While they may have lost by only 12 points against England, the scoreline did scant justice to the hiding suffered by Ireland in Dublin last Saturday. Outfought, out-thought and bullied in their own backyard, they looked a shadow of the rugby juggernaut that had swept all before it for the previous 12 months. A team…
Danny Cipriani shines as Gloucester beat Castres in front of Eddie Jones
English clubs’ start to Europe’s premier competition were mixed enough to qualify this ultimately tight victory for Gloucester as a much needed boost for the Premiership’s self-esteem. Had the hosts slipped up at home against understrength visitors on a dismal wet Sunday lunchtime it would have been a truly grim weekend for all involved, the…
Schmidt’s Ireland sense All Blacks scalp as world’s best brace for collision
It is not every day that Ireland are a good bet to beat the All Blacks. Not just any old bunch of silver ferns, either, but a team unbeaten in Tests on European soil since 2012 and still the world’s No 1 side. New Zealand are knocked from their rankings perch about as often as…
‘Bring it on’: Eddie Jones ready for All Blacks after England win ‘arm wrestle’
Bring on New Zealand was Eddie Jones’s response after England clambered off the ropes to defeat South Africa at Twickenham and set up next Saturday’s date with the World Cup holders. “It was a real show of resilience,” said Jones, England’s head coach. “There was a lot of toughness from us. We stayed in the…
Warren Gatland makes 10 changes to Wales team for Italy clash
Warren Gatland has said he is thinking about the World Cup rather than the match against England in Cardiff this month after making 10 changes from the side that defeated France last week for the match against Italy in Rome on Saturday. Jonathan Davies becomes the first back to lead Wales in a Six Nations…
Warren Gatland’s ability to get best from Wales bodes well for World Cup
Before the start of the Six Nations this month, Ireland were regarded as Europe’s prime challengers in the World Cup. Then it was England after their emphatic victory in Dublin and denuding of France at Twickenham, but in the third round the odds on the favourites New Zealand becoming the first team to win the…
Wales feeling the pressure of closing gap on born-again Springboks
A week after Rassie Erasmus’s final match in charge of Munster last year, South Africa played Ireland in Dublin and suffered their record defeat by a Celtic nation, 38-3. The second most successful team in the history of international rugby after New Zealand had gone from being feared to a laughing stock and then an…
Owen Farrell thumb injury deals blow to England’s Six Nations preparations
Little more than 24 hours after Eddie Jones admitted he was tempting fate by remarking that England’s injury list going into the Six Nations was the lowest for three years, his key player and captain Owen Farrell has had surgery to repair a thumb injury and will be out of action for between a week…
Eddie Jones’s emphasis on attack puts down England marker for World Cup
It is a long time since a Six Nations game changed rugby’s landscape so significantly. For England’s players, in particular, this was a result – and, crucially, a performance – that suddenly makes all sorts of things seem possible. Not only was it their best display under Eddie Jones but their most impressive victory on…