lundi 27 novembre 2017
samedi 25 novembre 2017
November Tests: Who said what
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ESPN staff
Byron McGuigan -- Scotland winger and man of the match
"The crowd got behind us which makes a huge difference and it was fantastic to get a win like this against a world-class team. I'm just blown away. I'm really happy. Just thanks to everyone, it's been awesome. The boys have been working really hard and for it to pay off like it did today is outstanding."
John Barclay -- Scotland captain
The atmosphere last week was the best I've ever experienced and it's fantastic for us to back up the performance. I really feel the atmosphere is something very special here now.
"We spoke about (how) it's easy to do a one-off performance. We've got to back up performances and today was just one more game. We played well today and we got the rewards."
Eddie Jones -- England Head Coach
"We started well, maybe got a little bit seduced by the perceived easiness of the game. We stopped doing the small things well, we got pulled back and then finished the game off. We stopped doing the small things well enough. It cost us a few points out there."
November Tests: Who said whatvendredi 24 novembre 2017
lundi 20 novembre 2017
samedi 18 novembre 2017
November Tests: Who said what
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ESPN staff
Eddie Jones -- England Head Coach
"Seeing most of the commentary last week was about us going backwards at a rate of knots, not a bad win.
"It was a tough old game, there wasn't much in it. We got the bounce of the ball a few times, but we stuck at it.
"We always back ourselves to play out 80 minutes. At half-time we thought we were in a good position. They had a good 20 minutes after half-time, but we came back really well."
Dylan Hartley -- England Captain
"The confidence is really growing in the team. We're still chasing down that No. 1 spot."
Michael Hooper -- Australia Captain
"It got away from us at the end, we were right in that."
Dan Lydiate -- Wales Captain
"It was a tale of two halves. In the second half there were a lot of errors, a lot of stoppages.
"We weren't clinical enough in the second half.
"We're happy with the win, but the nerves were going at the end."
"Some of the young boys really shone today."
November Tests: Who said whatvendredi 17 novembre 2017
mercredi 15 novembre 2017
Kruis dropped due to 'ridiculous riches' at lock
England scrum coach Neal Hatley insists the decision to drop George Kruis for Saturday's clash with Australia is a result of their "ridiculous riches" at lock.
Kruis has been overlooked for the second autumn international at Twickenham, losing his place in the 25-man squad to Charlie Ewels following a below-par display against Argentina.
The indications from training Wednesday morning were that Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes could form the second-row for the Wallabies' visit, although Maro Itoje is also in contention after being rested last weekend.
It continues a disappointing year for Kruis, who was dropped after the first British & Irish Lions Test in New Zealand and had been viewed as an indispensable lineout technician but now misses England's biggest home game of the year.
"In part George is out because of load management and in part because it's an area that we've got ridiculous riches in," Hatley explained. "It's a reflection on how that group of second-rows are training and pushing each other and getting better.
"We've got some really good players and unfortunately some people have to leave early in the week and it's George's turn this week.
"We know he has contributed massively and he's part of a very, very good second row unit. It's a really tough group to select from.
"He did well for us last weekend and he's been playing well for his club, as have Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, Charlie Ewels and Nick Isiekwe."
Launchbury's inclusion over Kruis is likely to be the only change to the pack when Eddie Jones names his team Thursday morning.
Mike Brown is undergoing the return to play protocols for concussion but England insist he remains in contention against Australia, while Jonny May is poised to return to the starting XV along with Owen Farrell.
May has recovered from a hamstring strain while Farrell was rested for the 21-8 victory over Argentina.
"Mike is still in protocol, obviously the concussion protocol, so we'll have a much clearer picture by tomorrow [Thursday]," Hatley added.
"We've trained for if he doesn't play so we've covered those bases and if that's the case then we're set for it, but we'll make that decision based on all the right information."
Kruis dropped due to 'ridiculous riches' at lockFrance wins right to host 2023 RWC
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ESPN staff
France has been confirmed as hosts of the 2023 Rugby World Cup following a vote in London.
Last month the World Cup board recommended South Africa's bid, but the council voted against that recommendation Wednesday.
More to follow...
France wins right to host 2023 RWCMay turns down invitation to visit North Korea
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ESPN staff
Jonny May has revealed he received an official invitation to visit North Korea after the England winger spoke of his fascination with the Asian country.
May began watching documentaries on North Korea with teammate Ben Te'o during the Six Nations earlier this year, and joked he could "fix the situation there."
But what started out as a bit of a laugh has now turned serious, which has worried Leicester's prolific try scorer.
"I got back to Gloucester and there was this letter waiting for me with a wax stamp on it, the full works, saying 'private, confidential'," May told the Daily Mail.
"It was a letter from the North Korean embassy. I swear on my life.
