Sam Underhill may be one of England’s youngest, least experienced players but he reacted to one of the biggest disappointments of his senior career with a mature detachment. “If the referee says the grass is pink, then the grass is pink,” he said when asked about his disallowed try five minutes from time against New…
Author: THEJOHNANTONIOBLOG
Ellis Genge hoping to be the man with a dragon tattoo
Heard the one about the England player hoping to get a Welsh dragon tattooed on his foot? Those who say rugby is short on characters have clearly not met Ellis Genge, the Leicester loosehead prop, whose taste in inspirational body art is putting the boot into Six Nations convention. To mark significant English Tests and…
John Mitchell and Warren Gatland forget friendship for Cardiff evening
Just occasionally in sport there is no escaping one’s past. Once upon a time Warren Gatland and John Mitchell were house-mates in Hamilton, sharing car rides to training and much else besides. Little did either of them guess they would one day be reunited as rival coaches in the cauldron of a Six Nations Wales-England…
Nathan Hughes could miss England’s autumn campaign after citing for punch
Nathan Hughes is facing the prospect of being suspended for all of England’s autumn internationals campaign after he was cited for punching Lewis Ludlow in the head during Wasps’ defeat by Gloucester on Saturday. Hughes’s absence would be a significant blow for Eddie Jones, whose options at No 8 have already been depleted by Sam…
Super W set to take place at top table of Australian women’s sport
The 2019 Super W season kicks off this weekend amid great anticipation, given the success of the inaugural series 12 months ago. Rugby Australia has reported a 20% increase in female participation in the XVs form of the code, but it may still sit in the shadow of other women’s sport codes, considering the continuing…
New Zealand’s Twickenham scouting mission goes under Eddie Jones’s radar
New Zealand undertook a scouting mission at their own expense on Saturday, with the All Blacks attending Twickenham and seemingly without Eddie Jones’s knowledge. It is understood New Zealand paid for their tickets rather than receiving any complimentary hospitality from the Rugby Football Union, with the advanced party of 23 players – who arrived in…
Chris Ashton’s England recall in doubt after seven-week ban for tip tackle
Chris Ashton’s hopes of winning an England recall this autumn have been dealt a hammer blow after he was hit on Thursday night with a seven-week ban for a tip-tackle during a pre-season friendly with Sale. Ashton will have just one match to prove his worth before Eddie Jones names his autumn squad in October after…
Ireland seal nervy win over Argentina but Sean O’Brien a casualty
Ireland laboured to a patchy 28-17 victory over Argentina in Dublin, losing Sean O’Brien and Kieran Marmion to serious-looking injuries. Marmion, Bundee Aki and Luke McGrath scored Ireland’s tries as the Six Nations champions started their November campaign with a staccato win over the stubborn Pumas. Bautista Delguy crossed for Argentina, who edged ahead in…
Waratahs accused of playing like Harlem Globetrotters after scare in Japan
Captain Michael Hooper has accused his NSW Waratahs of trying to play like the Harlem Globetrotters after scraping to an unimpressive 31-30 Super Rugby win over the Sunwolves. A record-breaking double from Israel Folau helped the Waratahs survive an enormous fright in Tokyo on Saturday, with the fast-finishing hosts coming painfully close to pulling off…
Jordan Larmour’s try for champions Leinster is a bad break for Bath
Bath have been flagging of late, one victory in 10 matches before welcoming the Champions Cup holders, which is maybe why they decided to confiscate 1,500 Leinster flags before the match on health and safety grounds. They succeeded in lowering the provinces’s standard, but could not stop it fluttering on a dank afternoon when defences…