Benjamin Kayser: ‘It’s coming together – but don’t call France favourites’ February 3, 2022 The planets have begun to align for French rugby. From the player pool to the coaches, the government to the league structure – everything is in place to achieve the goal of a victorious home World Cup in 2023. There’s clearly a common goal for the sport in France at the moment and that is [...]
Rob Henderson: ‘Strong spine and squad depth make Ireland team to beat’ February 3, 2022 Ireland are my pick for this year’s Six Nations, naturally. There’s a resurgent French side, a rebuilding Welsh team and strong representation elsewhere but I think the Irish have the depth to win the tournament. I am not at all worried about the absence of players like Chris Farrell and James Lowe, for example, when [...]
Zinzan Brooke: ‘Why I’m backing Les Bleus for the Six Nations’ February 3, 2022 The Six Nations is fantastic. It’s great for rugby and a thoroughly enjoyable set-up every year but I have a funny feeling that the 2022 tournament in particular will be one to watch because of how strong some of these teams were in the autumn. The November internationals saw European sides perform especially well, resulting [...]
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 [...]
Ollie Phillips: Absent internationals will help and hinder Premiership clubs January 28, 2022 I’m in Seville for the World Sevens Series, whetting my appetite for the festival of international rugby that is the Six Nations. It’s the best championship on the planet, and what will be interesting this year is how the Premiership clubs cope with losing internationals. Only Worcester failed to get a player in the England [...]
England coach says ‘we will get on with the job’ amid absentees January 27, 2022 England head coach Eddie Jones insists his team will “get on with the job” despite an injury crisis ahead of next week’s Six Nations. Jones’s side, who begin their campaign on 5 February against Scotland at Murrayfield, have been dogged by a series of setbacks, including captain Owen Farrell being ruled out with ankle surgery [...]
England captain Owen Farrell ruled out of Six Nations January 26, 2022 England’s Six Nations injury crisis has escalated after captain Owen Farrell was ruled out of the entire championship. Farrell needs surgery on an ankle injury that prevented him from making his comeback for club Saracens last weekend. Wing Jonny May will also miss next week’s opening fixture with Scotland, while Courtney Lawes, Joe Marler and [...]
Six Nations to remain free-to-air as BBC and ITV ink new deal May 21, 2021 The Six Nations is set to remain free-to-air after the competition reached an agreement in principle to renew its broadcasting deal with the BBC and ITV. The new agreement will run for four years from 2022 until after the championships in 2025. For the men’s competition, ITV will show all of England, Ireland, Italian and [...]
Ollie Phillips: England need change but that doesn’t mean sacking Eddie Jones; France to wreak havoc on Scotland; and Lions pecking order March 25, 2021 In the space of a few days England went from brilliant, devastating and clinical against France to devoid of ideas against Ireland. Credit to Ireland for well and truly doing a job on England last weekend. They didn’t just beat Eddie Jones’s side, they thrashed them 32-18. This is a team that talks about wanting [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Is crypto the next big player in sports sponsorship? Plus Extreme E’s Suez near miss and Amazon’s Six Nations interest March 25, 2021 Where US sports lead, others tend to follow, so it was with interest that industry insiders noted developments in Florida this week. Miami Heat’s home is set to be rebranded the FTX Arena after the NBA side struck a naming rights agreement with the cryptocurrency exchange. FTX will pay $135m for the 19-year deal, the [...]