Six Nations organisers had no choice but to postpone Italy v England over coronavirus but Saracens’ handling of Vunipola is ill-considered March 5, 2020 Coronavirus is all over the news at the moment and rugby is no exception after it emerged that England’s final Six Nations game against Italy had been postponed as a precaution. It is a shame for the tournament, which has been bubbling up nicely ahead of its conclusion next weekend, but organisers really had no [...]
England must rediscover creative spark in Triple Crown showdown March 5, 2020 England’s victory over Ireland in the last round of the Six Nations saw them take a significant step forward in performance. But in truth it came from a standing start. Eddie Jones’s men had been torn apart by the flair of the French before they stumbled to a win at Scotland in the swirling wind [...]
England’s Six Nations rugby game against Italy postponed amid coronavirus outbreak March 5, 2020 England’s Six Nation match against Italy in Rome next week has reportedly been postponed due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The 14 March game was due to take place behind closed doors after Italian authorities ordered all sporting events to be held without fans because of the coronavirus outbreak which has led to more than [...]
Six Nations: Ireland’s Andy Farrell could learn something from France’s fresh approach under Fabien Galthie February 27, 2020 Watching last weekend’s Six Nations games I was struck by a huge contrast between two of the teams on display. Once again France provided the highlight of the weekend, beating Wales 27-23 in a thrilling contest in Cardiff which kept the youthful visitors’ Grand Slam hopes alive. On Sunday it was a different story, as [...]
England 24-12 Ireland: Johnny Sexton’s struggles help England record confidence-boosting win at Twickenham February 23, 2020 The build-up to England’s Six Nations clash against Ireland at Twickenham on Sunday was dominated by one storyline. England captain Owen Farrell coming up against his father, Ireland head coach Andy, was an understandable focus, given the importance of both figures. But before England’s 24-12 win was over it was clear that particular aspect had [...]
Home advantage will see England overcome Ireland in the Farrell family showdown at Twickenham February 20, 2020 The Six Nations returns this weekend after a break and Sunday brings a mouth-watering contest at Twickenham, where England host Ireland. As ever, it’s set to be a huge game between two of the world’s top five teams and there’s plenty at stake, too. Ireland are eyeing a Triple Crown and are still on course [...]
Ireland’s attack is evolving under English duo Andy Farrell and Mike Catt ahead of Twickenham showdown February 20, 2020 Ireland found out the hard way last year that standing still in rugby is tantamount to going backwards. The heroics of 2018’s Grand Slam and a win over New Zealand were quickly forgotten as their Six Nations crown slipped and Joe Schmidt’s side crashed out of the Rugby World Cup at the quarter-finals. It made [...]
Adding South Africa into the Six Nations is a controversial move but it makes commercial sense in the long run February 13, 2020 The Six Nations is in a rest week at the moment but there has been no shortage of things for fans to talk about after it emerged that South Africa could join the tournament. The potential introduction of the Springboks in 2024 is an emotive subject and I can certainly see both sides of the [...]
England weathered the storm in Scotland to keep Six Nations dreams alive February 9, 2020 It was a Six Nations match that will be remembered for everything but the dire spectacle on the pitch as England walked into the eye of the storm at Murrayfield on Saturday. A hostile reception was guaranteed for Eddie Jones and his team on their arrival, but not many would have foreseen a stray bottle [...]
Eddie Jones will be under the spotlight on his first return to Murrayfield since being ‘verbally and physically abused’ in 2018 February 7, 2020 There can be few places Eddie Jones would rather avoid more than Murrayfield this weekend as he leads England north of the border amid growing doubts about his team. Despite taking them to a Rugby World Cup final just three months ago, last weekend’s 24-17 defeat to France in the opening round of the Six [...]