Several players have been left out of the France squad to face Italy in their next Six Nations game after the French Rugby Federation said it had sanctioned those who went on a night out following the defeat by Scotland. “Jacques Brunel has decided to exclude from that list the players who went out after…
Month: March 2019
Eddie Jones: ‘Defeat to South Africa was like a horror movie’
Eddie Jones has compared England’s latest loss to “a horror movie” after watching South Africa condemn his side to a premature series defeat. The head coach has acknowledged his squad are enduring a “bloody tough period” and says their composure under pressure has to improve if they are to resurrect their fortunes. For the second…
Eddie Jones’s England training methods to come under scrutiny
Eddie Jones’s training methods will be at the top of the agenda at the board meeting between the powerbrokers of the English game amid an escalating row over the number of injuries suffered at his England camps, Premiership Rugby has revealed. Premiership Rugby on Thursday expressed its concern at the number of injuries sustained in…
Alex Lozowski inspires nine-try Saracens to huge win over Northampton
For all that the scoreboard makes for desperate reading yet again for Northampton, perhaps the most miserable aspect of this latest hammering is that Saracens hit top gear only intermittently in reaching their fourth half-century against the Saints this season. Alex Lozowski was masterful at outside-centre and Maro Itoje commanding but the ease with which…
Teddy Thomas runs in two tries as Racing power past Munster
The ultimate Irish rugby party may not have materialised but this season’s European Champions Cup final should still be one for the connoisseur. Forget the theory about Leinster being unbeatable this year: if Racing 92 perform for 80 minutes in Bilbao on 12 May with the same power and panache which shredded Munster early on a…
South Africa prepare for ‘step up’ against England after late loss to Wales
South Africa are relishing the chance to heap more misery on Eddie Jones and England in their three-match Test series. The Springboks were beaten 22-20 by Wales in Washington DC – Ryan Elias’s late try won it for Warren Gatland’s side – but the team fielded by Rassie Erasmus in the US capital will be nothing like the…
England women make adjustments for Six Nations grand slam crunch in France
England’s women will be in the Stade des Alpes on Saturday night knowing they have to take their game to new heights against a French side itching to avenge last summer’s World Cup semi-final defeat in Belfast. The meeting in Grenoble really is Le Crunch for two unbeaten teams harbouring grand slam ambitions. England have…
Eddie Jones expects fresh England to bounce back against South Africa
By the time Eddie Jones’s England squad complete their three-Test trek around South Africa this month, several big questions will have been answered. Are they still a flourishing side who simply endured a blip during the Six Nations? Are Jones’s players still energised by their master’s voice? The first Test at Ellis Park this weekend…
Sale hopes of a Champions Cup place ended by George Ford’s salvo
This was a bizarre frolic to end the season for two sides with Europe on their minds. Despite the unbroken sunshine the floodlights were switched on 20 minutes into the game and the warm, dry conditions nurtured a rash of handling errors rather than continuity. Leicester had spent the previous two weeks in a daze…
England captain Dylan Hartley ruled out of South Africa tour with concussion
Dylan Hartley will miss England’s three-Test tour to South Africa in June after being told to take the summer off following the Northampton hooker’s latest concussion. The 32-year-old England captain has not played since taking a blow to the head in their final Six Nations match against Ireland at Twickenham. He ended the 2016 championship…