Victory over Argentina in a thrilling and brutal encounter was further proof that England have been transformed under the leadership of Eddie JonesLate on Saturday afternoon a brilliant red sunset settled over south-west London, making a fitting backdrop for a bloody match at Twickenham. It was a game that contained, as Eddie Jones said, more drama than your average EastEnders omnibus. It was bracketed by two red cards, one for Elliot Daly four minutes from the start, another for Enrique Pieretto four minutes from the finish. In between, including all the extra time at the end of the first half, there was an 80-minute melee, which looked, at times, like one of those cartoon bust-ups in which everything is a...
The recently recalled flanker says England, who chase their 13th straight win against Los Pumas on Saturday, are a different beast under Eddie JonesEddie Jones knew precisely what he was doing when he suggested Argentina could pose England their toughest challenge of this autumn series. As well as alerting his own side to the perils of complacency it also delivered a jagged little dart to Australian posteriors before their Test against Ireland. Even if the Wallabies do not respond in kind when they reach London next week, Jones’s calculated jibe will have found its fleshy target.It also had the additional virtue of being potentially true. Argentina did, admittedly, end up bottom of the Rugby Championship and lost to Australia at...
Elliot Daly in the spotlight for England, Ireland face a test of their consistency from the Wallabies and can Italy capitalise on Springboks upset?On one hand, Eddie Jones’s decision to stick with Elliot Daly on the wing again makes sense – he was excellent against Fiji, singled out for praise by the head coach, has the necessary pace and is willing to go looking for the ball. On the other, Semesa Rokoduguni’s omission seems harsh: before last Saturday Daly had not started on the wing since March 2013 and you cannot help but wonder how his overlooked Wasps club-mate Christian Wade might feel. But Daly’s versatility is clearly valued by Jones and giving him more game time there feels like...
This week’s roundup also features NFL missed kicks, NBA circus shots, Neath v South Africa and Ron Burgundy watching the World Series1) This weekend sees a full programme of rugby union internationals. On Friday night, Samoa play Canada, as good an excuse as any for some Brian ‘The Chiropractor’ Lima. Elsewhere, Argentina visit Twickenham – so here they are enjoying a set-to with Wales in 1999 - and South Africa visit Wales – so here they are enjoying the Battle of the Gnoll in 1994. Continue reading...
Players’ lack of skill and inability to react to the unexpected is undermining Rob Howley’s interim spell as Wales head coachNovember has come to mark the start of the shooting season. Wales face South Africa in Cardiff on Saturday with both coaches under fire and France’s Guy Novès can hear the sounds of chambers clicking open after his side lost to a nowhere near full-strength Australia. Related: Rugby union autumn internationals: talking points from the latest action Continue reading...