"It said, 'Hi Jonny. We've seen that you and Ben Te'o are interested in our country and we'd love to arrange a trip up to the embassy for you, to meet all our president's dignitaries, then we can organise a VIP tour to North Korea'.
"I sent the picture to Ben saying, 'What the hell is going on? Is this a wind-up?'. He said, 'No, I've had one too, they're watching us!'. That's what's scary, they do watch out like that, they have a Google alert. When anyone is talking about North Korea, it will pop up.
"I haven't been to the embassy. I'm actually worried about it. I didn't write back. I asked Eddie Jones about it, but we haven't responded to them. It is probably quite a big honour to be invited, but I'm not going to North Korea!"
May is known to be an interesting character in the England set-up, with George Ford revealing he had to 'evict' the wing from his flat three weeks after he moved from Gloucester to Leicester.
May is in line to return from injury this weekend when England face Australia.
May turns down invitation to visit North KoreaFord forced to evict England teammate May
George Ford was forced to evict Jonny May in his role as landlord but his relationship with his former housemate on the pitch goes from strength to strength.
Ford believes May is ready to translate his scorching club form for Leicester on to the international stage when England face Australia at Twickenham on Saturday after he missed the autumn opener against Argentina because of a hamstring strain.
May has been an instant hit at the Tigers, running in 10 tries since leaving Gloucester during the summer, but his brief spell living with Ford proved less than successful after he spilt sauce on the fly-half's suede rug.
"Living with Jonny was hard work because he's such high maintenance," said Ford, whose vision has helped create the chances for May at Welford Road.
"He's such a nice guy but I had to kick him out after three weeks. We couldn't live together any more otherwise our friendship would have deteriorated.
"You can usually tell when he's trying to wind people up and spoil people's rugs. He bought me a new one and I made sure he bought the same kind of rug.
"He's very good at manipulating situations. If you spend all day with him at training when you come home you just want to relax and chill out but he's just non-stop.
"He used to come home, go straight into the lounge and lie on the sofa as if he it was his, get the TV remote and that would annoy me straight away.
"He'd just treat it like it was his house which I don't mind because he's a mate but sometimes he would just take it a step too far.
"He feels like he's learned a fair bit at Leicester and I think you can see that in the way he's been playing.
"It's not by chance he's been scoring tries nearly every week -- he's in the right place at the right time and he works incredibly hard at being professional and getting quicker.
"Hopefully now that he's had that run of games he can transfer that into an England shirt."
May has been included in a 25-man squad retained for Australia and is likely to be drafted straight into the starting XV having overcome the strained hamstring incurred in training two weeks ago.
"I like to think I've been Jonny's counsellor and carer recently. He's loving that," Ford said
"Johnny is pretty stressed with his injury so I've tried to help him out a little bit. He's back to his normal self now and can't wait to get back out there.
"I don't think he knows what he's doing half the time, but he's an athlete and so quick, so strong and he knows where the tryline is.
"You can't too much of that away from him because it makes him the player he is."
Ford forced to evict England teammate Maymardi 14 novembre 2017
England drop Kruis for Wallabies clash
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ESPN staff
England coach Eddie Jones has dropped George Kruis for the visit of Australia to Twickenham Saturday.
Kruis played 57 minutes of England's win over Argentina, but is one of nine players released back to their clubs for Aviva Premiership action.
British & Irish Lions lock Kruis returns to Saracens alongside Nick Isiekwe and Alex Lozowski.
Leicester prop Ellis Genge has also been released, meaning Joe Marler -- suspended for the Pumas' visit -- will be involved in the 23-man squad Jones will name Thursday.
Tom Dunn, Piers Francis, Zach Mercer, Marcus Smith and Denny Solomona have all also returned to their clubs.
Mike Brown, who is completing his return to play protocols having suffered a concussion against Argentina, is one of the 25 players retained by Jones.
England squad:
Backs: Brown, Daly, May, Rokoduguni, Watson, Care, Farrell, Ford, Joseph, Slade, Youngs.
Forwards: Cole, Ewels, George, Hartley, Hughes, Itoje, Launchbury, Lawes, Marler, Robshaw, Simmonds, Underhill, Vunipola, Williams.
England drop Kruis for Wallabies clashRFU open to more NFL despite pitch concern
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ESPN staff
The Rugby Football Union remains open to hosting further NFL games at Twickenham despite concerns over the state of its pitch.
Twickenham was the venue for two NFL games last month, and American football markings were still clearly visible on the turf as England beat Argentina last Saturday.
As reported by the Times, a different type of paint was used for this year's fixtures that stained down to the soil, meaning the RFU's head groundsman, Keith Kent, was unable to fully remove the markings in time for the Pumas' visit.
It is understood that while there were no problems with the surface from a playing perspective, television pictures that displayed a scarred pitch to millions of viewers concerned the RFU.
