Pool One Defeat by Toulouse at the RDS would leave holders Leinster needing to be one of the best three runners-up to qualify for the knockout stage. They are without five Ireland internationals for the visit of the club whose record of four European Cup final victories they equalled last season. Fly-half Johnny Sexton is…
Author: THEJOHNANTONIOBLOG
Wales break losing run against Australia with late Dan Biggar penalty
When a losing run is as long as this, any old win will do. Wales, after 13 consecutive defeats against Australia, finally managed to beat them. That the score was 9-6, a throwback to rugby union’s bad old days, did not matter a jot to a raucous crowd. Nor should it, but to the neutral…
Warren Gatland: ‘England don’t know which Wales team is going to turn up’
Wales’s opening performances in the Six Nations have been enough to produce hard-earned victories away to the weakest two sides in the tournament, France and Italy, but no more. Warren Gatland believes it could work to their advantage against England in Cardiff on Saturday because their opponents’ analysis will be of little practical use. “I…
England sweat on Mako Vunipola scan result in build-up to Wales eliminator
England were on Monday waiting on the result of a scan on Mako Vunipola after he suffered an ankle injury against France on Sunday. The loosehead prop damaged it in the 44th minute of the thumping victory over the French and his fitness is a concern with their grand slam eliminator against Wales coming up…
Bledisloe Cup classics, a Maradona unveiling and a Barry Chuckle tribute
1) It’s the first Bledisloe Cup match of 2018 between New Zealand and Australia so let’s begin with this utterly ridiculous Christian Cullen try from 2000, with significant input from Jonah Lomu and Tana Umaga. Cullen, again, this time going it alone in Dunedin in 1997. Stirling Mortlock waltzing through the All Black midfield before…
Rugby union: talking points from the final round of autumn Tests
1) England positive but Wallabies a pale shadow England’s autumn ledger reads as follows: P4 W3 L1; tries scored 10, tries conceded six. They have looked both excellent and sluggish at times but the overall end-of-term report has to be a positive one. If the Vunipolas return fit and firing, Manu Tuilagi and Joe Cokanasiga…
Worcester’s Nick Schonert: ‘You can’t be a one‑trick pony. England want the complete package’
It was a footnote to Manu Tuilagi’s latest injury but Nick Schonert’s withdrawal from England’s training squad last month was a bitter blow for both the Worcester prop and Eddie Jones. The 27-year-old South African tighthead has been on the periphery of the England setup for a while, doing enough to “get in the room”…
Ireland hold most of the cards but Scotland aim to raise a storm
Click:Peptide APIs USA Supplier One defeat is damaging enough. Two in the space of eight days would surely end Ireland’s hopes of retaining the Six Nations, and perhaps also of regaining the affections of some of those fans who felt so cruelly disillusioned by their loss to England in Dublin a week ago. Joe Schmidt’s…
New Zealand’s coach Steve Hansen suggests 16-week off-seasons for all
Steve Hansen has called for a mandatory 16-week off-season, days after an 11-month campaign was announced in England. The New Zealand head coach said England were still counting the cost of having 15 players on the British & Irish Lions tour of his country last year, amid escalating concerns over player-workload. Bledisloe Cup: All Blacks…