Coach needs his old instincts to regain sharpness as he pits Curry against Ireland’s outstanding CJ Stander at TwickenhamEddie Jones used his experience to full advantage in his first four years in charge of England but since the World Cup final he has veered from grumpy to irascible, no longer sure of touch. On the day that the former Ireland second-row Dan Tuohy marked his retirement by declaring that rugby union was starting to look rotten from the core, Jones embroiled himself in more controversy, with an offensive throwaway remark to a reporter that was swiftly followed by an apology and a clarifying statement from the Rugby Football Union.Defeat to Ireland at Twickenham on Sunday would all but end their...
Trip to Cardiff this weekend will be a test of Les Bleus’ fragility when they leave their home in Paris The French revolution this week moves beyond the skirmish stage. Home victories over England and Italy put Les Bleus on top of the Six Nations 10 years after they last finished a campaign in that position, but the test is whether they have found a cure for their travel problems.France’s decline in the 2010s was stark. When they won the grand slam in 2010, their record in the 11 seasons of the Six Nations was 41 victories and 14 defeats. In the nine campaigns since then, they have lost three more matches than they have won and their only away...
Eddie Jones under scrutiny, Wales and Ireland settling into new management regimes, and a fragile French renaissance?After Ciara and Dennis comes storm Eddie? After England overwhelmed New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final the Six Nations seemed a breeze for them, with four teams under new management and Gregor Townsend’s Scotland looking inwards. But it is England’s head coach who is under the most scrutiny after two rounds.Jones’s contract ends in 2021, at the midway point between World Cups, and the sight of Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s Japan 2019-winning coach, at Murrayfield last Saturday was another cause for speculation. Jones’s side’s meek opening in Paris after the Australian’s bellicose buildup was followed by a narrow win in appropriately stormy conditions...
England forward’s passion and his wider appeal are good for the game and reaction to post-match interview was over the topEllis Genge’s interview after England’s win over Scotland was one of the best I’ve heard for a long time. It was raw, it was honest, it was passionate and ultimately he was defending his team. I didn’t necessarily agree with everything he said but I loved the way he said it. The amount of grief he got because of it beggars belief. One person tweeted they could not believe that Ellis almost swore on TV. Almost swore?!I’ve been scratching my head ever since, trying to work out just why so many people had a problem with it and I can’t...
The Six Nations and the private equity firm CVC’s impending deal is threatening to take some games off free-to-air TV, and that could be a dangerous moveIn August 1990 a retired French nuclear physicist called André Gardes armed himself with a semi‑automatic and launched a one-man invasion of Sark. When he arrived on the island he put up a pair of posters warning the residents that he was going to take over at noon the next day. And he would have, if a local constable hadn’t disarmed him by asking if he could hold his gun for a minute. Gardes removed the magazine, handed it over, and the policeman punched him on the nose. The invasion was over. Gardes actually...