Ollie Phillips: Still places to play for in England’s final World Cup warm-up against Italy September 5, 2019 England head to Newcastle United’s St James’ Park for their final warm-up game against Italy tomorrow before they fly to Japan for the World Cup — and what an occasion it will be. Newcastle seems to be turning into a real hotbed of rugby after hosting the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup in May, so [...]
Ollie Phillips: George Ford’s Ireland performance gives Eddie Jones a World Cup selection headache August 29, 2019 I was busy getting married on Saturday so didn’t watch England against Ireland live, but it’s fair to say the best day of my life got even better when I saw the score. Watching the recording back after tying the knot I couldn’t help but be encouraged by what I saw. England are on fire [...]
Pressure on England to beat Ireland as Eddie Jones names probable World Cup XV August 22, 2019 For England’s third World Cup warm-up match, against Ireland on Saturday, Eddie Jones has selected a team that almost looks like his first choice XV for the tournament. Only Mako Vunipola coming in for Joe Marler at loosehead prop could make this side stronger. But there is a concern over how reliant England have become [...]
Ireland may have peaked too soon as England World Cup warm-up looms August 22, 2019 There is only so long that a team can go on a winning run before they are inevitably undone and must return to the drawing board. Just ask England, who capitulated at last year’s Six Nations on their way to losing five successive Tests. Or Wales, whose 14-match winning streak was abruptly halted by England [...]
Wales show resilience to bounce back and beat England in physical affair August 19, 2019 For those who say World Cup warm-up matches should not count as Tests, this was anything but a friendly. More than 73,000 came to watch Wales beat England 13-6 on Saturday in a hugely physical battle at the Principality Stadium that saw tempers flare and the hosts become the world’s No1 side. Warren Gatland warned [...]
Ollie Phillips: England’s World Cup hopefuls face baptism of fire in Cardiff against Wales August 15, 2019 Eddie Jones is keen to have a good look at new recruits in the warm-ups ahead of the World Cup, and after missing out last weekend through injury, what a baptism of fire it will be for Ruaridh McConnochie in Cardiff on Saturday. Barring glaring omissions in Danny Cipriani and Alex Goode, Jones has committed [...]
Ruaridh McConnochie’s World Cup selection shows Eddie Jones’s methodology with England August 12, 2019 A year ago, Ruaridh McConnochie had not played a single top-flight match of rugby union. Today, despite still never having played competitively for England, he was named in Eddie Jones’s 31-man squad for the Rugby World Cup next month. It was a momentous day in McConnochie’s career and one entirely in keeping with a whirlwind [...]
Anthony Watson timing his run to perfection ahead of World Cup squad announcement August 12, 2019 This was Anthony Watson’s first outing in an England shirt for almost 17 months after a year of injury hell that left him at the lowest point of his career to date. The 25-year-old has had to watch his England team-mates build toward the World Cup, as Eddie Jones tinkered with his line-ups, all the [...]
Richmond, Cornish Pirates and how the growing gap between Premiership and Championship rugby is threatening clubs’ finances and professional status August 7, 2019 Three years ago amateur rugby club Richmond sealed a surprise promotion to the Championship, the second tier of England’s two professional leagues. They were faced with a stick-or-twist decision: hire an entirely new squad of full-time players and try to compete, or reward their existing part-timers with the opportunity to compete against the pros. At [...]
Shane Williams interview: ‘This is the strongest Wales squad I’ve ever seen. They need this World Cup.’ July 29, 2019 Shane Williams has seen plenty of great Wales teams. In recent history he has been a crucial part of most of them, winning two Grand Slams and a world player of the year award in a glittering career in a red shirt. But none of those sides, according to the former winger, are as good [...]