Neil Hopkins: Why TikTok is big news for the Six Nations February 4, 2022 Kids, eh? On one hand, Alan Hansen reckoned you couldn’t win anything with them, on the other, The Who figured they’re alright. The dilemma facing almost every sport that isn’t football is how to attract younger audiences without alienating what the European Super League disparagingly labelled “legacy fans”. As the Six Nations looms, rugby union’s [...]
Ollie Phillips: ‘England’s squad is uninspiring but it’s dangerous’ February 4, 2022 Tomorrow’s Calcutta Cup will no doubt be explosive. There’s a real clash of styles in the Six Nations match between Scotland and England in Edinburgh – but that’s just going to make the game even more exciting. I really like the England squad, and bar Elliot Daly at No13 it is a 23 in form, [...]
West Ham and familiar faces in Kidderminster’s FA Cup crosshairs February 3, 2022 West Ham United’s top brass would have been forgiven for wincing when they were drawn to face Kidderminster Harriers in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend. Not only do the lowest ranked team left in the competition pose the threat of a humiliating elimination; the non-league outfit’s taste for an upset is also already [...]
Women’s Ashes: Australia win series with victory in first ODI February 3, 2022 England’s Women this morning failed to stay in Ashes contention as they collapsed against Australia. The touring side were in the difficult position of needing to no lose every one of the remaining three matches following a drawn Test. Australia set a under-par first innings of 206 largely thanks to Beth Mooney’s knock of 73 [...]
What to drink this weekend: Something to try with the Six Nations February 3, 2022 And so, after a hiatus that surely none of us expected, life would appear to be returning back towards normal, whatever that is. The Editor asked me to write a piece to coincide with the Six Nations rugby tournament. My initial thought was to try and find a wine variety that is grown in all [...]
Costa Rica fielded Covid-19 infected players against us, say Jamaica February 3, 2022 Jamaican football chiefs say Costa Rica knowingly fielded two players who had tested positive for Covid-19 in a match against them. The players were part of the Costa Rica team that beat Jamaica 1-0 on Wednesday in a qualifier for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Jamaica plan to make a formal complaint to governing body [...]
Ed Warner: Why the Olympics is frozen by complacency February 3, 2022 Curl up for the curling. Settle down for dust-ups on the rink. Thrill at the sliders and skiers. Swoon over the skaters. Grumble about geo-politics and overbearing branding. The Olympics are here again. Not the Olympics Olympics, obviously; rather their smaller Winter sibling. Less than half the number of competing nations, a quarter of the [...]
Marco Bortolami: ‘Italy and Six Nations need each other but we must win more’ February 3, 2022 It’s been said before but I really think Italy are building for the future. New head coach Kieran Crowley has picked a squad with some exciting young players – my Benetton side are providing 23 members of Crowley’s party for this Six Nations. The main goal for Italy is to stay competitive in each match [...]
Gavin Hastings: ‘Improving Scotland ready for next step’ February 3, 2022 There’s no doubt that in the last three or four years Scotland have been much more competitive and that’s what fans north of the border want to see. Whoever identifies the players potentially available for Scotland should be paid a healthy sum because they’ve unearthed some great characters, including prop Pierre Schoeman and wing Duhan [...]
Mako Vunipola interview: ‘England can win the Grand Slam’ February 3, 2022 He may currently not be part of Eddie Jones’s Six Nations squad, but Mako Vunipola still thinks England will go undefeated this year. The experienced loosehead prop concedes that France “look strong” but believes key absences will make it hard for Wales to defend their title. “England can get the Grand Slam, yes,” Vunipola told [...]