It requires little imagination to guess what England can expect in Dublin this Saturday. The Aviva Stadium will be chilly and raucous, the Irish pack will be fired up and the contest both on the floor and in the air will be ferocious. Any similarities with the quiet, sunny and mellow Algarve where England are…
Author: THEJOHNANTONIOBLOG
Six Nations tickets worth £370,000 touted on Viagogo, investigation reveals
Click:gender reveal cannons More than a thousand tickets for the Six Nations have appeared for sale on the controversial website Viagogo for a combined £370,000, according to Guardian analysis that illustrates the grip wielded by ticket touts over in-demand events. Details of the scale at which Six Nations tickets are being touted prompted concern from…
Joe Cokanasiga has power and pace to add to England’s strength in depth
When Joe Cokanasiga was plucked from obscurity to tour Argentina last year, Eddie Jones was typically blunt as to why: “He’s big and he’s fast.” On Thursday – Cokanasiga’s 21st birthday – Jones handed the Fiji-born wing a Test debut and cited his immeasurable progress over the past 18 months. Truth be told however, the…
South Africa World Cup winner Naka Drotske shot in attempted robbery
World Cup-winning hooker Naka Drotske is said to be in a stable condition after the former South Africa international was shot three times during an attempted robbery in Pretoria on Thursday. Local media reported that the former Cheetahs player and coach had lost almost a third of his blood in the incident, was in intensive…
Owen Farrell to play for England against New Zealand despite fitness concerns
Eddie Jones has revealed Owen Farrell is not 100% fit for Saturday’s long-awaited encounter with the All Blacks but said his co-captain will “put his body on the line” after urging England to rewrite history against New Zealand. Jones admitted leaving his “warrior” fly-half out of his side was never an option but also suggested…
Decision on Michael Cheika’s Wallabies future to be made ‘ahead of Christmas’
Rugby Australia chairman Cameron Clyne has declined to guarantee or clarify the position of Michael Cheika following a presentation from the Wallabies’ coach, but says a thorough review will be completed before Christmas. Clyne came out seven hours into an unfinished RA board meeting on Monday, but spent just 50 seconds giving a statement to the…
South Africa stick with their back-up scrum-halves as De Klerk stays at Sale
Faf de Klerk has played a significant role in South Africa’s revival this year, but the scrum-half will again be playing for Sale this weekend rather than lining up for his country. The Springboks have first call on him under World Rugby regulations, but they have allowed him to remain with the Sharks despite their…
England’s finest seek Champions Cup atonement at feet of Leinster
The pressing question in European rugby union as the Champions Cup starts is how do you stop Leinster winning it for a record fifth time. At the launch in Newcastle, where next May’s final will be played, Bath’s director of rugby, Todd Blackadder, suggested it is a tournament where cultures collide – and that the…
Mark Wilson set for ‘dream’ start at No 8 for England against Springboks
For a club sitting bottom of the Premiership this is proving a surprisingly satisfying few weeks for the coaches and players of Newcastle. In the past month in Europe they have beaten two French giants, Toulon and Montpellier, and on Saturday one of their favourite sons is finally set to run out at Twickenham as…
Dylan Hartley left out of England’s initial Six Nations squad with injury
Dylan Hartley has been omitted from England’s Six Nations squad due to injury and will miss their opening fixture against Ireland next month. Hartley has not played for Northampton since 21 December because of a knee problem and Eddie Jones has revealed he will not travel to England’s training camp in Portugal next week as…