Rugby Union News
Matt Sherratt hailed Wales ‘brave effort’ in picking up two points from their 35-29 defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield. His side were trailing by 27 points seven minutes into the second half having conceded five tries, but they hit back to outscore their hosts three tries to one in the final 40, notching a bonus-point […]
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After unconvincing back-to back victories Steve Borthwick’s side need to find a cutting edge against Italy
The England squad went to cookery school during their training camp in York this week. They were given all the ingredients to make a steak dinner and let loose in the kitchen. Some followed the recipe to the letter, others made things up as they went along and it is not too much of a stretch to imagine Marcus Smith finding time to whip up a quick souffle in front of a disapproving Steve Borthwick.
As metaphors for England’s attack go you could do a lot worse. England have all the ingredients but are yet to produce a signature dish in this Six Nations. Borthwick repeats ad nauseam he wants his players to move the ball, to be brave with it, to showcase their attacking qualities but against Scotland they kicked away 69% of their possession. Against France they clung on by their fingernails. Performances have been at odds with their pre-match promises.
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Gwalia Lightning ended their campaign with a 33-55 defeat to Irish powerhouse, Clovers, in Round 10 of the Celtic Challenge at Ystrad Mynach this afternoon. The Lightning did cross for some impressive tries with Welsh Test stars Gwenna Hopkins, Caitlin Lewis, Kelsie Webster, lock Alaw Pyrs and impressive young centres Kelsie Webster and Freya Bell […]
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A victory at Murrayfield still left questions about Scotland’s performance
8 mins. It’s the turn of Wales to have some phases, mostly around halfway with the ball finding its way through the hands of most of the team. It doesn’t make much ground and eventually Schoeman clamps on in the ruck to win a penalty.
Joe Roberts has replaced Tom Rogers who is injured early.
Continue reading...France turned on the power in the second half to score a dominant victory over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium
As much as we’d love to keep expanding The Clincher universe, the teams are about to head out.
Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray are first out of the tunnel to mark their final home appearances. As you can imagine, there’s a warm and rapturous applause.
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There will be a new team at the top of the Super Rygbi Cymru table later today after Llandovery and Cardiff clash at Church Bank. With current leaders Ebbw Vale not playing this weekend, it means the winners will take over at the top as the race for a top two finish, and a home […]
The post Llandovery and Cardiff battle for top spot in SRC appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.
Wales U20 captain Harry Beddall gave his team one message in the post-match huddle at the end of their disappointing 27-12 defeat to Scotland -“stay tight and let’s rip into England next week.” Two red cards in one game was an unenviable record for Beddall’s side to take away from Edinburgh as they failed to […]
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Saturday’s showdown in Dublin promises a ‘go hard or go home’ treat that could even surpass 2023’s classic
Not every anticipated Six Nations classic lives up to its pre‑match billing. Look no further for a prime example than last year’s opening Six Nations night in Marseille, when France launched their campaign against Ireland with all the speed and dynamism of an elderly escargot. They were also reduced to 14 players after half an hour and the visitors strolled to a comfortable 38-17 win.
But this time? Politely decline all shopping trips, walk the poodle early and make sure there’s enough Guinness in the fridge. Because some games are unmissable and this is a defining contest for both teams. Can Ireland, with successive titles already in the backpack, stay on track for an unprecedented three-peat? Or is now the time for Fabien Galthié’s France to embrace their supposed destiny?
Continue reading...Marcus’s style of play is in complete conflict with how the England head coach sees the game
I have a great deal of sympathy for Marcus Smith. I really feel for him because these past few weeks will have been really mentally tough to deal with. It’s patently obvious that his preferred position is fly-half but he has been asked to do a job for the greater good of the team and has done so willingly. You can dress it up however you like but going from starting No 10, to playing out of position, to the bench is a demotion and that will be tough to take.
Marcus would be forgiven for looking at the team that Steve Borthwick has picked to face Italy and wondering why he was never given that backing. Fin Smith has performed superbly well in the No 10 jersey and after two games there, Borthwick has surrounded him with Northampton players with five in the backline. It’s a credit to Saints, their style of play, their players and coaches, and it gives Fin the perfect framework in which to to operate. I’m not sure, though, if Borthwick ever built a team around Marcus in the same way.
Continue reading...Maro Itoje has called on his England side to put Italy to the sword on Sunday before worrying about a bumper points haul that could boost their hopes of clinching the Six Nations title.
England go in search of a third straight victory of this year’s championship and are hot favourites to do so, having never lost to the Azzurri. Both their recent victories, against France and Scotland, were secured by a solitary point, however, with question marks raised over their clunky attack.
Continue reading...With France in town, Healy, Murray and O’Mahony play final game in Dublin with third straight Six Nations in their sights
No one in Ireland needed another reason to be up for this Saturday’s match against France, not with the title on the line, and the grand slam, and the promise beyond it of a shot at becoming the first team in history to win the Six Nations back-to-back-to-back. All that, and the prospect of a spot on the British & Irish Lions tour down the line in the back of the mind. But they got three more good ones last week regardless when Cian Healy, Conor Murray, and Peter O’Mahony announced that they were going to retire, together, at the end of the championship, and that this would be the very last home game for all three of them.
Healy, Murray and O’Mahony have won 372 caps between them, which is more than you might find in a green Test XV. They have been ever-present through the era in which Irish rugby was transformed. Healy, who is the oldest of the three, won his first call-up in the spring of 2008 when they were still hopeful triers chasing their first grand slam in more than 50 years. It finally came a year later. Healy won his first cap that autumn in Brian O’Driscoll’s 100th match, a 20-20 draw against Australia.
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Wales will field the same starting XV in successive matches for the first time since the pool stages of Rugby World Cup 2019 after interim head coach Matt Sherratt gave a vote of confidence to the side that went down 27-18 to Ireland in Round 3 of the Guinness Six Nations. “I thought the performance […]
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Both Gregor Townsend and Matt Sherratt have shown faith in the XVs who performed well in their most recent defeats
Neither of these two are where they want to be after three rounds. In the case of Wales, rock bottom cannot be worse than where they feared they might be; in the case of Scotland, fourth must be so much worse than they had hoped. And some might say deserve.
Eyebrows may rise, then, at the news that both coaches will more or less send out the same teams that featured in their respective defeats in round three. But Six Nations tend to have narratives more nuanced than those supplied by the table at any given moment.
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Having seen their hopes of challenging for the Celtic Challenge title go up in smoke with a 48-17 home defeat to the champions elect the Wolfhounds last weekend, Gwalia Lightning face another tough Irish test against the second placed Clovers in the final round. It has been another solid campaign from Catrina Nicholas-McLaughlin squad and […]
The post Hopkins and Richards return to boost Gwalia in final round appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.