CJ Stander has warned Ireland to beware of the teenage France fly-half Matthieu Jalibert’s attacking craft when the two sides meet on Saturday. The 19-year-old Jalibert has made only 15 league appearances for Bordeaux Bègles but has been thrust into Les Bleus’ starting lineup for Jacques Brunel’s first game in charge. Ireland’s back row of…
Eddie Jones attacks Wales’s Alun Wyn Jones for conduct towards referee
Eddie Jones has lit the fuse before England’s Six Nations showdown with Wales by lashing out at Alun Wyn Jones, describing his behaviour against Scotland as “out of order” and revealing he has complained to World Rugby about the opposing captain. The England head coach has taken issue with how his namesake appeared to urge…
Sports quiz of the week: Winter Olympics, Six Nations and bowls
Winter Olympics 2018 – full schedule
England’s Sarah Bern expects fresh ideas and creativity against Italy
Sarah Bern was a young member of England’s World Cup squad but such has been her rise she is already considered one of the senior players of Simon Middleton’s squad. Bern is 20 but with many of the squad who finished second in August’s World Cup focusing on sevens, and Middleton taking the opportunity to…
Chris Robshaw: ‘Before Eddie Jones England were always nearly-guys’
It did not take Eddie Jones long after he took charge of England at the end of 2015 to appreciate that his assessment of Chris Robshaw during that year’s World Cup as a forward who did not have a point of difference, was a club rather than an international player and not an openside flanker,…
Australian Super Rugby teams go back to future in bid to end Kiwi dominance
One of the most notable features of the first full round of the Super Rugby competition was the high number of points scored, highlighting the influence of the new ruck laws on attacking play. The seven games last weekend produced a total of 439 points, which was an average of 62.7 points a game. In…
Wales to play South Africa at RFK Stadium in Washington DC in June
Wales will play South Africa in Washington DC on 2 June, it was announced on Monday. The game will be played at RFK Stadium, formerly home of the US capital’s NFL team and the DC United Major League Soccer franchise. Houston? No problem – SaberCats bullish about latest US rugby venture The first minister of…
Courtney Lawes hungry for more England domination in Six Nations
When Eddie Jones talks about wanting England to be hungry as they hunt a third Six Nations title in a row, he is speaking literally when it comes to Courtney Lawes. Described as being “built like a basketball player who struggles to keep his weight up”, Lawes, who is 6ft 7in tall and listed as…
England up and running in Six Nations with seven-try win in Italy
The Six Nations has barely started but, suddenly, all roads lead to Twickenham. If Wales have enjoyed the most spectacular start to this year’s tournament, there was enough sharpness and intent about England’s first outing of the year to suggest Saturday’s tribal collision will not disappoint. On the evidence of this seven-try Roman romp, the…
Women’s Six Nations preview: sevens spotlight gives sides another battle
On the face of it, optimism abounds before the Women’s Six Nations. Last year’s tournament shattered records for attendances and broadcasting figures and there remains an afterglow, six months on from the World Cup. There have been three different winners of the championship in the past three years and the enduring image of the 2017…