Billy Vunipola needs Farrell’s ruthless focus, Cipriani’s patience boosts Gloucester and Saints reaping rewards of faith in youthOne topic did rather dominate the conversation at Ashton Gate. And the booing. This looks as if it will be a new reality for Billy Vunipola, which may or may not come to affect his game over the coming weeks. He has always come across as something of a happy-go-lucky guy but the No 8 will need the ruthless focus of his England teammate Owen Farrell if recent events and any future repercussions are not to distract him from his day job. One other point did muscle its way into the talking – and that was the kicking. As if chastened by their...
Bath’s Jonathan Joseph did his England chances no harm at all, Exeter had the look of Premiership champions against Leicester and things are starting to get serious at the bottomJonathan Joseph has been back from his long injury layoff for a while but judging by his performance against Bristol, and in his previous outing against Exeter, he is nearing a return to his best form. In the past it has been a criticism that, because he is so naturally talented, Joseph has a tendency to coast because things come so easy. He has a World Cup place to chase, however, and he is clearly in Eddie Jones’s thoughts considering he was called into the wider England squad just 50-odd minutes...
How long can Worcester allow Ben Te’o to twiddle his thumbs in the stand, could a rare defeat now galvanise Saracens and Sale would surely love Robert du Preez to stay onWorcester’s marquee player, Ben Te’o, got no closer to the pitch than the stand despite the importance of the match against rivals in the bottom half of the table. The England centre has played only 29 minutes in a Warriors’ jersey this season because of injury and the autumn internationals, and was given the previous two Challenge Cup weekends off. The club’s director of rugby, Alan Solomons, said that a lack of training time was the reason for Te’o’s omission and that he would be considered for selection at...
Gloucester dogged by inconsistency, Edinburgh and Glasgow head for the last eight and Leinster have look of championsThe pool of champions has polarised. Leinster, for all Toulouse’s attempts to recapture past glories, are the team in control, even if they trail the French club by two points. Their victory over Bath was imperious, and Toulouse, who rode their luck anyway in round one in Bath, must travel to Dublin next. Leinster’s trip to Wasps in the final round does not look the challenge it might once have been. For two of England’s greatest clubs to be mathematically out of it after only four rounds is a sobering reflection on the Premiership, which looks worryingly short of the sort of teams...
Gloucester’s Ollie Thorley and Harlequins’ Alex Dombrandt made their mark but scrums remain a mess – ask Jamie George Related: Pools of intrigue: how the Rugby World Cup groups stack up | Paul Rees Continue reading...