Evidence of the NFL matches still on the pitch at Twickenham. Looks like the middle section has taken some damage. https://t.co/3mWgVB4lHOhttp://pic.twitter.com/oqFbqEvxUt
— Tom Hamilton (@tomESPNscrum) November 11, 2017
An RFU spokesman told ESPN that English rugby's governing body will share its concern with the NFL, along with other feedback, as part of a scheduled debrief.
Ground staff will continue their efforts -- which included laying fresh grass as well as painting over the markings -- this week in order to remove the markings for the visit of Australia this Saturday.
The RFU signed a deal back in 2015 to host three matches, the final game in that agreement being the Minnesota Vikings' 33-16 win over the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 29.
Tottenham's new stadium is scheduled to host at least two games a season for 10 years from 2018, but should that development hit difficulties then the RFU would be willing to step back in.
RFU open to more NFL despite pitch concernlundi 13 novembre 2017
dimanche 12 novembre 2017
samedi 11 novembre 2017
Gloucester overpower Irish at Kingsholm
A strong Gloucester side had too much for London Irish as the visitors were trounced 47-7 at Kingsholm in round two of the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
The bonus-point win keeps Gloucester in contention in Pool 1 but they face stiff competition from Bath and Wasps if they are to win their group and keep alive their hopes of appearing in the final, which will be held for the first time on their home ground in March.
Gloucester scored tries through Willi Heinz, Val Rapava-Ruskin, Tom Hudson, Jeremy Thrush, Henry Trinder, Calum Braley and Jake Polledri. Billy Burns added two conversions and Billy Twelvetrees four.
Irish's sole response was a try from Oli Hoskins which Greig Tonks converted.
Gloucester dominated a forgettable and scoreless first quarter. The visitors' line-out and scrum both struggled but Gloucester lacked the finesse to capitalise with poor handling of a slippery ball on a rain-sodden pitch being their major downfall.
Irish defended stoutly but after 22 minutes, the hosts took the lead when from 10 metres out, Heinz spotted a gap, took a quick penalty and darted over.
Four minutes later and Gloucester had their second try. Burns and Richard Hibbard made large dents in the Irish defence before Rapava-Ruskin forced his way over from close range.
It took Irish until the 33rd minute to mount their first real attack when Theo Brophy-Clews made a neat break before his pass was deliberately knocked forward by Heinz, who was yellow-carded.
Burns assumed the scrum-half role but the skipper's absence was hardly missed as Gloucester remained in control and extended their lead when Twelvetrees sent Hudson in under the posts, with the Irish defence nowhere. Burns' second conversion left the hosts with a 19-0 interval lead.
Soon after the restart, Heinz returned as Henry Purdy left the field to be replaced by Andy Symons, just in time to see Irish open their account.
A forward drive saw Hoskins power over before the impressive Burns was substituted for Lloyd Evans as Gloucester resumed control.
Sustained forward pressure resulted in the bonus-point try for Thrush before Trinder skated along the left touchline for another as Gloucester built up an impregnable lead.
Further tries from replacement scrum-half Braley and Polledri in the final seven minutes completed the rout before James Hanson was yellow-carded for sacking an Irish line-out - but still the visitors could not add to their tally.
Gloucester overpower Irish at Kingsholmvendredi 10 novembre 2017
jeudi 9 novembre 2017
Slade starts for England against Argentina
Henry Slade will start for England at inside centre against Argentina on Saturday with Eddie Jones opting to rest both Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje.
Jones has spoken before of his plan to rest some of those who played for the British & Irish Lions in the summer and while Farrell and Itoje will sit out Saturday's Test, he has turned to Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly, Mako Vunipola and George Kruis for their opening Test of the autumn programme.
Daly gets the nod on the wing having made a rapid recovery from a knee injury, but Jonny May misses out with a hamstring strain. Mike Brown starts at fullback with Watson on the other wing but with Farrell rested, Slade gets the nod at inside centre with Jonathan Joseph outside him.
George Ford and Ben Youngs start in the half backs while there is a familiar look to the pack with Mako Vunipola, captain Dylan Hartley and Dan Cole starting in the front-row. Courtney Lawes and George Kruis start in the locks with Chris Robshaw, Sam Underhill and Nathan Hughes in the back-row.
Ellis Genge, Harry Williams, Tom Curry, Alex Lozowski and Semesa Rokoduguni are all on the bench.
"As a squad we have been preparing for this game since our first camp in August and are excited about playing in front of 82,000 fans at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday," Jones said. "This is our best 23 selected in what is our most important game this year.
"We know that Argentina is a strong team -- Rugby World Cup semi finalists in 2015 -- and we will have to be smart and play well to beat them."
