England’s defence is aided by an old master, Wales prepare to face their old nemeses and Larmour rises to the occasion Related: Owen Farrell escapes being cited over André Esterhuizen tackle Related: Refusal to bow shows England ready for All Black ‘benchmark’ | Robert Kitson Related: Wales win over Australia would not be monkey off back, says Warren Gatland Continue reading...
A year from the World Cup, New Zealand look good for a hat-trick of titles but Ireland, South Africa and Wales are all on the rise with England and Australia heading in the other directionDefeat by South Africa in Wellington reminded the world that the All Blacks can be beaten – no bad thing with 12 months to go until the World Cup – but they are still the overwhelming favourites for a third straight win. They were not brilliant against France over the summer but then thrashed Australia twice, displaying an ability to find a gear their opponents cannot live with. It will be fascinating to see their response to defeat; do they add a dose of pragmatism to...
The youngest player to captain a side at a World Cup has called it a day at 29Sam Warburton was reflecting at the start of last year on how long his career may have to run. He had turned 28 two months before and, while he wistfully thought of still playing at the age of 35, he conceded that his body, after 18 major injuries, would probably not hold out that long. As it turned out his final outing would come six months later, helping the British & Irish Lions draw the series in New Zealand with a decisive intervention at the end of the third Test when he gently dissuaded the referee, Romain Poite, from awarding the All Blacks a penalty...
Southern hemisphere sides dominated the 2015 World Cup in England but since then three out of the four have struggledMaro Itoje was in reflective mood as he sprawled himself in a chair that struggled to contain his 6ft 6in frame at England’s Bagshot base. “I have been in camp for only two days but you get the feeling something big is about to happen,” said the Lions and Saracens second‑row before Eddie Jones’s squad flew out to South Africa.He was talking about England’s odyssey but his words apply also to international rugby’s changing landscape. The last World Cup not only saw England become the first hosts to fail to make the knockout stage but, for the first time, the semi-finalists...
When Wales play South Africa at RFK Stadium in Washington on Saturday, a few well-known faces could be in the crowdWhen Candace Gingrich met Bill Clinton in 1996, half-brother Newt was two years into a political war with the White House. At a fundraising event, the president worked his way down a line of guests. When he got to the young Human Rights Campaign staffer with the Republican House Speaker for a relative, he got a welcome surprise. Related: HR McMaster on rugby: 'The warrior ethos is what a good team has' George W. Bush plays a little dirty rugby for Yale in 1966 pic.twitter.com/R1uPDXz4ABYou play rugby for yourself … but you also play for the other people with you...