Eddie Jones’s training methods will be at the top of the agenda at the board meeting between the powerbrokers of the English game amid an escalating row over the number of injuries suffered at his England camps, Premiership Rugby has revealed. Premiership Rugby on Thursday expressed its concern at the number of injuries sustained in…
Alex Lozowski inspires nine-try Saracens to huge win over Northampton
For all that the scoreboard makes for desperate reading yet again for Northampton, perhaps the most miserable aspect of this latest hammering is that Saracens hit top gear only intermittently in reaching their fourth half-century against the Saints this season. Alex Lozowski was masterful at outside-centre and Maro Itoje commanding but the ease with which…
Teddy Thomas runs in two tries as Racing power past Munster
The ultimate Irish rugby party may not have materialised but this season’s European Champions Cup final should still be one for the connoisseur. Forget the theory about Leinster being unbeatable this year: if Racing 92 perform for 80 minutes in Bilbao on 12 May with the same power and panache which shredded Munster early on a…
South Africa prepare for ‘step up’ against England after late loss to Wales
South Africa are relishing the chance to heap more misery on Eddie Jones and England in their three-match Test series. The Springboks were beaten 22-20 by Wales in Washington DC – Ryan Elias’s late try won it for Warren Gatland’s side – but the team fielded by Rassie Erasmus in the US capital will be nothing like the…
England women make adjustments for Six Nations grand slam crunch in France
England’s women will be in the Stade des Alpes on Saturday night knowing they have to take their game to new heights against a French side itching to avenge last summer’s World Cup semi-final defeat in Belfast. The meeting in Grenoble really is Le Crunch for two unbeaten teams harbouring grand slam ambitions. England have…
Eddie Jones expects fresh England to bounce back against South Africa
By the time Eddie Jones’s England squad complete their three-Test trek around South Africa this month, several big questions will have been answered. Are they still a flourishing side who simply endured a blip during the Six Nations? Are Jones’s players still energised by their master’s voice? The first Test at Ellis Park this weekend…
Sale hopes of a Champions Cup place ended by George Ford’s salvo
This was a bizarre frolic to end the season for two sides with Europe on their minds. Despite the unbroken sunshine the floodlights were switched on 20 minutes into the game and the warm, dry conditions nurtured a rash of handling errors rather than continuity. Leicester had spent the previous two weeks in a daze…
England captain Dylan Hartley ruled out of South Africa tour with concussion
Dylan Hartley will miss England’s three-Test tour to South Africa in June after being told to take the summer off following the Northampton hooker’s latest concussion. The 32-year-old England captain has not played since taking a blow to the head in their final Six Nations match against Ireland at Twickenham. He ended the 2016 championship…
Eddie Jones revels in being ‘under the pump’ as England face Ireland test
Eddie Jones has claimed he loves having a target on his back despite conceding that his side are in the midst of their most testing period since he took charge. A chastening defeat by France has led to his most radical team selection to date but England’s head coach is unfazed by the heightened criticism…
Wallabies prop James Slipper banned after positive cocaine test
James Slipper has been banned for two months by Rugby Australia after testing positive to cocaine twice, with a tribunal factoring in the Wallabies prop’s mental health issues before settling on the most lenient punishment available. Punishment for cocaine use while taking part in sport does not fit the crime | Sean Ingle Slipper returned…