England team:
Mike Brown, Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Henry Slade, Elliot Daly, George Ford, Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Dylan Hartley (captain), Dan Cole, Courtney Lawes, George Kruis, Chris Robshaw, Sam Underhill, Nathan Hughes
Replacements: Jamie George, Ellis Genge, Harry Williams, Joe Launchbury, Tom Curry, Danny Care, Alex Lozowski, Semesa Rokoduguni
Slade starts for England against Argentinamercredi 8 novembre 2017
May set to miss England vs. Pumas
Gloucester's Jonny May looks set to miss England's first autumn international against Argentina due to a hamstring injury, while Anthony Watson and Elliot Daly look poised to start on the wings.
May's hamstring strain has made him unlikely to participate at Twickenham on Saturday, according to forwards coach Steve Borthwick, to simplify the back three selection picture.
Daly's rapid recovery from the knee ligament damage suffered on Wasps duty last month enables him to line up on the left wing, with Semesa Rokoduguni offering cover if May is ruled out.
"Jonny hurt his hamstring in Portugal. He's made a lot of progress but remains unlikely for Argentina," Borthwick said. "Daly wasn't with us in Portugal but joined the squad on Sunday. We didn't initially know how severe the injury was but he's made great progress and has trained well."
With the wing picture becoming clearer, the outstanding issues are in the midfield and back five of the forwards. One of Alex Lozowski, Henry Slade and Owen Farrell must be withdrawn from the 26 retained at the squad's Surrey training base when the team is announced on Thursday morning.
Tom Curry and Sam Underhill are duelling for the openside spot, but both could be included in the 23 if Eddie Jones decides to rest Maro Itoje from the four locks selected.
Jones named all 10 of his available British & Irish Lions in the 26 despite previously stating he would stand them down for all or part of the autumn due to their involvement against New Zealand.
"Every day we monitor the Lions players closely. We ran several different training programs last week according to what they needed on an individual basis," Borthwick said.
May set to miss England vs. PumasSamoan Union set for RFU goodwill payment
The Rugby Football Union will make a goodwill payment of £75,000 to the Samoan Rugby Union after the association was declared bankrupt ahead of internationals against Scotland and England.
Scotland are set to host the Pacific Islanders on Saturday and then scheduled to face England at Twickenham on November 25.
Samoa prime minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegao, who is also chairman of the SRU, told the Samoa Observer that the governing body was "insolvent", with the union unable to "pay off our debts with the banks" or fund player wages.
Last year the RFU offered Fiji £75,000 as a "goodwill gesture" ahead of the Test at Twickenham, with match revenues said to generate some £10million.
Press Association Sport understands the RFU are set to make a similar payment to the Samoan Rugby Union, who wrote to their hosts detailing the issues of their dispute with global governing body World Rugby over on-going funding issues and their national administration.
England players are said to be due match fees in the region of £22,000, while the Samoa squad would be only some £650. Currently there is no regulation for host nations to share matchday revenues.
However, England internationals prop Mako Vunipola and centre Manu Tuilagi, who were born in Tonga and Samoa respectively, have urged team-mates to make a gesture of their own by giving some of their match fee to their Pacific Island opponents.
Meanwhile, Press Association Sport understands that the Scottish Rugby Union will cover the costs of Samoa during their time in Scotland under a long-standing agreement, and no talks have taken place over additional financial support.
Samoan Union set for RFU goodwill paymentIRFU outlines grievances over World Cup report
The Irish Rugby Football Union's CEO Philip Browne has outlined a number of grievances to World Rugby over the recommendation of South Africa as hosts for the 2023 Rugby World Cup saying their bid has suffered "unreasonably".
Browne sent the letter to World Rugby's CEO Brett Gosper in which it questioned some areas of the independent report which was published by the sport's governing body on October 31.
The report, which evaluated the three hopeful hosts' bids across five criteria, recommended South Africa as the preferred option to host the 2023 World Cup. That recommendation, outlined here, saw World Rugby's board back their bid ahead of the council's vote on Nov. 15 which will rubber-stamp the host of rugby's global gathering.
The report was part of the bidding process -- World Rugby has emphasised it is "comprehensive and transparent" from the outset -- but it has caused uproar from both the France and Ireland camps.
Bernard Laporte, the FFR president, has publicly aired a number of issues he has taken umbrage with, and Browne has now sent a letter, which has been seen by ESPN, to World Rugby outlining his own grievances with the South Africa recommendation.
Browne emphasised the need to reiterate that despite the published report, World Rugby needs to reconfirm to the council "that they may vote for any of the three bids" and a vote for Ireland "is not a vote against the process" but in line with the process agreed upon.
The letter asks Gosper to answer nine questions around the report's recommendations around 'stadia', 'security', 'major event hosting experience' and 'financial, commercial and commitments'.
