Lancaster set to hand Armitage World Cup blow May 19, 2015 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster is set to resist calls to break the Rugby Football Union’s stance on only selecting home-based players and omit Toulon powerhouse Steffon Armitage from his World Cup training squad. Lancaster will today name a provisional 50-strong brigade for training camps in Surrey and Colorado this summer, before whittling the number [...]
Six Nations title boost priceless, insists Farrell March 18, 2015 ENGLAND defence coach Andy Farrell believes winning the Six Nations title would be invaluable for his side and have immeasurable longer-term benefits ahead of the World Cup. Leaders England stand on the cusp of their first Six Nations success since 2011, although reigning champions Ireland and Wales remain in the hunt for a championship set [...]
Premiership Rugby £500,000 salary cap rise could tempt England stars in France to return September 15, 2014 Aviva Premiership Rugby is set to increase the league’s salary cap by 10 per cent in future seasons, and will also allow clubs to sign a second “excluded” player from overseas. Clubs’ spending on player wages is currently capped at £5m, but the Aviva Premiership will permit a further £500,000 spending ahead of the [...]
Women beat Canada to lift the World Cup August 17, 2014 EUPHORIC captain Katy McLean paid tribute to past players who had narrowly missed out on lifting the trophy after England finally landed the Women’s Rugby World Cup with an efficient 21-9 win over Canada in Paris yesterday. England had lost three successive finals but were leading by five points inside the final 10 minutes as [...]
London Welsh turn to Phillips as Burnell departs Exiles’ hotseat March 16, 2015 BELEAGUERED Premiership side London Welsh have appointed former player Rowland Phillips as their new head coach after previous incumbent Justin Burnell left the club yesterday. The Exiles were promoted to rugby’s top flight last season but have endured a disastrous campaign which is almost certain to end in relegation, losing all 27 competitive matches including [...]
Rugby Comment: England ready to win Six Nations but don’t expect a Grand Slam February 5, 2015 WE SEEM to say it every year but I think the Six Nations is genuinely very open this time. There are a number of teams who could be top of the pile come the end – England, Ireland, Wales – while we’ve seen Scotland’s type of rugby improve already under Vern Cotter and Italy get [...]
‘It’ll be a Glastonbury but for sport and health’ May 27, 2015 British Athletics chief Niels de Vos has grand plans for Olympic Stadium and they start now BRITISH Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos is in no mood for understatement when discussing the importance of the Olympic Stadium to the future – the survival, even – of UK track and field. His organisation will take up [...]
Moody: Leave Robshaw out for Scotland match March 6, 2015 Time to audition England captaincy alternatives, says 2003 hero Lewis WORLD Cup winner Lewis Moody has called for England captain Chris Robshaw to be omitted when his side bid to resurrect their Six Nations challenge against Scotland at Twickenham next week. Robshaw has skippered England throughout Stuart Lancaster’s tenure as head coach, although the Harlequins [...]
Burgess set to stake World Cup claim during international bow January 29, 2015 OPPORTUNITY knocks for rugby league convert Sam Burgess to fast-track his claims for a place in England head coach Stuart Lancaster’s World Cup plans after being named in the Saxons’ side to face the Irish Wolfhounds tonight. Code-switcher Burgess is set to make his international rugby union debut at inside centre for England’s second string, [...]
Burgess admits tackling rugby union is tougher than expected January 5, 2015 CODE-SWITCHER Sam Burgess has revealed the conversion to rugby union from league is proving a harder task to master than he initially envisaged. Surgery to fix a broken cheekbone delayed his union debut until November but after a smattering of cameos the 26-year-old made his first start for Bath in their 17-8 Premiership defeat to [...]