Danny Cipriani will find out in the coming days if Owen Farrell’s thumb injury leads to an England reprieve and a place in the squad to prepare for their Six Nations opener against Ireland. Last week Cipriani was omitted from England’s 35-man squad but Eddie Jones has yet to decide whether he needs an extra…
Month: March 2019
Steve Hansen to step down as New Zealand coach after 2019 World Cup
Steve Hansen’s all-conquering reign as the New Zealand coach will end after the 2019 World Cup. The 59-year-old, who has been in charge of the All Blacks since 2012 and has had 16 years within the setup, will leave after his side’s title defence in Japan. “I think change after the World Cup will bring…
Record-breaker Beauden Barrett scores four as All Blacks thump Wallabies again
Michael Cheika may or may not go as Australia coach any time soon, but it will take a cultural revolution to bridge the yawning chasm between the Wallabies and the All Blacks. The All Blacks’ 40-12 win against the Wallabies in the second Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday night kept…
Warren Gatland may coach in Premiership again after Wales farewell
Warren Gatland, who ends his 12-year association with Wales at the end of the World Cup, has held discussions about his next full-time job and has not ruled out a return to the Premiership where he enjoyed a trophy-rich period with Wasps in the 2000s. Gatland is preparing for his final Six Nations as Wales…
Beefed-up Zach Mercer out to show England he is more than fast feet
By his own admission, Zach Mercer is “the last one hanging on”. It is less of a case of the next cab off the rank, more of the last, but one of Eddie Jones’s apprentices looks likely to finally win his first England cap this autumn. Amid England’s back‑row crisis through injury and suspension, opportunity…
Joe Cokanasiga crosses late for Bath to restrict lowly Sale to draw
Every point is going to be precious in the lower reaches of this year’s Premiership and this grim, low-scoring draw will hardly lift the sinking morale of Bath’s sodden supporters. Failing to beat the league’s bottom-placed side at home is rarely a positive sign and the club’s director of rugby, Todd Blackadder, made no attempt…
RFU’s Nigel Melville insists Premiership trapdoor will not be closed
Around this time of year the Christmas decorations go up and England’s top clubs start complaining about one of them having to go down. No wonder Nigel Melville, the Rugby Football Union’s interim chief executive, was ready with an instant quip at Twickenham when the inevitable subject was raised. “I wonder why we’re talking about…
Johan Ackermann: player fatigue could harm England’s Six Nations prospects
Eddie Jones has been warned he faces a struggle to keep his England squad fresh given the demands placed on some players by the Champions Cup. Saracens and Exeter are still in contention for qualification and Gloucester’s head coach, Johan Ackermann, believes fatigue could impact on the national team’s prospects at the Six Nations. In…
Wales and Scotland plan to ‘donate directly’ to Doddie Weir charity
The Welsh Rugby Union and Scottish Rugby say they will “donate directly” to Doddie Weir’s motor neurone disease charity after the autumn Test series opener between Wales and Scotland on Saturday. Both organisations have committed to donating a joint six-figure sum from proceeds of the Principality Stadium match to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, the…
Exeter Chiefs turn on the power to leapfrog Saracens as leaders
Christmas comes around about as often as Saracens lose games of rugby nowadays but this was a seasonal stuffing in every respect. After 22 matches unbeaten in all competitions the Premiership champions were abruptly dragged back to earth by a fiercely motivated Chiefs side who, for now, sit three points above their main rivals at…