On stadia, Brown asks whether consideration was given "as to how South Africa will achieve full stadia, particularly across the pool stage matches involving lower seeded teams?"
It adds why just four percent of overall scoring was given to ticketing and why the bidders were scored equally despite "risk being identified with two bids". Regarding security Browne asks whether a "world class security organisation" was used to review this aspect of the bid.
With 'major event hosting experience', Browne queries whether Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has done full due diligence over why the 2022 Commonwealth Games was taken away from Durban and if it was raised with the South African government.
And on 'financial, commercial and commitments', Browne asks if RWCL appointed "an experienced external organisation (Barclays) to conduct an independent sovereign risk assessment related to guarantees, and each of the guarantors, provided by each bid".
It concludes with: "We consider the mechanical nature of the technical review undertaken by RWCL does not properly capture these clearly material issues which we raise and as a result, in our opinion, Ireland's scoring has suffered unreasonably, relative to the scoring for other bidders".
SA Rugby declined to comment when contacted by ESPN. World Rugby will respond to Browne's letter.
IRFU outlines grievances over World Cup reportSamoa bankrupt; World Rugby reaffirms support
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ESPN staff
The Samoan Rugby Union has been declared bankrupt by its chairman and the country's prime minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi.
The news comes as the team prepares to face Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday in the first match of three in their end-of-season tour.
"We are bankrupt," Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi told the Samoa Observer. "In other words we are insolvent. It means the Union cannot continue to pay off our debts with the banks. We also need money to pay the players so they can continue to play."
Malielegaoi has called on the country's public to pledge funds to the union through a 'radiothon' so it can continue financing the team.
He has also called on the RFU -- England play Samoa on Nov. 25 - to use a portion of the gate receipts from their Test match to help the union. The RFU says it will offer a "goodwill payment to Samoa", similar to what it did last year for Fiji.
Malielegaoi was also critical of World Rugby, saying it sees the SRU as a "rubber stamp Union... if they tell us to go to the beach, we do as we are told". A World Rugby spokesperson told ESPN it will continue to help Samoa financially.
"World Rugby is committed to assisting the Samoa Rugby Union's high performance programme and increased its direct and indirect union investment to £1.5 million in 2017," a World Rugby spokesperson said.
"This support package includes World Rugby covering travel costs for players in Samoa and elsewhere to and from Europe for the November tests, the training camp ahead of the tests and Samoa A's participation in the Americas Pacific Challenge, an important preparation tournament."
Included in the investment, World Rugby has funded or partly funded Samoa's camp in London, professional player salary insurance and logistics for their three-week tour in Europe.
Samoa bankrupt; World Rugby reaffirms supportlundi 6 novembre 2017
Bradbury one of three Scots call ups
Recently-deposed Edinburgh captain Magnus Bradbury is among three Scotland call-ups after Ross Ford was ruled out for four months.
Back-row forward Bradbury has been brought in for the autumn series along with two club-mates -- prop Rory Sutherland and uncapped hooker Neil Cochrane.
Ford had been missing for Edinburgh with a calf problem in recent weeks and the Scottish Rugby Union revealed the hooker had withdrawn from the international squad after suffering a chest injury last week.
More to follow...
Bradbury one of three Scots call upsJones recalls Daly for England's Tests
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ESPN staff
Wasps wing Elliot Daly has been added to the England squad for the match against Argentina next Saturday despite missing a recent training trip with a knee injury.
Daly was absent from England's camp in Portugal and did not feature for his club side on Saturday as they lost 53-41 at home to Newcastle in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
But Daly, who suffered his injury in the 38-22 Aviva Premiership win over Northampton on Oct. 28, has been called into coach Eddie Jones' now 33-strong England squad ahead of the game with Argentina at Twickenham.
The RFU announced his unexpected recall in a squad fitness bulletin and said Harlequins youngster Marcus Smith would continue to have treatment at his club after he sprained his foot in Portugal.
A group of England forwards will train against Wales in Bristol on Monday morning before travelling back to their Pennyhill Park base.
Bath's Tom Dunn and Zach Mercer, Saracens lock Nick Isiekwe and Exeter's Sam Simmonds will not be part of the exercise, and will instead take part in a separate training schedule.
Backs: Brown, Daly, May, Rokoduguni, Solomona, Watson, Care, Farrell, Ford, Francis, Joseph, Lozowski, Slade, Youngs.
Forwards: Curry, Ewels, Hughes, Isiekwe, Itoje, Kruis, Launchbury, Lawes, Mercer, Robshaw, Simmonds, Underhill, Cole, Dunn, Genge, George, Hartley, Vunipola, Williams.
Jones recalls Daly for England's TestsHughes eyes 'rough and tough' session vs. Wales
Nathan Hughes is readying himself for the "rough and tough" scrum session with Wales tomorrow as Eddie Jones looks to put his side in "uncomfortable positions" ahead of greater challenges.
