Murrayfield’s fierce reception sets tone on a day when England were left bewildered by nimbler and more bloodthirsty hostsIt was a crisp, clear afternoon at Murrayfield, with just enough sun to fool you into thinking it was going to be a warm and pleasant day. It wasn’t, not for the English. The Scots’ hospitality turned with the weather and by the time the England team arrived, their welcome was anything but. You could feel the atmosphere grow tense as their bus, stuck behind the Fife Police Pipe Band, made the long, slow crawl through the gauntlet of Scottish fans at the back of the West Stand. They were hanging off the gantries there, waiting to let Eddie Jones know exactly...
If Eddie Jones does decide to put Nathan Hughes straight into the starting lineup against Scotland on Saturday, my guess is he will play for 60 minutes before the cavalry come onIt comes as no surprise to hear England’s coaches have been glowing about the impact Nathan Hughes has off the field as well as on it. He might not necessarily come across as a larger than life character but from what I hear, around the camp he is a lively guy, he gets things going and he will bring the energy and intensity to another level.The coaches have talked about how he is with the young players, too – he was Marcus Smith’s room-mate at one of the training...
The visitors’ showing when it dried up at Twickenham will give hope to Scotland when Eddie Jones’s side visit MurrayfieldIf it rains for the next five weeks, England will be crowned Six Nations champions because Eddie Jones’s side have once again demonstrated they are the best wet-weather team in the world at the moment.As seen against Wales, England had a plan and they executed it perfectly. What impressed me most was how the half-backs – and I include Owen Farrell in that – dropped those kicks in behind the wings and just showed far superior tactical awareness than their opposite numbers throughout. Related: Jonny May’s early tries take England over the line against battling Wales Related: Greig Laidlaw’s nerveless kicking...
Corporation’s rugby correspondent will call it a day at the end of the 2018 autumn internationals after 46 yearsIt is not easy putting words to televised sporting pictures, let alone painting the whole verbal picture for radio listeners. The temptation is to gabble on, desperately fill the silence and, if all else fails, state the bleeding obvious. To make the whole thing resemble a cosy, fireside chat with close mates is a great deal harder than it seems.Rugby has been especially lucky with many of its pre-eminent ‘voices’. For years the late Bill McLaren imbued the sport with such warmth, humanity and soul it was almost a surprise when any genuine “argy-bargy” broke out. The “big laddy”, the “boilerhouse”, the...
Wales have case for moral victory in loss to England, Scotland prepare for ‘Big One’ and Ellie Kildunne’s stock continues to riseOne minute Eddie Jones is using the media to put pressure on opposition captains and fly-halves, the next he is criticising those whom he perceives are giving insufficient credit to himself and some of his players. “You guys tell me Mike Brown can’t play Test rugby … you guys are unbelievable!” he told his BBC 5 Live’s Chris Jones after Saturday’s narrow 12-6 win over Wales. “You’re always criticising him and now he has a good game you’re all on the bandwagon. You guys are better selectors than we are, that’s what you think you are.” Given England have...