England sticking to strengths against Australia; Ireland need to find old form to beat New Zealand; Wales must stop France momentum; South Africa could end Japan’s adventureEddie Jones has picked a team with England’s Six Nations win in Dublin in mind. If Jones has a blueprint for precisely how he wants his team to play, that is the closest they have come to it since he took charge. Related: Ben Youngs urges England to attack from the start against Australia Related: Wales boosted by return of big guns for quarter-final clash with France Continue reading...
England, Ireland and Wales are among the throng pushing to challenge New Zealand as the World Cup enters crunch timeNormal service has been resumed. After the surreal scenes of the All Blacks not being No 1 (Wales were, then Ireland!) they enter the quarter‑finals back at the top of the rankings, rated by the bookies as twice as likely to win the tournament as the second favourites. Don’t be so sure. It goes without saying they remain the best when on form, but that cancelled game might well be more of a hindrance to them than anyone, given that their last meaningful fixture will have been four weeks before their quarter‑final against Ireland. At least Italy would have been semi-meaningful....
The concept of hard work is a core part of Japanese sport even if it seems to be inspiration rather than perspiration that is firing Japan in this World CupLate one night, and lost, drunk, in the dairy aisle of a Tokyo convenience store, I spent five minutes trying to work out whether the carton I’d just picked up had milk in or not. Google Translate’s camera app didn’t help. “Bulgaria!” the label read when I scanned it with my phone, ‘4 arrange the lance! Of bacteria in the hen! Tummy Keep Good.” You get used to it. There are awkward bits and pieces of English all around Japan. “Let’s watch the great power of live battle of men on...
Japan’s ascent shows the value of hosting the tournament, and the United States has the potential to do the sameFor some of us the 2019 World Cup is already over. From a USA perspective it was not the tournament we had hoped for. A last-ditch defeat against Tonga in the final pool game has left our squad feeling disheartened. Despite all our hard work we weren’t able to deliver our best performances but lessons have been learned and, maybe more importantly, memories created that will last for ever.It has been an immense privilege to be in Japan and share in a tournament that has already broadened rugby’s horizons. If rugby wants to get anywhere close to the level of football...
World Rugby is desperate to expand the sport and inviting the World Cup hosts into a long-established European competition would help do just thatI had a conversation with some Japan supporters a few days before the Scotland match and they asked me if I thought their team might be able to cause any more upsets at the World Cup. I can safely say that is not a conversation I will be having any more because the tournament’s narrative has changed. Japan are no longer causing upsets but producing world‑class performances, and they are making a mockery of their tier-two label.I want to start a different conversation. How about Japan joining the Six Nations? I may be inviting ridicule and there...