six Nations win against Wales but with the side clinging on last Saturday the Harlequins prop, whose second suspension of the season expires next week, cracked. “I got home for…
Premiership Rugby set for revamp with US insurance giant as new title sponsor
Premiership Rugby is set to announce the US insurance giant Arthur J Gallagher & Co as its new title sponsor, succeeding Aviva in a move that could see English club rugby’s regular US fixture played in Chicago. Champions Cup pulled into firing line in Premiership ring-fencing wrangle That game is set to be played on…
Gloucester’s Ruan Ackermann targets European Challenge Cup glory
The European Challenge Cup has, in recent years, been Gloucester’s consolation ticket after Premiership campaigns that have flickered and died but they go into Friday night’s semi-final against Newcastle at Kingsholm for once fighting on two fronts at the tail-end of the season. Gloucester are sixth in the Premiership, three points behind Newcastle, who occupy…