Scots bared their teeth while their No 10 put on show of sublime skills and composure that silenced critics and left Eddie Jones’s team floundering“Super fly guy” read the headline in the local paper on Saturday morning and boy, did Finn Russell soar. We have heard plenty about his tendency to do so too close to the sun but here at Murrayfield he was simply sublime. He smiles too much, apparently – well, the last laugh is undoubtedly his.It is a first win for Scotland against England for a decade, their first tries at Murrayfield against their rivals for 14 years and, more significantly, it was achieved in a manner to rock global rugby to its core. Eddie Jones’s England...
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...
England should venture outside their London moneypit and take a big game to rugby lovers otherwise disenfranchised by geography and, in some cases, historyIt is October 2007 and the clear Mediterranean sky is turning from sapphire blue to purest velvet. England, against all the odds, have just beaten Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals and down in the Vieux Port area of Marseille a monumental party is brewing. Even before France’s tournament-shaping game against New Zealand in Cardiff kicks off the harbourside vibe makes Twickenham feel like a suburban vicarage.So bienvenue with knobs on to Marseille as the Six Nations’s newest host city. Whether this Friday night’s contest between France and Italy in the 67,000-capacity Stade Vélodrome will induce a...
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...