England under Eddie Jones are nothing if not purposeful, New Zealand can’t be blamed for their physicality and Scotland could profit from Argentina’s travails Related: England hint at attacking riches to rival pomp of Woodward era in defeat of Fiji Related: Ireland nurse wounds after New Zealand prevail in bruising encounter Related: Japan serve up warning to Wales in advance of South Africa challenge Related: Wallabies question scrum tactics despite bruising win over France Continue reading...
Fijians are on display for and against England, Ireland are looking to make history (again), Scotland have a Six Nations point to prove and Emily Scarratt returnsWith Billy Vunipola declared fit to start against Fiji, it is little surprise that Eddie Jones delayed naming his starting XV by 24 hours. Leaving the Wales match – the day after the Premiership final – aside, Vunipola has started in every game under Jones and while he is not the only player to do so, he is the most important. A leaner, meaner Vunipola, making carries in areas that hurt the opposition, has been the bedrock of Jones’s side and without him England would have needed to find other means of breaking the...
The prop who is set to equal Jason Leonard’s 114 England caps against France on Wednesday is too busy being part of the revolution in the women’s game to think about retiringBeing compared with Jason Leonard is not necessarily every young girl’s dream. For Rochelle Clark, though, there is no bigger honour than to draw up alongside the legendary prop as the most capped England rugby player, male or female, of all time. “It’s great to have my name associated with the ‘Fun Bus’,” acknowledges the 35-year-old Clark before her record-equalling 114th cap against France on Wednesday.A few minutes with “Rocky” is an education. This is a woman who turned up 24kg lighter for her third cap than for her...