Simon Shaw interview: Lions tours are pinnacle but this year’s could deny England a Grand Slam February 2, 2017 England's chances of securing a second successive Six Nations Grand Slam will be impaired by the summer’s British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, insists former international powerhouse Simon Shaw. An unblemished championship would also see England, who remain unbeaten during the 13-match reign of head coach Eddie Jones, surpass the All Blacks’ record of 18 [...]
Leicester’s refreshing youth policy is a reminder that size isn’t everything in rugby January 30, 2017 Harry Thacker, the 22-year-old Leicester hooker, is not unfamiliar with crossing the whitewash, and scored his 10th club try in a dynamic display as the Tigers bounced back from an embarrassing Champions Cup defeat last weekend to beat Northampton Saints 27-20 on Saturday. Thacker is continuing the trend of outstanding Welford Road hookers who are [...]
Loosehead prop Joe Marler set to defy injury prognosis and line up for England in Six Nations opener against France January 30, 2017 England forwards coach Steve Borthwick has confirmed that loosehead prop Joe Marler is poised to complete a remarkable recovery and line up during Saturday’s Six Nations opener against France. Harlequins powerhouse Marler was expected to be sidelined for five weeks, which would have included the opening two rounds of the championship, after suffering a fracture [...]
Eddie Jones backs wing Anthony Watson to make impact in latter stages of Six Nations after being sidelined with hamstring injury January 29, 2017 England head coach Eddie Jones has backed injured wing Anthony Watson to force his way into his side’s plans during the latter stages of the Six Nations despite being ruled out for up to four weeks. A medical assessment confirmed that Watson has a slight muscular strain to his hamstring which will require rehabilitation and [...]
Eddie Jones confident of Dylan Hartley’s match fitness to face France after confirming hooker as his Six Nations skipper January 25, 2017 England head coach Eddie Jones insists Dylan Hartley is match-ready for his side’s Six Nations opener against France after confirming the Northampton hooker as his captain for the championship. Hartley’s six-week suspension for striking Leinster flanker Sean O’Brien in December only expired on Monday, and the 30-year-old will not have played for nine weeks by [...]
End of the road for London Welsh as professional club January 24, 2017 Crisis-stricken London Welsh have ceased to exist as a professional club after being denied permission to continue playing in English rugby’s second tier for the remainder of the season and beyond. The Richmond-based Exiles were granted a temporary licence by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to continue as a Championship side on 22 December after [...]
Wasps seal European Champions Cup quarter-final berth as Saracens draw Glasgow in last eight January 23, 2017 Wasps recovered from a sluggish start to secure a bonus-point 41-27 success over Italian side Zebre on Sunday and finish top of their European Champions Cup pool, earning themselves a trip to Leinster in the quarter-finals. Two tries from Ashley Johnson and further touchdowns from Danny Cipriani, Elliot Daly, Christian Wade and Nathan Hughes powered Wasps [...]
Why England’s Six Nations challenge is reliant on head overruling heart for Dylan Hartley and James Haskell January 23, 2017 The inevitable roles that Dylan Hartley and James Haskell will play in the Six Nations must reinforce the preponderance of mental strength over physical fortitude. There can be little argument against the notion that Haskell is a physical specimen; indeed, all of those who choose to subject themselves to his incessant social media bombardments are [...]
Sale sack wing Tom Arscott following leak investigation January 19, 2017 Premiership side Sale have terminated the contract of wing Tom Arscott following an investigation into claims that confidential information was leaked to fellow strugglers Bristol. Arscott, 29, has been accused of disclosing details to brother Luke Arscott, who plays for Bristol, the day before the teams met in a match that Sale eventually lost 24-23. [...]
More concussions reported in professional rugby than ever before and now account for a quarter of all injuries January 18, 2017 More concussions were reported by Premiership Rugby clubs than ever before last season, according to new data on injuries in the professional game. For the fifth season in a row, concussion was the most commonly reported injury by top flight clubs, accounting for 25 per cent of all match injuries. The annual investigation into injuries from the [...]