England v South Africa: Rugby World Cup final victory can top the achievement of 2003 October 31, 2019 It’s the eve of the Rugby World Cup final and I could hardly be more confident. England come into their clash with South Africa on the back of a near-perfect performance in the semi-final, while their opponents did the bare minimum to reach the showpiece in Japan. England were sensational in beating New Zealand 19-7 [...]
Ollie Phillips: England can beat the All Blacks and win World Cup October 24, 2019 This is the big one. Eddie Jones has always said to judge him on this World Cup, and England’s semi-final with New Zealand tomorrow is the biggest match of his tenure. The best two sides in the world meet in Yokohama and if Jones’s team win it will be absolutely enormous for England and for [...]
England require maximum muscle to see off Australia as unlucky George Ford misses out October 17, 2019 For the first time in Rugby World Cup history it is genuinely feasible that any of this weekend’s eight quarter-finalists could reach the semi-finals. We are set for four epic showdowns on Saturday and Sunday, each with their own storyline. And it all starts with England against Australia tomorrow. The big talking point is George [...]
Ollie Phillips: World Cup fixture cancellation disadvantages Wales but France mutiny can go either way October 10, 2019 Typhoon Hagibis may not have directly affected Wales’s Rugby World Cup fixtures but the tropical cyclone has still managed to leave them at a considerable disadvantage. If, as expected, Wales win their final group match against Uruguay on Sunday they will finish top of Pool D and set up a quarter-final clash with the runner-up [...]
Ollie Phillips: Argentina are a potential banana skin, but exactly the kind of test England need October 3, 2019 England are in good form and their World Cup has been wholly positive so far, but Saturday’s game against Argentina definitely represents a banana skin. Eddie Jones’s side have enjoyed plain sailing in Pool C, comfortably beating Tonga and the USA, and on paper the No10-ranked team should be no different. However, they haven’t been [...]
England’s game against USA is a chance for fringe players to impress September 25, 2019 The fact Eddie Jones can make 10 changes to his starting XV to face the USA and still put out a team full of quality players speaks volumes for England’s squad depth. It is a side filled with international experience despite the changes and Dan Cole will come in to earn his 91st cap, tying [...]
New Zealand and South Africa will be the main contenders at an evenly poised Rugby World Cup – and this weekend’s match could be crucial September 19, 2019 This is one of the most evenly poised Rugby World Cups in a long time. Previously, New Zealand have been outright favourites, but the once-dominant force have looked fallible during the last 12 months. England, Wales and Ireland have all run the All Blacks close or beaten them, while they also lost to Australia and [...]
George Ford has given Eddie Jones a dilemma with his excellent World Cup warm-up September 12, 2019 I wasn’t convinced to start with but it seems Eddie Jones has been pretty crafty by selecting his 31-man squad as early as he did. It has given those going to the World Cup an extra four weeks to prepare for the tournament, rather than wasting emotional energy on fighting to make it. There are [...]
Ollie Phillips: Still places to play for in England’s final World Cup warm-up against Italy September 5, 2019 England head to Newcastle United’s St James’ Park for their final warm-up game against Italy tomorrow before they fly to Japan for the World Cup — and what an occasion it will be. Newcastle seems to be turning into a real hotbed of rugby after hosting the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup in May, so [...]
Ollie Phillips: George Ford’s Ireland performance gives Eddie Jones a World Cup selection headache August 29, 2019 I was busy getting married on Saturday so didn’t watch England against Ireland live, but it’s fair to say the best day of my life got even better when I saw the score. Watching the recording back after tying the knot I couldn’t help but be encouraged by what I saw. England are on fire [...]