Ollie Phillips: Quins’ attacking mentality is good for rugby May 20, 2022 Twickenham Stadium will host its second Harlequins home fixture of the season tomorrow and a win for Tabai Matson’s side would guarantee them a spot in the top four. I don’t see a situation where Quins don’t make it but, until it’s certain, there’s work to do. They’ll entertain Gloucester in front of around 50,000 [...]
England rugby coach Eddie Jones ‘happy’ to be shadowed by successor at 2023 World Cup May 18, 2022 England rugby coach Eddie Jones insists he has no problem showing his successor the ropes at the next World Cup. The Rugby Football Union is believed to want the next coach to shadow Jones for a handover period before his contract ends after next year’s tournament. Six Nations champions France implemented a similar process when [...]
England training squad offers glimpse into potential fresh look May 17, 2022 When England head coach Eddie Jones announced his 36-man squad yesterday for a three-day training cap next week, eyebrows were raised. This is not a binding squad for the imminent three-Test series against his native Australia, but it points to Jones’s thinking ahead of the last summer tour before his final World Cup. The squad [...]
London Irish look to win first top flight silverware in 20 years May 17, 2022 London Irish could lift their first piece of top-flight silverware since 2002 when they take on Worcester Warriors in the Premiership Rugby Cup tonight. Back then – against Northampton Saints in the Powergen Cup – it was the likes of Brendan Venter, Paul Sackey and Glenn Delaney. Now it’s centurion Wallaby Rob Simmons, Fijian powerhouse [...]
England’s lack of representation in rugby’s European finals is no quick fix May 15, 2022 Even before this weekend’s Champions Cup semi-finals, the English game knew it would have no representation in the final. And bar outliers Saracens – who picked up three titles in four years – and Exeter Chiefs’ triumph during the pandemic, there has been little for Premiership sides to boast about at the highest level of [...]
Ollie Phillips: Whoever wins in Dublin will go on to win the Champions Cup May 13, 2022 Last Weekend’s European rugby quarter-finals were a brilliant watch, and I was enthralled by the Champions Cup penalty shootout win for Toulouse against Munster, but this weekend I expect the performance levels to increase further. This is the pinnacle of the club game and the teams are just one win away from the finals later [...]
Three eligible players Eddie Jones should pick for England’s summer tour May 12, 2022 Rugby’s summer tours offer coaches a chance to trial players against quality southern hemisphere sides before crunch home games in the autumn. England head to Australia in June, Scotland will tour South America, New Zealand are to host Ireland, while Wales are bound for world champions South Africa. But 14 months out from a World [...]
France dominate semi-final schedule as clubs add to festival of rugby May 9, 2022 It’s no secret that France has been grabbing the headlines in international rugby: Six Nations champions, hosts of the next World Cup and home to the world player of the year Antoine Dupont. But fans the continent over are currently enjoying a golden era of French club rugby, too, with 19 of the possible 40 [...]
Ollie Phillips: A Leicester Tigers European triumph would be incredible May 6, 2022 If Leicester go on to win the Champions Cup this season I think it will be one of modern rugby’s greatest stories. From an extremely poor season just two years ago to the quarter-finals of Europe, while also heading up the Premiership table, is testament to Steve Borthwick and his ability to nurture a squad [...]
Pantomime villain Ashton crowns lively career with try record May 3, 2022 Having broken the Premiership Rugby try-scoring record with a hat-trick at the weekend and moved within just five tries of a ton, you might think Chris Ashton would be ready for his after-dinner speech career. But doing all of the above while being a controversial rugby player, often the centre of debate, is what truly [...]