James Haskell and Danny Cipriani have forgone financial gain to keep alive their hopes of appearing at the World Cup next year. Moves to Northampton and Gloucester respectively were confirmed yesterday with both players opting against potentially lucrative moves abroad to stay in the Premiership and remain eligible for England. Wasps announced towards the start…
Month: March 2019
John Afoa aims for glorious Gloucester sign-off in Challenge Cup final
Gloucester have prioritised performance over results since Johan Ackermann took charge in August but their season will be defined by the outcome of their final match of the campaign. Green shoots of recovery have been clear under the South African head coach but a second consecutive Challenge Cup final defeat, when they face Cardiff Blues…
England and Scotland told to explain tunnel fracas involving Owen Farrell
England and Scotland must explain their roles in the tunnel bust-up involving Owen Farrell shortly before the Calcutta Cup match on Saturday, raising the possibility of disciplinary action against the England centre. It is understood Farrell was the subject of provocation and did not instigate the fracas, during which he and Scotland’s No 8 Ryan…
Eddie Jones’s England regain their self-respect, but doubts remain
Reasons to be cheerful 1) Finally, a win! Saturday’s third Test may have been a dead rubber but the 25-10 victory was a life-saver for England’s self-respect. Had they lost in Cape Town it would have been the team’s sixth straight international defeat, not including a salutary loss to a rampant Barbarians side at Twickenham….
Chris Ashton back at Twickenham with point to prove to Eddie Jones
There is something irresistible about the possibility of Chris Ashton and Danny Cipriani lining up as opposing full-backs when England host the Barbarians on Sunday. Arguably the two most gifted English players of their generation, neither has graced the Twickenham turf as often as his talents warrant in recent years, with England’s management either unwilling…
Exeter’s Ali Hepher: underestimate British coaches at your peril
Within English club rugby there is increasingly little patience for the theory that the world’s most successful coaches all hail from the southern hemisphere. Saturday’s Premiership semi-finals reinforce the argument: all four of this season’s top the teams are overseen by British or Irish‑reared coaches who have dominated the domestic honours list for more than…
Faf de Klerk: ‘Altitude was a factor in England’s loss to South Africa’
South Africa believe England were the architects of their own spectacular demise in the first Test on Saturday because Eddie Jones’s squad failed to acclimatise properly. Instead of preparing at altitude before the Johannesburg contest Jones had chosen to base his players at sea level and saw his initially dominant team collapse to a 42-39…
France take the Fall over World Rugby’s lack of clarity on laws
Steve Hansen was asked this week if he would consider putting the series trophy on the line for the All Blacks’ dead rubber against France on Saturday. The answer was unequivocal – “We’ve got it, so we’ll keep it” – while pointing out the decision is not his to make, but the very fact the…
Gregor Townsend shakes up Scotland as redemption sought against France
The anguished will gather in Edinburgh on Sunday. France suffered the most agonising of defeats in round one, scuppered by the Drop Goal from the End of the World, while Scotland can only dream of anything so dignified as agony. Such was their humiliation in Cardiff they were finished long before there was opportunity to…
Northern lights Sale and Newcastle face off in Premiership top four battle
Not since Sale won their only Premiership title 12 years ago have English rugby’s northern lights shone so brightly. With three rounds left both the Sharks and Newcastle are strong contenders for Europe’s Champions Cup qualification with a top-four spot hinging on the outcome of Friday ’s shoot-out at Kingston Park. Power in danger of…