Exclusive: England U20 boss Alan Dickens set for Leicester Tigers attack role April 21, 2023 Current England Under-20 head coach Alan Dickens is set to be named Leicester Tigers attack coach, Morning Wire understands. The former Sale Sharks, Leeds, Saracens and Northampton Saints player will head to Mattioli Woods Welford Road this summer as a key part of new head coach Dan McKellar’s team. Dickens led England’s U20 side to [...]
Rugby had to be tough on Nowell with fine for the sake of the game’s future April 21, 2023 This may not be something you expect to hear from an ex-player but I do really feel for referees when it comes to decisions on player welfare. In the 43rd minute of Exeter’s loss to Leicester last week, winger Olly Woodburn – who had previously received a yellow card – was handed a second card [...]
Rugby World Cup Barometer: Carreras can cause England problems April 20, 2023 | Sponsored In the lead up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Morning Wire has put together a barometer in partnership with City Index to look at which players and other personnel are hot and not in the race to be part of the quadrennial event in France later this year. Player of the week Argentina will need to beat either [...]
Jack Nowell fined and must do course over tweet about rugby referee April 20, 2023 England international winger Jack Nowell has been fined £10,000 and must complete a referees’ course over a tweet he posted following a red card during a Premiership match on Sunday. Exeter Chiefs teammate Olly Woodburn received a second yellow card – and therefore a red – for what referee Karl Dickson deemed an offence during [...]
Exclusive: Diamond stands ready to save Worcester Warriors if Atlas deal collapses April 18, 2023 Former Worcester Warriors boss Steve Diamond stands ready to rescue the financially stricken rugby club amid growing uncertainty over whether the Atlas consortium will meet a looming deadline to complete their purchase. Sources close to the situation told Morning Wire that Diamond and previous Worcester Warriors sponsor Adam Hewitt maintain their interest in the club, [...]
Genge could face ban and dent England World Cup preparation April 17, 2023 England’s Rugby World Cup preparations had a spanner thrown into the works today as starting loosehead prop – and recent captain – Ellis Genge was cited for a dangerous tackle in Bristol Bears’ loss to Sale Sharks on Friday. The 41-cap forward was cited yesterday for his hit on fellow England star Tom Curry in [...]
Harlequins face crunch games in bid to make Premiership top four April 16, 2023 Harlequins are facing a pair of crunch games in the next three weeks if they are to make the Premiership top four and stay in the fight for a third top-flight title. After defending champions Leicester Tigers crushed Exeter Chiefs 62-19 yesterday in a match Chris Ashton that saw notch up his 99th, 100th and [...]
Leaving the Premiership XV: Talent drain from English rugby laid bare April 15, 2023 It’s not uncommon for the world’s various top flight leagues to see quality talent steadily flow in and out, but the Premiership – the top level of rugby in England – is about to see a mass exodus of players to rival leagues. Leaving the Premiership are a number of individuals who between them have [...]
Ollie Phillips: It’s time for RFU axe its short-sighted England selection policy April 15, 2023 I won’t hold my breath, but Jack Willis’s decision to stay at Toulouse ought to sound alarm bells at the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and cause them to reconsider their refusal to pick overseas-based players for the England team. That stance might be sustainable when your clubs can pay the same as those in France [...]
Rugby World Cup Barometer: Botia shows Fiji claims but Van Poortvliet left in shade April 13, 2023 | Sponsored In the lead up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Morning Wire has put together a barometer in partnership with City Index to look at which players and other personnel are hot and not in the race to be part of the quadrennial event in France later this year. Player of the week Hybrid players who can operate in [...]