The Leicester fly-half is in cruise control – his kicking into space has been better than all the other No 10s in JapanHaving played against England at this World Cup I am not remotely surprised to see them in the final on Saturday. They have a squad – and a game plan – with “world champions” written all over it. Their confidence must also be through the roof having dismantled the All Blacks in Yokohama. Eddie Jones’s men seem to be peaking at the right time and have built steadily throughout the tournament.Love him or hate him, England’s head coach has been in masterful form. His “humorous” comments before games are no accident: they are designed to galvanise his team...
England, Ireland and Wales are among the throng pushing to challenge New Zealand as the World Cup enters crunch timeNormal service has been resumed. After the surreal scenes of the All Blacks not being No 1 (Wales were, then Ireland!) they enter the quarter‑finals back at the top of the rankings, rated by the bookies as twice as likely to win the tournament as the second favourites. Don’t be so sure. It goes without saying they remain the best when on form, but that cancelled game might well be more of a hindrance to them than anyone, given that their last meaningful fixture will have been four weeks before their quarter‑final against Ireland. At least Italy would have been semi-meaningful....
Japan’s ascent shows the value of hosting the tournament, and the United States has the potential to do the sameFor some of us the 2019 World Cup is already over. From a USA perspective it was not the tournament we had hoped for. A last-ditch defeat against Tonga in the final pool game has left our squad feeling disheartened. Despite all our hard work we weren’t able to deliver our best performances but lessons have been learned and, maybe more importantly, memories created that will last for ever.It has been an immense privilege to be in Japan and share in a tournament that has already broadened rugby’s horizons. If rugby wants to get anywhere close to the level of football...
Japan’s stunning success as World Cup hosts show the Eagles what might await if their own domestic league takes root Gary Gold is softly spoken at the best of times. In the worst of times on Sunday, he might’ve struggled to sound convincing when he said he was “unbelievably excited” about the future of American rugby. Related: Japan show world their defiance and skill in face of typhoon destruction | Andy Bull All we can really do is squeeze every ounce of learning out of this experience. Hopefully, that can catapult the team Related: Japan captain Michael Leitch says victory ‘was about more than just us’ Continue reading...
USA’s full-back has exonerated the England centre for a high tackle and called on back-up officials to offer more help to beleaguered refereesThank you so much to all those, including a number of England players, who sent me sympathetic messages after I was knocked unconscious late in the game in Kobe last Thursday. It was not exactly the World Cup impact I was hoping for but I am feeling better now and, with any luck, should be available for our last pool matches against Argentina and Tonga.I have seen the footage of me falling at an angle and being tackled by Mark Wilson but, otherwise, I can’t remember anything about the incident. All I know is that I woke up...