Points make prize money in the Six Nations. The title may have gone west but the cost to the Welsh Rugby Union of defeat against France in the final match of the Six Nations could be £2m, the difference between coming second and fifth. It may explain a contradictory selection by Wales who, alongside Scotland,…
Category: Rugby
Paul Gustard turned down England contract to take over at Harlequins
Paul Gustard has revealed he turned down a new England contract to become Harlequins’ head of rugby just 16 months before the World Cup – but has denied he was unhappy on Eddie Jones’s coaching staff. Gustard, England’s defence coach, also said he will go on next month’s tour of South Africa out of a…
Rhys Patchell boots Wales to series win in Argentina
Wales secured their first Test series victory in Argentina since 1999 with a 30-12 victory over the Pumas in Santa Fe. Warren Gatland’s side scored two tries, courtesy of Josh Adams and Hallam Amos, while Rhys Patchell contributed 20 points from the kicking tee. Daniel Hourcade’s woeful outfit crossed for two tries through Bautista Delguy…
John Barclay plays down Scotland’s tunnel scuffle with England
John Barclay played down reports of a scuffle in the tunnel before his side’s first Calcutta Cup victory over England in a decade. As the sides left the field following the warm-up to return to the dressing room, the England centre Owen Farrell and the Scotland No 8 Ryan Wilson found themselves in the middle of…
Major League Rugby: New York and Toronto expand reach in season two
Major League Rugby kicks off its second season this weekend with two new teams to watch. The Toronto Arrows will join Rugby United New York in taking on the Seattle Seawolves, Glendale Raptors, Austin Elite, Houston SaberCats, San Diego Legion, NOLA Gold and the Utah Warriors. Major League Rugby crowns Seattle champions – and looks…
England hoping Maro Itoje can unsettle New Zealand at Twickenham
Click: England have told Maro Itoje to get in the faces of the All Blacks on Saturday despite mounting concerns over his discipline. With the tough-tackling Sam Underhill also poised for a recall, Eddie Jones is set to name an England side on Thursday designed to rattle the world champions at Twickenham. Itoje conceded three…
Geordan Murphy appointment is Leicester sticking to an old routine
As Leicester lurch from one mess to another, one head coach to the next, England’s best supported and most successful club is faced with a familiar conundrum: to stick or to twist. Since Richard Cockerill was shown the door a little less than two years ago, Aaron Mauger has been promoted from within, then Matt…
Prop crisis may force Newcastle to play Champions Cup tie with 14 men
Newcastle are facing the possibility of having to play the majority of Friday night’s European Champions Cup tie against Edinburgh with only 14 men, because of an injury crisis at tighthead prop. They have named their squad to face Edinburgh with David Wilson picked to start at tighthead, despite fitness concerns over the former England…
Rhys Priestland’s kick snatches victory for Bath from Wasps’ grasp
Neither side had anything to play for here and it showed. An amusing first half deteriorated into a mind-numbing second, where two of English rugby’s fallen giants attempted to outdo each other in contriving ways not to win. And at the end the old inquest into where it has all gone wrong was given an…
Bath resist late Quins pressure after rising star Joe Cokanasiga runs riot
New season, new regime, but it all felt more than a little familiar at the Stoop. Harlequins will point to an early lead and very definitely to a remarkable comeback with two tries in the last five minutes, which would have qualified as sensational had they managed another with the last play of the game…