Hughes has featured in every England Test match this year, including back-to-back wins over Argentina in the summer. With the Pumas visiting Twickenham next week, the scrum and lineout session against Wales in Bristol will provide extensive preparation.
"There will be a bit of rough and tough with it but it will be good," Hughes told ESPN. "I think it is about putting you in uncomfortable positions, this is probably one of them.
"We are not playing Wales until the Six Nations but it is good to go out there, do our lineouts, driving maul and scrum."
England trained in Portugal last week ahead of their Autumn internationals against Argentina, Australia and Samoa and will look to put what they learnt into practice against Wales.
"[I'm] Looking forward to that one. There's going to be a lot of mauling, lot of scrumming. We didn't get told what we wanted to do in Portugal. Eddie said we were going to do a bit of mauling in the sand, on the beach and everyone just went on with it, went out and gave 100 precent. It was a great session.
"Everyone looked at it and said he put us in uncomfortable positions and everyone came out on top so it was quite good. It is good to challenge yourself, challenge the team and everyone is delivering so far."
England utility back Henry Slade insists that there is always some bite in the training, to prepare them for upcoming tests.
"It would be nice [to have a session with the Welsh backs]. I think, like they say, if there's always a little bit of niggle in training it prepares you for the weekend. But the way we train, there is always a bit of that in sessions anyway, even when we are just training with ourselves.
"We are always trying to push each other as well as we can, but it would be nice to do a bit against the Welsh boys. I'm sure we will come up against them soon enough."
Hughes eyes 'rough and tough' session vs. Walesdimanche 5 novembre 2017
samedi 4 novembre 2017
Burns boots Bath to flying start in Anglo-Welsh Cup
Fly-half Freddie Burns landed 16 points as Bath got off to a flyer in the Anglo-Welsh Cup with a 26-22 win over London Irish at the Madejski Stadium.
Burns kicked four penalties and converted tries by centre Ben Tapuai and wing Levi Davis against the battling hosts.
Yet, despite scoring four tries, two from flanker Max Northcote-Green and one each from skipper and hooker David Paice and wing Alex Lewington, they came up short.
The match opened with a bang as Australian Tapuai showed flair to dance through the hosts' defence and round Irish full-back James Marshall for a try under the posts in the fourth minute.
Burns converted but the hosts responded when Northcote-Green received a lovely pass from Paice on the burst to grab the first of his touchdowns.
Burns kicked a 42-metre penalty to put Bath five points ahead but Northcote-Green stretched his long arm to put the ball over the visitors' line on the wide left to level matters.
Burns booted a second penalty to give the West Country side a 13-10 half-time lead but Paice was at the bottom of a driving maul to touch down, with scrum-half Brendan McKibbin converting three minutes into the second period to give the hosts a 17-13 lead.
Suddenly, the tempo rose and Bath regained the lead as they attacked Irish in the home 22 for Burns to send an inch-perfect cross-kick to the left corner. There, Davis leapt high to grab the ball and come down with it ahead of Marshall.
The topsy-turvy game swung again to the Exiles when Lewington just touched down despite the attention of Darren Atkins for the home team's bonus point try.
However, Burns' boot and a forward effort led by flanker and skipper Matt Garvey saw Bath home in the final quarter. Burns kicked two further penalties to put his side four points ahead, while the forwards pinned Irish in their own half.
The home side came within metres of the try they needed to win in the last move of the match but a loose ball and an Atkins turnover was enough for the visitors.
Burns boots Bath to flying start in Anglo-Welsh CupFord helps Leicester edge Gloucester
Defending champions Leicester Tigers made a winning start to the Anglo-Welsh Cup after Gloucester fly-half Lloyd Evans missed an easy penalty with four minutes left.
Trailing 26-24, Gloucester were awarded a penalty 30 metres out in front of the posts but Evans, who had kicked nine points, shoved it wide and Leicester held on to win their opening match at home.
They scored three tries through Charlie Thacker, Jonah Holmes and Adam Thompstone, while Paddy McAllister, Ben Vellacott and Tom Hudson replied for Gloucester. Fred Tuilagi, the 20-year-old nephew of England centre Manu and son of former Tigers star Freddie, made his first start in a much-changed Leicester team.
He is the fifth Tuilagi to play for the first team after Freddie, Henry, Alesana and Manu. Full-back Afa Pakalani, a Tonga international, made his Tigers debut while flanker Ross Moriarty made his first appearance for Gloucester since picking up an injury in the British and Irish Lions' first game in New Zealand.
Leicester led 14-11 at half-time, which was scant reward for their possession and territory in a disappointing 40 minutes. Their only try of the half came in the 12th minute, a fine solo effort from centre Thacker, who shrugged off three defenders before scrambling over.
