It may come as some surprise to hear it has taken a New Zealander to hammer home just how much England hate losing to “disliked” Australia this week. John Mitchell, the defence coach, has only been in the role a couple of months but has called on England to recognise there is universal animosity towards…
Author: THEJOHNANTONIOBLOG
Maro Itoje: England beating Ireland won’t be easy – but we will be ready
With the majority of sports people what you see is essentially what you get. With Maro Itoje it is more complicated. “Are you asking about Maro the person or Maro the rugby player?” he says, more than once. Not everyone would draw a major distinction but, in Itoje’s mind, there is clearly a sizeable gap….
‘I can give back to America’: Alex Corbisiero on NBC, the Premiership and never playing again
The Pig and Whistle calls itself New York’s premier rugby bar. The title might be contested but it’s certainly very rugby and very New York indeed. Premiership looks like 10 in a scrum plus Saracens and Exeter on top | Robert Kitson On West 36th Street, in the Garment District, it is surrounded by buzzing…
Champions Cup preview: Leinster’s Sexton back but Saracens miss Itoje
Pool One Elliot Daly captains Wasps for their must-win encounter with Toulouse in Coventry on Saturday amid reports of his departure to Saracens over the summer. Dai Young is boosted by the returns of the wing Josh Bassett, the hooker Tom Cruse and the flanker Thomas Young as Wasps look to improve a run of…
Japan captain Leitch says his side will not bow down at Twickenham
The Japan captain, Michael Leitch, insists his side are targeting nothing less than victory against England on Saturday, claiming Eddie Jones would not have it any other way. England’s Eddie Jones to boycott ‘waste of time’ referees’ meetings Leitch, who was Jones’s captain for the stunning win over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup,…
Conor O’Shea’s long wait goes on and there is little respite for Italy
The waiting goes on for Conor O’Shea. After three years as Italy’s head coach, he still has to taste victory in the Six Nations and it is set to be unlucky 13 for the former Ireland full-back when his countrymen visit Rome on Sunday. Since losing in the Italian capital six years ago, Ireland have…
‘I love watching, playing and learning from it’: Gregor Townsend on football
“I was at Scotland’s last World Cup match,” says Gregor Townsend. “It was my stag weekend and my brother got us to collect coupons from the paper for cheap flights.” Football is a thread that has run through Townsend’s life, whether it be playing for his primary school team and the renowned Hutchison Vale boys’…
Eddie Jones’s words about Wales prove to be a warning, not a wind-up
If you ask the locals around Cardiff, there are a lot of words they might use to describe the English. Humble is not one. In fact if you are waiting for one of them to say that, you will never catch that last train out of town. The same goes for Eddie Jones. “Arrogance,” Jones…
Rugby union’s World League plans criticised as ‘under-cooked’
England have joined the global chorus of disapproval at the latest plans to reform rugby union’s international calendar. A leaked proposal to create a new 12-team World League from 2020 which excludes the Pacific Islands for economic reasons is causing uproar in both hemispheres, with Nigel Melville, the Rugby Football Union’s acting chief executive, criticising…
Premiership rugby finances: the full club-by-club breakdown and verdict
Financial figures for 2016-17, for the 12 clubs that were in the Premiership during 2016-17. All details from the most recently published annual reports at Companies House. The figures for borrowings are from banks or other significant lenders, not for all creditors. The separate categories of turnover are listed according to the wording in individual…