Eddie Jones expects Owen Farrell to rule through fear as captain in South Africa next month but believes the playmaker cannot repair the north-south divide within the England squad alone. Farrell takes over from the absent Dylan Hartley for the three-Test tour against the Springboks and Jones has already expressed concerns of a lack of…
Karmichael Hunt avoids cocaine conviction but pleads guilty to lesser charge
Code-hopping footballer Karmichael Hunt has avoided a conviction for alleged cocaine possession but his future remains unclear after his latest court matter was brought to an end. Prosecutors on Monday told Brisbane magistrates court there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the 31-year-old Wallabies player over allegations he was caught with cocaine in Fortitude Valley on…
Chris Robshaw says England are braced for ‘dirty tricks’ before Calcutta Cup
England’s players insist they will not be affected by any “dirty tricks” which may be awaiting them before their Calcutta Cup game at Murrayfield. Down the years England have experienced everything from rogue bagpipers to tunnel stand-offs on their Six Nations travels and are collectively braced for whatever materialises . The Harlequins flanker Chris Robshaw…
Super Rugby race ‘wide open’ after Tahs break New Zealand hoodoo
Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger has declared the 2018 Super Rugby title race wide open after watching his side become the first New Zealand team in two years to fall to Australian opposition. The NSW Waratahs’ 41-12 dispatch of a 14-man Highlanders outfit not only snapped New Zealand’s 40-match winning streak over their trans-Tasman rivals, but…
Paul Gustard: I am sat three feet from Eddie Jones. The tension never goes
The message coming out of the England camp in the buildup to one of the most hotly anticipated Calcutta Cup matches in recent memory is clear. Scotland may be unbeaten at home in the Six Nations since Eddie Jones’s first match in charge of England back in 2016 but the hostile welcome that awaits at…
Warren Gatland says George North is welcome to ‘come home’ to Wales early
Warren Gatland has told George North, who will make his first start for Wales in nearly a year against Italy on Sunday, that he will be welcome to come home if he wants to leave Northampton before his contract ends in the summer after being accused of not wanting to play against Sale last weekend….
Injuries put Ireland’s unbeaten Six Nations run at risk against Wales
Ireland have not been beaten at home in the Six Nations since Joe Schmidt became their coach in 2013 but they will have to defend that record against Wales on Saturday without four players who toured New Zealand with the British & Irish Lions last summer. The centre Robbie Henshaw is a long-term absentee after…
Worcester lifted by Ben Te’o’s pledge to see out contract next season
Ben Te’o has moved to end speculation over his future at Worcester by insisting he will “100%” be at the club next season. The England centre has one more year to run on his three-year deal and has confirmed he plans to see out his contract. Te’o’s renewed commitment comes as a boost to Worcester,…
Tactical kicking back in fashion as Wallabies look for Test edge
It is the tactic Michael Cheika once banned at the NSW Waratahs and has restricted at the Wallabies, but it may well be just the strategy Australia will need to succeed in Test rugby this year, particularly against Six Nations champions Ireland. Tactical kicking was taboo when Cheika coached the Waratahs and he has kept…
Schmidt defends Ireland’s aerial tactics with Australia series still up in the air
Australia expect the series against Ireland, which is locked at 1-1 going into the final Test at a sell-out Allianz Stadium in Sydney, to be decided in the air. The Wallabies won the first match after their full-back Israel Folau dominated the aerial battle in Brisbane but Ireland devised a way of reducing his effectiveness in…