Eddie Jones under scrutiny, Wales and Ireland settling into new management regimes, and a fragile French renaissance?After Ciara and Dennis comes storm Eddie? After England overwhelmed New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final the Six Nations seemed a breeze for them, with four teams under new management and Gregor Townsend’s Scotland looking inwards. But it is England’s head coach who is under the most scrutiny after two rounds.Jones’s contract ends in 2021, at the midway point between World Cups, and the sight of Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s Japan 2019-winning coach, at Murrayfield last Saturday was another cause for speculation. Jones’s side’s meek opening in Paris after the Australian’s bellicose buildup was followed by a narrow win in appropriately stormy conditions...
England forward’s passion and his wider appeal are good for the game and reaction to post-match interview was over the topEllis Genge’s interview after England’s win over Scotland was one of the best I’ve heard for a long time. It was raw, it was honest, it was passionate and ultimately he was defending his team. I didn’t necessarily agree with everything he said but I loved the way he said it. The amount of grief he got because of it beggars belief. One person tweeted they could not believe that Ellis almost swore on TV. Almost swore?!I’ve been scratching my head ever since, trying to work out just why so many people had a problem with it and I can’t...
Coaches have playing the media for years, but rugby is big enough now that it doesn’t need a few brickbats to sell itRespect works both ways. Regardless of whether an empty lager container was hurled at Eddie Jones at Murrayfield as the team walked into the ground, will the Six Nations have the bottle to not just remind coaches and players to choose their words carefully but take action when they don’t?World Rugby’s core values of “integrity, respect, solidarity, passion and discipline” looked forlorn at the end of last week, as if taken up by Storm Ciara and scattered over various parts of Europe. To hear words like war, hate and niggly being uttered was to be reminded of George...
A vicious wind and a howling reception greeted Murrayfield’s visitors but they will feel stronger for coming through bothThe forecast was that bad that on the trains north on Saturday morning they were warning passengers to abandon any plans to travel back that way on Sunday. By the time the service reached Peterborough they were promising free passage back to London for anyone who wanted to turn tail already. A couple of England fans on a corporate freebie sitting near me made it as far as York before they gave up. Even the England team rearranged their schedule so they could fly out later Saturday night, as soon as they had done what they had to do. It was one...
Classic Scottish weather should have given the home side an edge but they showed a distinct inability to make their chances count allowing England to snatch victory late onIt was 28 degrees in Cape Town on Saturday just as Stuart Hogg kicked proceedings off with the rain all but horizontal. The possibility of South Africa joining the Six Nations is an idea that clearly polarises opinion but it can be said with certainty that it presents an altogether different proposition to this.“Classic Scottish weather,” said Hogg on the eve of the match. “We’ll have a few tricks up our sleeve,” he continued. For the second week running, he and his coach, Gregor Townsend, will lament an inability to make one...