Category: England Rugby

Ireland’s pack was rocked by Italy in their Six Nations meeting and England have taken note

Two snapshots will be nagging away in Irish minds before Saturday’s visit to south-west London. The first is the sobering sight of Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan, both distinguished British & Irish Lions, being rocketed skywards by Italy’s power in the set scrums last Saturday. The second dates back 14 years to another Anglo-Irish contest that epitomised the “no scrum, no win” ethos that remains non-negotiable at the highest level.

The airborne Furlong footage has certainly caught the eye of England’s front-rowers and a quick dip into the archives will also remind both teams of what can happen when things up front go pear-shaped. In 2012, Ireland were left badly exposed when Mike Ross injured his neck at the first scrum and ended up conceding a penalty try, six scrum penalties and three scrums against the head as they subsided to a humbling 30-9 defeat.

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• Prop gets erroneous credit for Traitors appearance

• ‘Who am I to correct her? I didn’t really know what to say’

Anyone who tuned in to the celebrity version of The Traitors last year will be familiar with the former England rugby player Joe Marler. With the exception, it turns out, of Princess Anne who was involved in a case of mistaken identity during the Calcutta Cup pre-match formalities at Murrayfield last Saturday.

Clearly unaware Marler had retired from rugby 15 months ago, the Princess Royal stopped for a chat with her new favourite prop while being introduced to the England team in her role as patron of Scottish Rugby. She even confided how amusing she had found him on Celebrity Traitors, which would have been fine had the player in front of her been Marler rather than another bearded English front-rower, Joe Heyes.

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• Wing to learn fate after red card in Scotland

• Immanuel Feyi-Waboso also out with injury

Steve Borthwick is facing a selection headache as England seek to get their Six Nations campaign back on track against Ireland on Saturday, with Henry Arundell set for disciplinary action after his red card against Scotland.

England have promised an “honest and emotional” review into their dismal Calcutta Cup defeat before Borthwick decides how to configure his backline against Ireland, with Arundell facing the prospect of a suspension for his two yellow cards against Scotland.

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• Ratcliffe’s remarks on immigration sparked controversy

• England captain says remarks are ‘so far from the truth’

The England captain Maro Itoje has piled into the ruck surrounding Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s comments about immigration, dismissing the Manchester United co-owner’s views as “ridiculous”. Itoje, whose parents both came to Britain from Nigeria, has criticised the phrasing and accuracy of Ratcliffe’s remarks.

Itoje, who recently missed the start of England’s pre-Six Nations training camp to attend his mother’s funeral in Nigeria, did not hold back when asked about Ratcliffe’s opinion on the eve of his side’s Calcutta Cup showdown at Murrayfield. “Obviously I don’t condone the language he used,” said Itoje.

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Scotland will throw everything at the visitors but I love Steve Borthwick’s decision to start Luke Cowan-Dickie in the Six Nations at Murrayfield

The Six Nations is a cruel mistress. Two days before the tournament started for Scotland, Gregor Townsend said this was the strongest playing group of his tenure. Two days later, one bad half of rugby, some abysmal weather and he is facing calls for his head. If you take your eye off the ball in this competition for half an hour on the field your campaign can be over for another 12 months.

England will know that heading to Murrayfield. They only need to reflect on their most recent visit to Edinburgh. They began with a bang but Scotland seized momentum and England just couldn’t get it back, whatever they tried. Make no mistake, however, Steve Borthwick’s side know what is at stake on Saturday. Pull off a first victory in Edinburgh for six years and there will be conversations about going all the way. They will not be public conversations, but I’ve been in squads and camps before and, when the opportunity for silverware is genuine, you cannot help but discuss it.

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• Wigglesworth worked with Russell on the Lions’ tour

• ‘He’s one of those guys whose talent speaks for itself’

The England defence coach Richard Wigglesworth has admitted it is pointless trying to come up with a plan to stop Finn Russell after getting a closeup view of Scotland’s star fly-half during last summer’s British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.

England head to Murrayfield on Saturday favourites to defend the Calcutta Cup on the back of 12 straight victories while Scotland are reeling after last Saturday’s shock defeat by Italy. England have not won at Murrayfield since 2020, however, and only once since 2016 with Russell proving their nemesis on several occasions.

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Shedding its recent reputation for risk aversion, kicking is taking on a new tactical dimension as rugby evolves

If the late Bill McLaren were still around he would have loved George Ford’s towering “spiral bombs”. And with the temperature dropping around Murrayfield, the old commentary box catchphrase – “This one really does have snow on it” – might not be too far from the truth on Saturday. When Ford launches an up-and-under these days, the ball virtually disappears into orbit.

It has reached the point where the aerial bazooka has become Ford’s party piece. A murmur of expectancy now ripples around the stadium as, standing back in the pocket, the fly-half carefully tilts the ball in his hands to ensure optimum height and spin. And then – whoosh! – up it goes like a meteor before tailing away from the poor catcher at the last moment. Devilish is the word.