Joe Ford, younger brother of Leicester and England fly-half George, failed with the conversion but kicked three penalties. Prop McAllister scored Gloucester's only try of the opening period in the 29th minute, forcing his way over after good work by the forwards.
Evans, who had slotted a 17th-minute penalty, kicked the conversion to give Gloucester the lead for the first time, which lasted eight minutes. Gloucester lost Gareth Evans after he was involved in a collision with Tuilagi seven minutes after the interval.
He was treated for several minutes and a stretcher was taken onto the field but he eventually walked off. Winger Holmes scored Leicester's second try in the 52nd minute on his debut after a lovely inside pass from centre George Worth, Ford's conversion making it 21-10.
A 58th-minute try by scum-half Vellacott, converted by Evans, put Gloucester within four points and six minutes later Gloucester centre Hudson was awarded a try despite video replays showing he received a forward pass.
Evans kicked the conversion. Winger Thompstone restored Leicester's lead with a 71st-minute try, which was not converted, before Evans missed a crucial 30-metre penalty.
Ford helps Leicester edge GloucesterBarbarian vs. New Zealand
The journey here was a shambles - but hoping for a good game. My advice for those thinking of driving to any of England's autumn Tests is... don't. Instead, fly; take a helicopter, plane, jet pack or find Falcor from Neverending Story. Or actually, just take the train like sensible folk do.
World Rugby hits back at Laporte on RWC 2023
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ESPN staff
World Rugby has hit back at comments made by French Rugby Federation President Bernard Laporte regarding the Rugby World Cup 2023 evaluation report released earlier this week.
Laporte had labelled the report as "incompetence" Friday, and that it was not done "by two auditing firms as it was supposed to be".
In a statement Saturday, World Rugby said it was "concerned by the reported comments" and "in particular those attributed to the Fédération Française de Rugby."
They hit back saying the comments were "unfounded and inaccurate" stating that it had implemented a "transparent, objective, professional and robust host selection process".
"The comprehensive technical evaluation has been undertaken by a team of World Rugby and third-party experts, independently scrutinised by The Sports Consultancy against agreed scoring criteria," the statement read before adding that they will raise their concerns with the French federation.
World Rugby hits back at Laporte on RWC 2023vendredi 3 novembre 2017
Sale edge Worcester in Anglo-Welsh opener
Sale began their Anglo-Welsh Cup campaign with a hard-fought 24-21 win over Worcester at Sixways.
The Sharks, who were runners-up in 2013 but have never won the competition, led 21-7 at the break but had to withstand a Worcester second-half fightback to claim victory.
TJ Ioane, Will Cliff and Ben Curry crossed for a strong Sharks side with AJ MacGinty converting all three tries and adding a penalty.
Worcester's response came through scores from Michael Dowsett, Ollie Lawrence and Tom Howe, with Tom Heathcote converting two and Sam Olver one.
Cameron Redpath, son of former Scotland scrum-half Bryan, became Sale's youngest-ever starter at the age of 17 years and 326 days and his side began strongly to take a sixth-minute lead when Ioane finished off a driving line-out.
Worcester were level within minutes, though, when from their first attack of the match a flowing move saw Bryce Heem and Dean Hammond combine to send the supporting Dowsett over.
Sale suffered a blow when prop Will John left the field with a back injury, but they would have retaken the lead if skipper Will Addison had not lost possession as he dived for the line.
The visitors need not have worried, however, as they did get their noses back in front when Curry burst away from a maul on the Worcester 22 to provide Cliff with the scoring pass.
Warriors remained a threat with strong runs from Heem and Howe off-setting line-out errors but, with the last move of the half, Sale extended their interval advantage to 14 points.
Curry again made the initial break with neat contributions coming from Cliff and MacGinty before Curry finished things off to score Sale's third try.
Addison was replaced at half-time by Kieran Wilkinson but Sale still had the better of the opening exchanges of the second half.
The home side continued to make frequent handling errors but ill-discipline from Sale - six penalties conceded in 16 minutes -- gifted their opponents a platform in their own 22.
The Warriors lacked the accuracy to capitalise but eventually the referee's patience was exhausted and Sale prop James Flynn was yellow carded for another scrum offence.
Worcester took advantage of the frontrower's absence to score their second try when a speculative kick ahead from Heathcote led to Lawrence scoring.
Flynn returned from the sin-bin with no further damage done before visiting wing Josh Charnley departed with an injury with seven minutes remaining.
MacGinty's late penalty put further daylight between the sides and that ended up proving crucial as Warriors went over again through Howe's last-minute converted try to earn a bonus point.
