Coach Jamie Joseph knows Japan cannot win by physicality – they maximise their quick-footed, explosive players insteadI played with Tony Brown at the Highlanders and watching Japan’s stunning victory against Ireland I could see the extent of the influence he has as Jamie Joseph’s assistant. In fact, I see so much about this Japan side that is similar to how the Highlanders played when they won the Super Rugby title in 2015 under Joseph and Brown.Tony has an ability to give players the confidence to play what they see, the courage to act on the pictures that are good, whether that’s run pictures, kick pictures or offload pictures. It can look effortless on the pitch but so much work goes...
This Ireland side is not without flaws but it finally has the necessary grit and grind to reach the World Cup last fourPerhaps the greatest weakness of the Rugby World Cup is its predictability. Look at the way the pools are filled and from a distance it is possible to see who will be clambering out in first and second place. Of course, upsets happen from time to time, though very few shocks to the system.So while it was painful four years ago for England still to be treading water while Wales and Australia towelled off and headed to the quarter-finals, it was not seismic. Wales finishing third to Fiji in 2003 would have been a bigger deal. Related: England’s...
Warren Gatland’s final home match in charge of Wales did not go to plan with Ireland’s players responding to criticismIt is difficult to know what will have annoyed Warren Gatland more. The end of his glorious tenure in Wales with defeat, the end of Wales’s 11-match unbeaten run in Cardiff, the end of their one-match reign as the world’s number one? It could be any of the above, but the unifying grief is almost certainly that it should be Ireland who inflict all those maddening niggles, just as he prepares to announce his World Cup squad.No one can say he hadn’t asked for it. Gatland was at it again in midweek, unable to resist a little dig against his former...
Ireland suffered a crushing defeat by England at Twickenham but a bigger concern could be fitness doubts to key playersNo world No 1 ranking for Ireland this week, unless the measurement is injury concerns. With two warm-up games against Wales still to come they are currently down to their third-choice fly-half, saw their experienced loosehead prop Cian Healy hobble off with a painful-looking sprain to his right ankle and were briefly in danger of losing their kingpin scrum-half Conor Murray as well. Related: Manu Tuilagi makes up for lost time to take centre stage against Ireland | Gerard Meagher Related: Joe Cokanasiga scores twice as England turn on power to crush Ireland Continue reading...
The Leicester man turns on the power at Twickenham with an outstanding display in the No 13 shirtIt may seem strange to single out one player after such an imperious England performance across the board but Manu Tuilagi is someone worth making an exception for. There have been countless days over the past five years when a performance such as this seemed beyond the realms of possibility. Just this week he laid bare the extent of his injury struggles and how hiding one of them cost him more than a year of his career. Suffice it to say it is good to see him back and firing like this. Related: Manu Tuilagi admits he hid injury that led to extended...