For those busily trying to work out how many millions the Premiership might currently be worth, this was not the Super Sunday fixture to dazzle would-be private equity suitors. A grey, slightly damp afternoon in Eccles is not the most reliably irresistible of televisual backdrops and comparisons with Manchester’s round-ball theatre of dreams up the…
Category: Rugby
Gloucester accuse RFU of witch-hunt against Danny Cipriani after charge
Gloucester have accused the Rugby Football Union of a witch-hunt against Danny Cipriani, whose England future is in serious doubt after the governing body charged the fly-half following his conviction for common assault and resisting arrest. In a considerable U-turn from the RFU, Cipriani was on Friday charged with “conduct prejudicial to the interests of…
Springboks hold on to inflict shock home defeat on the All Blacks
Winger Aphiwe Dyantyi scored two tries as the Springboks upset the form book to record a 36-34 victory over New Zealand in their Rugby Championship clash in Wellington on Saturday. It was the first loss by the All Blacks to the Springboks in New Zealand since 2009 and kept the southern hemisphere championship alive until…
England call up Jonathan Joseph to Six Nations squad for Portugal trip
Jonathan Joseph has been added to England’s Six Nations squad despite making only one appearance in the past nine months. Eddie Jones has opted against any fly-half cover for the injured Owen Farrell, dashing Danny Cipriani’s hopes of a recall. Joseph’s addition is the only change to the squad to travel to Portugal on Wednesday,…
Chris Ashton could face Premiership ban for Sale after red card in friendly
Chris Ashton is facing the prospect of being banned for the start of the new Premiership season after he was sent-off for fighting during Sale’s pre-season victory over Castres last Friday. Premiership elite players to be limited to 30 games a season Ashton has a nervous wait to discover if he is cited by the…
Jonah Holmes helps Leicester defeat Harlequins to end losing run
The losing run ends at eight. Leicester marked the start of Geordan Murphy’s tenure as permanent head coach with a bonus point win, much as they did the start of his tenure as caretaker. Just a cursory glance of the Tigers’ line-up is enough to bewilder anyone pondering their recent travails. The England half-backs, an…
Six Nations set to unveil HSBC as championship’s new title sponsor
The Six Nations is set to unveil HSBC as the championship’s new title sponsor, the Guardian understands. HSBC, which sponsored the 2009 and 2013 British & Irish Lions tours of South Africa and Australia respectively, is in line to replace NatWest after just one year. NatWest was parachuted in for the 2018 Six Nations only…
Manu Tuilagi: I will decide on Racing offer after the Six Nations
Manu Tuilagi said his reported move to Paris to join Racing 92 is not yet a done deal and his future will not be finalised until the Six Nations is over. The centre remains torn between staying at Leicester or opting for a fresh start in France and described it as “the toughest decision” of…
Danny Cipriani fined £2,000 by Gloucester after nightclub incident
Gloucester have fined their England outside-half Danny Cipriani, who has yet to play for the club after joining from Wasps in the summer, £2,000 following an incident in a Jersey nightclub last week that led to his arrest and an appearance before magistrates on the island. Senior club officials met Cipriani yesterday at the club’s…
Eddie Jones suffers new blow with loss of England’s sports science head
England have been dealt a significant blow just over a year before the World Cup with another key member of Eddie Jones’s staff set to leave. Dean Benton is due to depart his position as the head of sports science, leaving Jones with another sizeable hole in his backroom staff to fill. The England head…