Russia will appear at the World Cup next year after Romania, Spain and Belgium were all sanctioned for fielding ineligible players in the Rugby Europe Championship, which acts as the qualification tournament. Joy of Six Nations overshadows Spain’s pain and fears for the game | Robert Kitson Romania have said they will appeal against the…
Month: March 2019
Exeter should not be underestimated despite big names of Saracens
Scanning the Exeter team list on grand final day is to be reminded of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid being pursued on horseback by a mysterious posse who never take a wrong turn. “They’re beginning to get on my nerves,” mutters Butch. “Who are those guys?” Jonny Hill, Alec Hepburn and Joe Simmonds are…
Dylan Hartley and Elliot Daly given 24 hours to prove England fitness
Dylan Hartley and Elliot Daly have been given an extra 24 hours in their efforts to prove their fitness to face Ireland on Saturday after England named a bloated squad for their final Six Nations match. Hartley and Daly are progressing from calf and foot injuries respectively but face a race against time as England…
Tom Prydie: ‘I have fought for a long time to get back into the Wales side’
Even at the start of the year, Tom Prydie’s international career look to have dissolved into a quiz question. When the wing won his first cap at the end of the 2010 Six Nations, less than a month after his 18th birthday, he was the youngest player to have been capped by his country, and…
Sexton and Nacewa kick Leinster to Champions Cup glory against Racing 92
Irish rugby’s remarkable year shows absolutely no sign of ending. By no stretch of the imagination was this a classic final but it is impossible to deny the scale of Leinster’s achievement in becoming only the second team in history to win four European Cups. Given Ireland’s Six Nations grand slam and potentially a Pro14…
Eddie Jones tells Danny Cipriani: step out of line and you are going home
Eddie Jones has warned Danny Cipriani he will be sent home from South Africa if he steps out of line after the fly-half received a first senior England call-up for three years. Cipriani’s return to the international fold is the most notable selection in Jones’s 34-man squad for the three‑Test series next month and while…
Toby Flood kicks Newcastle to win over Northampton in front of record crowd
This felt like a victory for Newcastle before the match had even kicked off. The Falcons, enjoying their best season for 16 years, attracted a crowd of 30,174 to St James’ Park for a match they had billed as The Big One. The attendance dwarfed their previous record home crowd of 11,750, set during a…
England plan to target Scotland’s Finn Russell, says Courtney Lawes
England’s forwards will head north on Thursday vowing to give Finn Russell another torrid day at the office in the Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield this weekend. The Scotland fly-half has endured a mixed Six Nations campaign so far and, according to the English back-rower Courtney Lawes, further heavy punishment is heading his way. Nathan…
Bible-studying rake wins Wallabies debut for first Test against Ireland
Former garbage collector and theologist Brandon Paenga-Amosa will cap a stunning rugby rise by packing down as Wallabies hooker against Ireland. Paenga-Amosa, who had been playing 12 months ago for Sydney club Southern Districts, is among three forwards to make their Test debuts against the Six Nations champions on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium. Wallabies…
Wasps’ victory over Exeter is marred by a succession of injuries
It was every bit as tight as last season’s Premiership final between these teams when the Chiefs triumphed in added time, and yesterday Wasps had to dig deep to avenge that defeat. But victory on a chilly afternoon near Coventry came at a cost. Wasps have had some horrendous luck with injuries this season and…