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England head coach warns against conceding penalties and intensity drop-offs before Six Nations visit to Murrayfield

England’s players normally look forward to a Calcutta Cup examination at Murrayfield with about as much enthusiasm as a trip to the dentist. At best it tends to be uncomfortable, at worst it’s grip-the-chair-and-pray time. And that’s before they are wheeled out into the freezing rain and the hygienist produces a set of bagpipes to enhance the experience even further.

So it was more than a little unnerving to listen to Steve Borthwick talking about his team’s genuine enthusiasm for what lies in store. Never mind all the recurring pain they have endured in Edinburgh in recent years, with three defeats in their past four visits. This time they are heading north in a strikingly different mood, flashing the kind of confident pearly white smile usually reserved for Love Island contestants.

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Championship risks becoming a two-tier affair as Ireland, Wales and Scotland all lose on the opening weekend

Few competitions in the world have the capacity to turn wine into water quicker than the Six Nations. Only a few days ago players, coaches and fans of Ireland, Scotland and Wales were poring over the championship fixture list with their customary annual relish. Now, after just one round, they are having to deal with the most sobering Celtic wake‑up call for more than a quarter of a century.

Take your pick from the following trio of chastening outcomes. On Thursday night in Paris, as France dazzled in defiance of the damp conditions, Ireland were outclassed in every respect. In Rome, where the second half might as well have been played in the Trevi fountain, a below-par Scotland were flushed away. As for the quality of Wales’s first-half performance in south-west London the less said the better.

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• Exeter winger injured hamstring in training

• Feyi-Waboso to miss Scotland and Ireland games

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been ruled out of England’s pursuit of the triple crown while Steve Borthwick has concerns over the fitness of Ellis Genge for the Calcutta Cup on Saturday.

Feyi-Waboso pulled out of the 48-7 victory against Wales after sustaining a hamstring injury in training last Friday and was replaced by Tom Roebuck. According to Borthwick, the Exeter winger will be out for “a number of weeks”, ensuring he misses the trip to Murrayfield and the visit of Ireland to Twickenham a week later. Feyi-Waboso has not yet been ruled out of England’s entire campaign but the chances of him appearing seem remote.

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Expectations abound for Six Nations and Bath wing deserves another shot in the starting lineup to show his raw attributes

Optimism abounds about England’s Six Nations chances. They go into a tournament considered as one of the genuine favourites for the title for the first time in years and they have the body of work to back that up after 11 consecutive victories. That sort of winning streak leads to greater expectations but these players can walk tall and handle external pressure.

I would warn against expecting another 50-point victory against Wales on Saturday, however. The fixture list aligns perfectly for England – if Steve Borthwick were to handpick his side’s schedule then this would probably be it – and while I fully expect them to beat Wales and claim a bonus point, we have to remember that they are never at their best at the start of a campaign. The Professional Game Partnership might have made some aspects of bringing together players from 10 different clubs an easier task, but it is still a challenge. As a result, we cannot expect that England will be at their fluent best at Twickenham.

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• Key player suffered hamstring injury in training

• Roebuck makes surprise return as replacement

England have suffered a major setback on the eve of their Six Nations opener against Wales with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso ruled out with a hamstring injury, prompting a surprise recall for Tom Roebuck.

Roebuck is the beneficiary of Feyi-Waboso’s injury, called into the side to make a first appearance since picking up a toe injury in England’s November victory over the All Blacks. England are still investigating the extent of Feyi-Waboso’s injury - sustained in training on Thursday - and it remains to be seen if he will feature at all in the Six Nations.

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Leicester’s quirky prop on beating adversity, being second-string goalkeeper at Nottingham Forest and his love of ‘cooking with butter’

For some people the road to the top is painfully long and winding. Joe Heyes used to be a player whose dreams of making England’s matchday squad were constantly dashed. Driving home from Bagshot, having been omitted yet again, he would listen to Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues – “I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t when …” – and wonder if the hardship and sacrifice would ever be worth it.

And now? Less than two years later he is suddenly the most important player in England. The national management have already lost two injured tightheads in Will Stuart and Asher Opoku-Fordjour plus the loosehead prop Fin Baxter. If they had enough cotton wool England would be wrapping the now indispensable Heyes up in it.

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• Borthwick: ‘We are deeply saddened for him’

• Itoje misses launch of 2026 Six Nations

England will kick off their Six Nations training camp in Spain this week without their captain, Maro Itoje, who has travelled to Nigeria for his mother’s funeral. Itoje was conspicuously absent from the official Six Nations championship launch in Edinburgh on Monday and is not expected to join up with his squad until Wednesday evening.

With the tournament commencing on Thursday week every team is scrambling to be ready for their opening games but Steve Borthwick, England’s head coach, has given the Saracens lock permission to miss the start of this week’s training block in Girona. “He is in Nigeria for the funeral of his mother and we are all deeply saddened for him,” said Borthwick, whose side open their campaign at home to Wales on Saturday week.

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