Hard not to love France as they keep Grand Slam hopes alive February 14, 2022 As the Six Nations rolled on into round two on Valentine’s weekend, of course it was an evening in French capital Paris that stole the show. France and Ireland served up an absolute peach of a Test match which provided the 80,000 onlookers at the Stade de France a showcase of skill, power, perseverance and, [...]
Three eligible players Eddie Jones should pick for England’s summer tour May 12, 2022 Rugby’s summer tours offer coaches a chance to trial players against quality southern hemisphere sides before crunch home games in the autumn. England head to Australia in June, Scotland will tour South America, New Zealand are to host Ireland, while Wales are bound for world champions South Africa. But 14 months out from a World [...]
Cole, 35, back as Borthwick names England’s Six Nations squad January 16, 2023 Dan Cole has been named in the England Rugby squad as new head coach Steve Borthwick revealed his 36-man squad this morning ahead of the Six Nations, which begin next month. Borthwick, on appearance, has picked a squad with form at the forefront with the training squad including the likes of the 35-year-old prop and [...]
Cricket, golf, horse racing and rugby union suspended following Queen’s passing September 9, 2022 Friday’s second day of play in the deciding Test between England and South Africa at the Oval has been postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It is among several sporting fixtures to be called off following the monarch’s passing, including in golf, horse racing and rugby union. Other sports could follow suit. The [...]
England may have lost Calcutta Cup vs Scotland but Six Nations hope remains February 5, 2023 Steve Borthwick’s first game as head coach of England offered an intriguing comparison with the last match of predecessor Eddie Jones in the autumn. They both started Marcus Smith at fly-half and Owen Farrell at No12, they both picked a pack that, in the end, was outmuscled and they ultimately both lost. Here are four [...]
After Italy farce rugby needs to take a look at its law book March 2, 2022 Ireland’s Six Nations victory over Italy on Sunday saw an officiating decision which by the letter of the law was correct but in practice ruined a game of rugby. Here is what was so wrong about it and two more rules that World Rugby should address before the World Cup next year: Red card replacement [...]
Ollie Phillips: I’d want to avoid Harlequins in the semi-finals at all costs April 22, 2022 No matter whether I were Leicester Tigers or Saracens, I would want to stay well clear of Harlequins in the Premiership playoffs. No disrespect to Gloucester, Northampton Saints or Exeter Chiefs, but Quins have proven that they’re a danger in the knockout stages of the domestic league – even if they went out of Europe [...]
The World Cup countdown to Qatar is on: one year to go November 23, 2021 “It’s actually 363 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes to go,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino yesterday as he began his monologue of praise towards next year’s World Cup hosts Qatar. “One year before kick off, all venues are ready. Some other host countries, many years after the event has taken place, have stadiums that [...]
Is Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz ready to be the next teen Grand Slam winner? May 19, 2022 At the conclusion of the French Open, which begins on Sunday, we could see rising star Carlos Alcaraz win his first Grand Slam at the same age – and the same venue – as his hero Rafael Nadal’s maiden major. There’s a sense that the baton is changing hands in the world of men’s tennis. [...]
Ed Warner: The Paralympics is heading for a transgender row in Paris August 22, 2024 A row over the eligibility of Italian transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo looms over the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, showing why para sports must be independent from organisers the IPC. It is increasingly difficult to find footage online of Raygun at Paris 2024. For a brief moment it seemed the Aussie breakdancer who launched a thousand [...]