It is an expression more usually associated with sending people to sleep. But the Rugby Football Union will be hoping that the “white noise” that has inspired England’s new kit for the 2018-19 season can provide a wakeup call to Eddie Jones’s side. The new shirt – which costs £95 – will be worn for…
Month: March 2019
Shaun Edwards to make league return as Wigan Warriors head coach in 2020
Shaun Edwards will return to rugby league in 2020 as the Wigan head coach after fulfilling his commitments with Wales rugby union side following the World Cup next year. Edwards, who played for Wigan from 1983 to 1997, has been widely linked with a return to league since Shaun Wane announced in May that he would…
Leinster cruise past tame Wasps and train their sights on Ulster
Almost three years ago to the day Leinster came here and were duly sent home, tails between their legs, having shipped more than 50 points. If ever there was a demonstration of how the tables have turned since then it was this routine bonus-point victory in which they were rarely required to find top gear….
Dylan Hartley still striving for fitness as he takes reduced England training
Dylan Hartley faces a race against time to be fit for the start of the season following five months out with concussion after it emerged he did not take a full part in England’s pre-season training camp over the weekend. Hartley returned to the England set-up for a three-day get-together in Teddington having missed the…
Wallabies edge hard-fought Springboks Rugby Championship clash
They may have been more lucky than good but the Wallabies lifted the gloom permeating Australian rugby by edging the error-prone Springboks 23-18 in Brisbane. The visitors dominated the first half, only for a freakish Matt Toomua try to keep them within touching distance at the interval, before desperate defence saw them hold out in…
Sam Simmonds’ worst fears confirmed in injury blow for England and Exeter
Sam Simmonds faces an uphill battle to feature at the Rugby World Cup next year after being ruled out for between six and nine months with a major knee ligament injury. Northampton’s Twickenham tribute to Rob Horne after horror injury The Exeter back-row ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Worcester last weekend and will be…
England’s Eddie Jones to boycott ‘waste of time’ referees’ meetings
Eddie Jones is so disillusioned about inconsistent decisions in Tests he plans to boycott all official meetings relating to the game’s laws. England’s coach believes a failure to stick to agreed protocols is undermining rugby and that attending talks on such issues is now “a waste of time.” With his side only halfway through…
Eddie Jones’ tactical rethink plants Owen Farrell at heart of power game
Graham Henry used to complain when he was in charge of Wales that rugby there was like a shower without a temperature control: it was either too hot or too cold. Eddie Jones is having the same problem in England. A few months after calls for his head following a fifth successive loss that led…
Maro Itoje commits future to Saracens with new deal until 2022
Saracens have confirmed Maro Itoje has signed a new deal until 2022. The England forward’s current contract at the Premiership champions was due to expire next summer but an announcement on Wednesday confirmed he has committed his future to the club. “I’m really pleased to be staying on at Saracens,” he said. “I’ve been at…
Warren Gatland among candidates to succeed Eddie Jones with England
The Rugby Football Union interim chief executive, Nigel Melville, is planning to speak to Warren Gatland as part of his search for Eddie Jones’s successor as England head coach. Gatland will leave his role as Wales head coach after nearly 12 years in the job after next year’s World Cup and is yet to announce…