Given the option of beating Ireland in a fortnight’s time or winning the Rugby World Cup there is absolutely no doubt which Eddie Jones would choose. The more interesting question is to what extent will England’s prospects in Japan be shaped by the 2019 Six Nations? Forecasting imminent world domination is tougher if your team…
Month: March 2019
Premiership: Newcastle rob Saints late on, Gloucester climb to third
Dean Richards conceded Newcastle had pulled off “a robbery” after their last-gasp 16-14 win at Northampton, while Johan Ackermann called for more from his Gloucester players, despite a convincing 36-16 home victory against Worcester. At Franklin’s Gardens, Mark Wilson scored in the 86th minute to level the game at 14-14, with Toby Flood converting the…
Eddie Jones: ‘New Zealand will always expect to win. It’s in their blood’
As Eddie Jones was keen to stress, there is a big difference between knowing how to beat New Zealand and actually doing it. “It’s not like Pythagoras’s theorem,” he said on Monday. “I don’t think there’s any magic formula.” True, but never before have England had so much inside information on the All Blacks at…
Pat Lam moved by ‘vision’ to deliver on Bristol’s ambitious spending
At this time of year the action on the field cannot begin quickly enough. The word is that the coming season will be slicker, shinier and in higher definition than the last – more vibrant, more exciting, more competitive than ever – new sponsors, same spiel but, as Pat Lam prepares to begin his Premiership…
Wallabies assistant Stephen Larkham axed after disagreement with Michael Cheika
Stephen Larkham has been axed as Wallabies assistant coach by Michael Cheika, eight months out from the Rugby World Cup. The former Wallabies five-eighth says he and coach Cheika could not agree on key points of attacking strategy and game philosophy. The axing follows the Wallabies’ dismal year in which they slipped to a record-low…
Ryan Crotty the only change to All Blacks side for Ireland clash
Ryan Crotty replaces an injured Sonny Bill Williams in the only change to the All Blacks team to meet Ireland in their clash of the world’s top-ranked teams in Dublin. Veteran inside centre Williams damaged a shoulder during last week’s 16-15 win over England at Twickenham and may yet recover for the tour-ending Test against…
Manu Tuilagi casts aside roguish image to give England sense of calm
Manu Tuilagi has mixed memories of playing against France. His two Six Nations matches against England’s opponents on Sunday have ended in victory, with Tuilagi on the scoresheet both times, but his first encounter against France illustrates just how long and winding his road has been. It came at the 2011 World Cup, ended in…
Confusion over Owen Farrell’s tackle is widespread and understandable
When Kurtley Beale was asked this week about Owen Farrell’s challenge on André Esterhuizen, his first thought was to glance in the direction of Australia’s media officer. The Wallabies’ playmaker clearly had a view, but with Twickenham their final destination this month, it needed to be placed in a diplomatic bag. Beale, like other players,…
Israel Folau in centres as Adam Coleman ruled out of final Bledisloe Test
Israel Folau will start at outside centre, while a groin injury has forced lock Adam Coleman out of the Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks on Saturday in Yokohama. Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has named Sefa Naivalu on the wing to accommodate Folau’s switch to the centres for the first time in his…
England denied by All Blacks and late decision in Twickenham thriller
New Zealand do not lose many matches, even fewer when Brodie Retallick plays. The second-row has been on the beaten team in the black jersey only once since August 2015, against the Lions last year, and was hugely influential as the World Cup holders overcame an early 15-point deficit and torrential rain that hampered their…