The message coming out of the England camp in the buildup to one of the most hotly anticipated Calcutta Cup matches in recent memory is clear. Scotland may be unbeaten at home in the Six Nations since Eddie Jones’s first match in charge of England back in 2016 but the hostile welcome that awaits at…
Author: THEJOHNANTONIOBLOG
Warren Gatland says George North is welcome to ‘come home’ to Wales early
Warren Gatland has told George North, who will make his first start for Wales in nearly a year against Italy on Sunday, that he will be welcome to come home if he wants to leave Northampton before his contract ends in the summer after being accused of not wanting to play against Sale last weekend….
Injuries put Ireland’s unbeaten Six Nations run at risk against Wales
Ireland have not been beaten at home in the Six Nations since Joe Schmidt became their coach in 2013 but they will have to defend that record against Wales on Saturday without four players who toured New Zealand with the British & Irish Lions last summer. The centre Robbie Henshaw is a long-term absentee after…
Worcester lifted by Ben Te’o’s pledge to see out contract next season
Ben Te’o has moved to end speculation over his future at Worcester by insisting he will “100%” be at the club next season. The England centre has one more year to run on his three-year deal and has confirmed he plans to see out his contract. Te’o’s renewed commitment comes as a boost to Worcester,…
Tactical kicking back in fashion as Wallabies look for Test edge
It is the tactic Michael Cheika once banned at the NSW Waratahs and has restricted at the Wallabies, but it may well be just the strategy Australia will need to succeed in Test rugby this year, particularly against Six Nations champions Ireland. Tactical kicking was taboo when Cheika coached the Waratahs and he has kept…
Schmidt defends Ireland’s aerial tactics with Australia series still up in the air
Australia expect the series against Ireland, which is locked at 1-1 going into the final Test at a sell-out Allianz Stadium in Sydney, to be decided in the air. The Wallabies won the first match after their full-back Israel Folau dominated the aerial battle in Brisbane but Ireland devised a way of reducing his effectiveness in…
England staring down the barrel unless lessons are learned – and fast
An unexpectedly one‑sided Six Nations Championship has made two things crystal clear. There can be no disputing that the runaway grand slam winners, Ireland, are the European side best placed to succeed at the Rugby World Cup next year. And the other inescapable conclusion? Unless England absorb the harsh lessons of their worst finish in…
England’s latest Fijian recruit, Lagi Tuima: ‘I get a thrill from chaos’
England roll into Scotland on Friday night to continue their pursuit of another Women’s Six Nations title, with a smattering of fresh faces and sprinkling of Fijian flair. Lagi Tuima, the 19-year-old niece of the Fiji men’s captain, Akapusi Qera, makes her first Six Nations start and while she considers it an “honour and a…
Brad Shields talks ‘chip butties’ after winning starting spot for England
Only a few months ago an England team-sheet containing Brad Shields and Danny Cipriani and lacking Chris Robshaw would have been about as likely as Eddie Jones wearing a cravat. Fashions are changing within international rugby, however, and the newly arrived Shields and much discussed Cipriani have both been invited to add a dash of…
Siya Kolisi: ‘We represent something much bigger than we can imagine’
Siya Kolisi knows the meaning of what it truly is to suffer. As a small boy surviving in the township of Zwide near Port Elizabeth on South Africa’s east coast, he ate irregularly. His grandmother and young mother were unable to put food on the table every day. It was proper, aching hunger, something no…