Former Wallabies star Drew Mitchell has backed Michael Hooper’s quest to represent Australia in rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics after the former skipper made an encouraging start to his career in Hong Kong.
‘Can’t believe it’: NSW Waratahs clinch ‘crazy’ golden point victory against Crusaders
Waratahs’ fans have always been a faithful and patient lot, able to cling to the slimmest glimmer of hope when everything else seems lost.
Former All Blacks assistant Mike Cron joins Wallabies coaching staff
Renowned scrum doctor Mike Cron has joined the Wallabies coaching staff.
Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper to play first sevens game for Australia in Hong Kong
Wallabies legend Michael Hooper will take his first big steps towards the Paris Olympics when he makes his rugby sevens debut for Australia in Hong Kong next weekend.
Six Nations produces vintage year despite the usual winners and losers
Even with Ireland once again top, a middle England, and Italy and Wales battling at the bottom, the tournament still thrills
At first glance not an awful lot changed during the men’s Six Nations championship this year. Ireland and France occupied the table’s top two positions, as they did in 2023, with Wales and Italy in the bottom two and England and Scotland once again the meat in the club sandwich. Ireland, for the third year in a row, had the meanest defence and only the winless Welsh, strangely, managed to score more tries than last year.
Yet if this was not a vintage Six Nations in absolutely all respects, the old tournament is enjoying a refreshing renaissance. The competition is now so tight that 10 of the 15 matches were decided by four points or fewer, including all three of the final-round games. If Netflix cannot stitch together an award winning series from the stunning “Super Saturday” footage alone it should abandon its fly‑on‑the‑wall cameras and walk away.
Continue reading...Ireland ready themselves for South Africa as Scotland rue near misses
After a successful Six Nations Peter O’Mahony’s men will now face the sternest test of all against the world champions
It was not quite what the Irish were dreaming of after maximum points from the first three rounds, but back-to-back championships puts this Ireland team in a small elite of Six Nations champions. They become the sixth team to have managed the feat and, interestingly, only the third, after Wales in 2012-13 and England in 2016-2017, to follow up a grand slam with the title. It is as if teams really want to beat you when you are grand-slam champions.
Peter O’Mahony had the air of a satisfied man. Twelve years after his Ireland debut, this has been his first full campaign as captain. It was, perhaps harshly, pointed out to him that he had never won a thing in nigh on 15 years as a captain (of Munster and intermittently Ireland), and now he has won twice in 10 months (Munster won the United Rugby Championship in May).
Continue reading...‘I feel like a different player’: George Ford hails England’s new approach
Performance against France leads to new belief that Borthwick’s men have turned a corner with attacking tactics
For England the sense of deja vu was inescapable on Saturday night. As Thomas Ramos lined up the 80th-minute penalty to seal the narrowest of victories for France, minds spooled back to Paris and South Africa’s Handré Pollard doing precisely the same thing in the World Cup semi-final. If the fact that they emerged on the right side of a thrilling denouement just a week earlier demonstrates the fine margins of professional sport, England could be forgiven for getting that sinking feeling once again.
But this one will not hurt for as long or cut nearly as deep. Optimism abounds for Steve Borthwick’s side. The World Cup exit was greeted with a degree of respect that a limited team had scraped their way to the last four but, on the evidence of their valiant defeat in France and thrilling win against Ireland, England have rediscovered themselves. They have finally found an attacking edge that went missing in the second half of Eddie Jones’s reign and their supporters are swooning again.
Continue reading...France 33-31 England: Six Nations 2024 finale – as it happened
France needed a late Thomas Ramos penalty to win a nail-biter in Lyon
2 mins. England recycle the restart and boot it back to France who decide it’s the kind of night whereby they will go wide early, and have already had Fickou chucking the ball through his legs as an option. This move gets them outside the English blitz via a Depoortere run up the left touchline before England scramble and force him out.
At the second attempt (don’t ask), Thomas Ramos punts the ball deep to get us underway.
Continue reading...Ireland 17-13 Scotland: Six Nations 2024 – as it happened
Ireland retained their Six Nations title after a tense 17-13 win over Scotland in Dublin
4 mins. An organised start from both sides, each taking a couple of carries up before dispatching the ball with the boot of their scrum-halves. Rinse, repeat.
There’s a slight variation when Ireland spin to Lowe and his kick is charged down by Christie rampaging out of the line with a block.
Continue reading...Ireland Six Nations winners in all but name but bonus points cloud issue | Michael Aylwin
England, France and Scotland can still lift Six Nations trophy with Gregor Townsend’s men harbouring some regrets
Only sad old men in pubs indulge in “coulda, shoulda” talk, but we are legion among Six Nations followers, so why not? Dublin coulda, shoulda been a grand-slam decider.
As it is, we will almost certainly witness Ireland’s procession towards a second consecutive Six Nations title. Even if they lose.
Continue reading...Six Nations: Townsend knows Scotland need ‘special’ day to beat Ireland
- Tough task ahead with Ireland winning last nine successive ties
- Gatland ‘loves’ pressure of avoiding wooden spoon with Wales
Gregor Townsend admits Scotland will have to “do something special” in Dublin as he challenged them to score at least 20 points against Ireland and give themselves a fighting chance of a first triple crown since 1990.
Scotland are heading to the Irish capital looking to save face after a shock defeat in Italy last weekend all but ended their hopes of winning the championship and left them staring at the possibility of finishing fifth if results go against them on Saturday.
Continue reading...Roosters’ deny $1.8m move for Wallabies gun as Manu reportedly settles on shock destination
The Sydney Roosters have denied they have offered rugby starlet Max Jorgensen a big-money offer to move to the NRL – but remain interest in poaching the 19-year-old talent at some point.
The Breakdown | Shooting for the stars: young guns are lighting up this year’s Six Nations
From Le Garrec’s mega pass to the mesmerising Menoncello and the mighty Martin, a new wave of impressive young talent is making its mark
There is still one final round of the 2024 Six Nations remaining but a striking trend is already apparent. Look across all the teams and a new wave of impressive young talent is announcing itself. While there will always be a place for cauliflower-eared experience at the highest level, it is rare for as many fresh faces to be making such a concerted impact on the grand old tournament.
Front and centre for France in Cardiff on Sunday was the 21-year-old l’homme du match Nolann Le Garrec, whose outrageous reverse Hail Mary long pass has rightly been delighting social media users from beyond rugby’s traditional audiences. Then there is Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, also 21, who was outstanding on his first start for England having missed training the week before to sit a medical exam. If his bedside manner is anything like his attacking instinct, the future of the National Health Service is in safe hands.
Continue reading...Wales 24-45 France: Six Nations 2024 – as it happened
Wales play their part in eight-try show, but France’s power game proves too much as Gatland’s charges remain rooted to the bottom of the table.
Elliot Dee leads the team out on his 50th appearance. Applause for Lewis Jones, the former Wales and British & Irish Lion, who passed away this week. Some love too for Barry John, JPR Williams, Phil Bennett and John Dawes.
Minutes away. Both groups look tense. They know what’s on offer today. Redemption is maybe too strong a word, but yesterday proved that any side can win if their opponents aren’t on it.
Continue reading...Rebels routed as debt-riddled club crushed in nightmare Super Rugby opener
Winning is always important but when you are literally playing for your future and even when success doesn’t guarantee the doors will stay open resilience can sometimes overwrite skill to get the job done.