Premiership gets shot in arm as four sides through to Champions Cup knockouts January 14, 2024 Four English Premiership clubs have qualified for the Investec Champions Cup round of 16 with a game to spare. The weekend’s round three results have restored faith in what was feared to be a league drained of resources to fight in club rugby’s most prestigious competition. Saints march on Northampton Saints, Harlequins, Bath and Exeter [...]
Bordeaux humiliate Saracens to lay down Champions Cup marker January 14, 2024 Bordeaux Begles scored nine tries against a lacklustre Saracens in a thumping 55-15 Investec Champions Cup victory on Sunday evening to leave the Londoners humiliated and on the brink of exiting the continental competition. Owen Farrell – reportedly eyeing up a move to Parisian side Racing 92 – put the three-time winners ahead in the [...]
Barbeary could miss Six Nations after red in epic Bath victory over Racing 92 January 14, 2024 Alfie Barbeary is at risk of missing England’s Six Nations campaign after the No8 received a red card in Bath’s impressive 29-25 Investec Champions Cup victory over Racing 92. The back-row, who is yet to play for the national team, was fortunate to only see referee Andrea Piardi show him a yellow card six minutes [...]
Time for the Top 14 sides to make their mark in the Champions Cup January 12, 2024 If you’d have told me that the Investec Champions Cup holders La Rochelle would be without a win after two of their pool games I’d have probably laughed at you. Leinster and Stormers are difficult opponents but they’re the calibre of side Ronan O’Gara’s French men have toppled on many occasions over the last two [...]
Farrell named British and Irish Lions coach for 2025 tour to Australia January 11, 2024 Andy Farrell has been named the head coach of the British and Irish Lions for their tour to Australia next year. The Ireland head coach becomes the first Englishman to lead the iconic touring side since since Sir Clive Woodward in 2005. Wales coach Warren Gatland has held the top role in each of the [...]
Black Lion Challenge Cup inclusion opens door to Champions Cup dreams January 11, 2024 Stepping out of the concourse and into the bowl of the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi, Georgia felt like a big moment. The fatigue from travelling more than 2,000 miles for 80 minutes of rugby, equating to over seven hours on two overnight flights, instantly vanished. There, on the pitch, were historic English club Gloucester [...]
Andy Farrell set to be named as coach of British and Irish Lions January 10, 2024 Ireland rugby head coach Andy Farrell is set to be named as the boss of the British and Irish Lions at an event in the City of London tomorrow. The 48-year-old Englishman has long been favourite for the position with the touring side heading to Australia in the summer of 2025. The Lions, a side [...]
Struggling Gloucester boss Skivington handed surprise England coach role January 10, 2024 England A are set to play Portugal at the end of February.
Six Nations teams to have names on backs of shirts January 9, 2024 All teams in this year’s Six Nations will put player names on shirts in a bid to grow the profiles of key players throughout the tournament. The move has been trialled in the past and will be adopted next month by all competing teams. Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said in 2022: “We [...]
Sport loses icons with deaths of Franz Beckenbauer and JPR Williams January 8, 2024 The world of sport lost two icons on Monday with the deaths of Franz Beckenbauer, aged 78, and JPR Williams, aged 74. German footballing legend Beckenbauer won the World Cup twice – once as captain in 1974 and once as manager in 1990 – and played 582 games for club side Bayern Munich. Williams changed [...]