More than a third of the squad are from BAME backgrounds – I’m incredibly proud that it is a reflection of modern societyWhenever a World Cup squad is announced it elicits a lot of emotions. Joy, for those that have been picked, anger for those that haven’t, excitement for those of us eagerly anticipating the start of the competition and perhaps a little bit of worry too at the risks Eddie Jones has taken. But personally, the overriding emotion I feel at the moment is pride. I’m incredibly proud that these 31 players get to represent our country as the most diverse England World Cup squad ever selected.More than a third of the players in the squad are from BAME...
Eddie Jones’s creative chaos appears to be working well in World Cup buildup as experimental team end grand slam winners’ record unbeaten runThese World Cup warmup games mean nothing, of course, but it does not stop us searching for significance. No one had to look very hard here. Wales could have gone to No 1 in the world rankings with a win and extended their record unbeaten run to 15. And they picked a team to suggest these were landmarks that meant something to them. Alas, either they did not mean enough, or Wales are not ready to claim them.The latter, surely. They have moved on to the shoulder of New Zealand at the top of the rankings courtesy of...
A potential successor to Eddie Jones is the Ulsterman who has masterminded his club’s rise to the European summitIt has been a long time since the Rugby Football Union trusted anyone from a high-profile English club side to coach its national team. In theory the Premiership is its most productive source of track-suited talent but Twickenham usually prefers to look the other way. Eddie Jones, Stuart Lancaster, Martin Johnson, Brian Ashton, Andy Robinson … you have to go all the way back to Clive Woodward in 1997 to find someone who was employed within the domestic club game at the time of his appointment. Related: Mark McCall ensures Saracens’ dominance is set to run and run | Robert Kitson Continue...
England may have lost the plot at Twickenham but grand slam winners could write another happy endingHow quickly modern rugby’s wheel of fortune spins. A few weeks ago Ireland were an irresistible force, enjoying such critical acclaim that back-to-back Six Nations grand slams seemed possible. Early last month it was England who were basking in the light, to borrow Billy Bragg’s classic line, of the 15 fame-filled minutes of the fanzine writer. And now? The 2019 Six Nations music is stopping with Wales gloriously on top. Related: No doubting that Warren Gatland’s Wales deserve their grand slam | Robert Kitson Related: Eddie Jones puts pressure on ‘tired’ Wales in push for Six Nations title Related: Alun Wyn Jones the pain-defying...
High-class defence and rare stamina make Wales second in the world and leave their Six Nations rivals struggling in their wakeThere is no such thing as an accidental grand slam. Winning five games on the trot in testing conditions against reliably motivated opposition does not merely require skill and nerve but, crucially, rare stamina. Anyone questioning Wales’s status as true five-star champions underestimates the uniquely treacherous climb they have just completed.Yes, Six Nations slam dunks are more frequent than they used to be but this was widely predicted in advance to be the most dog-eat-dog championship of all time. A supposedly impregnable Ireland had just beaten the All Blacks, England began like a bullet train in Dublin and by half-time...