The contrast in the fortunes of the former teammates could not have been more striking during Scotland’s famous successMost players will tell you they don’t remember too much about their debut games, that, looking back, it all seemed to pass by in a blur. You hope for Cameron Redpath’s sake that he will recall every second of his. Chances are that however many games he plays for Scotland by the end (and you can bet, on the strength of this performance, it’ll be plenty), there won’t be many better, or more famous than this, Scotland’s first win at Twickenham since 1983. Related: Duhan van der Merwe helps Scotland score historic victory against England Related: England 6-11 Scotland: Six Nations player...
England must improvise, France and Scotland can thrill, Ireland need drive, Wales will focus on results and Italy look to youthThe champions are the favourites despite being without five leading forwards for part or all of the tournament, but the last time England won in Cardiff and Dublin in the same campaign was in 2003, when Eddie Jones was coaching that year’s World Cup hosts, Australia. Continue reading...
After the sterile Autumn Nations Cup, low-risk rugby union has to be ditched in order to win over fresh convertsThe Six Nations starts less than two months after the conclusion of the kick-and-chase festival that called itself the Autumn Nations Cup. The sterile environments in empty stadiums stripped heat and passion from matches, but the general unwillingness to run from deep was not a symptom of Covid-19 but the continuation of a trend towards defence and low risk.Even the Scotland head coach, Gregor Townsend, who as a player was known for his daring and invention, said he did not think style was important and that the best way to give supporters a lift was to win. He felt the lack...
With victory in Wales, Gregor Townsend’s benefited from home teams struggling to create their own energy in the fan-free eraTake the “row” out of “crowd” and what are you left with? CD, a disc which is one way of trying to develop an atmosphere in an empty stadium. Home teams are having to generate their own energy with the lack of support having a clear impact.The last weekend of the Six Nations saw the penalty count won by the away side in all three matches. The three hosts were awarded a total of 27 penalties with their opponents receiving 47, an average of nearly 25 a match compared to 18 in the opening three matches, which were all played before...
It’s 149 years to the day since Scotland and England played the first rugby union international. From the archive, here are half-a-dozen great stramashesThis article was first published on 3 February 2012 Related: The Joy of Six: champions | Daniel Harris Related: The Joy of Six: unsung sporting heroes of 2017 Continue reading...