It was the 20th anniversary of the sacking of Bob Dwyer as Leicester’s director of rugby and there was a point in the second half when it seemed his compatriot Matt O’Connor was in danger of suffering the same fate. The Tigers were heading for their 11th defeat in 12 league and European Cup matches…
Category: Rugby
Exeter crush Newcastle and prove folly of England tour selection
Two potentially gripping semi-finals, two painfully one-sided outcomes. If Saracens were runaway winners in north London, the rumbling Exeter juggernaut proved even harder to stop beside the M5 on a gorgeous afternoon in Devon. Newcastle had made the long trip south with high hopes of troubling the champions; had their outside backs known in advance…
England’s Mike Brown says abusive fan had no right to accuse him of not trying
England’s Mike Brown has hit back at the fan who abused him and Joe Marler following the second Test defeat in Bloemfontein and says no one should ever accuse him or any other professional of showing a lack of effort. Brown and Marler were approached after the game by an irate England supporter loudly bemoaning…
Scotland seek way to win away in a Six Nations lacking consistent refereeing
Finding a way to win away. It was a conundrum that ensured Gregor Townsend did not get carried away last Saturday by Scotland’s first victory over England in 10 years. The head coach was already thinking about their next match against Ireland in Dublin and how to end years of failure on the road in…
Saracens in play-offs with win over Bath as Joseph suffers ankle injury
Another desperate afternoon for Bath, and not a great one for England with Jonathan Joseph hobbling off with an ankle injury that may jeopardise his place on the summer tour of South Africa. For Saracens it was an emphatic bonus-point victory, confirming their place in the play-offs for the ninth season in a row, but the…
Gregor Townsend seeks Scotland atonement against Argentina
Scotland’s players received a rocket after failing to achieve lift-off in Houston last weekend and their head coach, Gregor Townsend, expects atonement against an Argentina side who have forgotten what victory tastes like. USA beat Scotland in Houston for first win over major rugby nation Townsend has made eight changes for Saturday’s match in Resistencia from…
Saracens hammer relegated London Irish to secure home Premiership semi
The England No 8 Billy Vunipola produced a rampaging 20-minute cameo as Saracens secured a home play-off semi-final against Wasps or Newcastle by crushing relegated London Irish. Making his first appearance since breaking an arm in mid-January, Vunipola’s first involvement left Irish flanker Jake Schatz in a crumpled heap, soon to be withdrawn, and he…
Scotland’s Ryan Wilson cited for Calcutta Cup clash with Nathan Hughes
As the fallout from the tunnel fracas before England’s Calcutta Cup defeat rumbles on Ryan Wilson, the Scotland No 8 who clashed with Owen Farrell during the scuffle, has been cited for allegedly making contact with Nathan Hughes’s eye area in a separate incident shortly before half-time. Wilson faces a Six Nations disciplinary hearing on…
George Ford: England need more hunger in defence after ‘embarrassing’ loss
George Ford has admitted England’s record-breaking defeat at the hands of the Barbarians was “embarrassing” and questioned his side’s effort following a fourth successive loss under Eddie Jones. England conceded their most points in 20 years and their most ever at Twickenham as Chris Ashton ran in a 22-minute hat-trick for the invitational side, who…
Danny Cipriani to leave Wasps at end of season: ‘My job is far from finished’
Danny Cipriani says he will “take some time to decide my next move” following confirmation he is to be released by Wasps at the end of this season. The 30-year-old fly-half, capped 14 times by England, has options in France and Japan but will be giving up any prospect of reviving his international career if…