Sale edge Worcester in Anglo-Welsh openerjeudi 2 novembre 2017
England to face Tonga in RWC 2019 opener
England's opening game of the 2019 Rugby World Cup will be against Tonga.
The Pool C encounter will take place in Sapporo on Sept. 22. Pool A rivals Ireland and Scotland face each other in the first match, also on Sept. 22, in Yokohama, while Pool D challengers Wales tackle Georgia first-up at the City of Toyota Stadium on Sept. 23.
England will then face the United States -- their first opponents at the 2007 World Cup -- in Kobe, followed by Argentina on Oct. 5 in Tokyo and then France in their final Pool C fixture seven days later in Yokohama.
The Sapporo Dome, venue for England's first match, opened ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and has a capacity of just over 40,000.
"Rugby World Cup 2019 will be a brilliant experience for rugby supporters who travel to Japan," England head coach Eddie Jones said.
"Our aim is to win Rugby World Cup 2019, and the support for the team will be an important factor."
"We hope to see as many England fans as possible getting behind us in Japan as we try to achieve our ultimate goal, while also enjoying the atmosphere in what will be a fantastic tournament."
The 2019 match schedule was announced in Japan on Thursday, with the opening round of pool fixtures also featuring a heavyweight clash between reigning world champions New Zealand and their Rugby Championship rivals South Africa.
England to face Tonga in RWC 2019 openermercredi 1 novembre 2017
England suffer May injury blow
Jonny May is set to miss England's opening autumn international against Argentina Saturday week after sustaining a hamstring injury during the squad's training camp in Portugal.
May pulled up in Tuesday's practice session in Vilamoura to further limit Eddie Jones' wing options after Elliot Daly and Jack Nowell were ruled out of the majority of the Twickenham program due to respective knee and cheekbone problems.
It leaves England with only three fit players in the position for the visit of the Pumas in Anthony Watson, Denny Solomona and Semesa Rokoduguni.
There are minor concerns over Solomona and Rokoduguni, but the pair are expected to shake off an Achilles issue and dead leg respectively.
Jones had hoped to rest Watson due to his involvement in the British & Irish Lions Test series against New Zealand during the summer, but he must now revise those plans and start him in a back three that will also include either Solomona or Rokoduguni.
Fly-half Marcus Smith is to return home after spraining his foot and Joe Launchbury is nursing a knee problem that will prevent him from training until Friday.
England were forced to adjust their training program on Wednesday to account for the number of injuries of varying severity and the decision to rest the Lions players, which meant 14 of the 33 who assembled in Portugal were unable to take part.
Losing May would be a significant blow as the 27-year-old has been in blistering form since swapping Bath for Leicester this season, crossing 10 times in nine matches for the Tigers.
England suffer May injury blowSavea still harbours All Blacks ambitions
LONDON -- Julian Savea shrugged off the suggestion he has a point to prove against the All Blacks Saturday as he insisted he is confident the door to New Zealand selection remains open.
Savea, who has denied that he is close to a move to Premiership side Harlequins, will line up for the Barbarians at Twickenham having been overlooked for the All Blacks tour of Europe despite scoring a phenomenal 46 tries in 54 Test appearances.
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen said last week that he wanted Savea to have a break from rugby over the Southern Hemisphere off-season, before coming back refreshed in 2018.
However, the Hurricanes wing revealed Tuesday that he had not spoken to Hansen since the squad announcement and was relishing being a part of the Barbarians experience.
Asked if he had a point to prove against his international teammates, Savea said: "Not so much, I'm here to experience the BaaBaas way of playing and I'm excited to play against New Zealand.
"I believe the door is always going to be there as long as I can play the best I can. Whatever happens, happens."
He added: "It is a little bit strange but I'm very excited about the challenge, and actually very excited about being a part of this club. So, it's pretty special."
Savea will potentially line up against his brother, Ardie, as well as his All Blacks colleagues at Twickenham. He admitted that has not happened since the pair were children. "Probably the last time I played him was at home on the carpet," he joked.
"It's going to be weird, strange coming up against Ards. He obviously beat me playing for the Barbarians as well.
"He was a part of this team two years ago. So it's be pretty cool."
Since losing his place in the All Blacks side to Rieko Ioane during the British & Irish Lions tour, Savea has rediscovered some form playing Mire 10 rugby for Wellington.
He revealed a switch back to the No. 14 shirt, in which he feels more comfortable, has helped him improve his form.
"I just feel a little more confident I guess, having the step and a little bit of a fend so I can do a little bit more," he said.
"Naturally I am a right wing, I only moved to the left because Cory [Jane] wanted to play right."
Savea still harbours All Blacks ambitionsYarde joins Sale in 'best interest' of Quins
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ESPN staff
Harlequins have announced that winger Marland Yarde will join Sale Sharks with immediate effect with Quins' director of rugby John Kingston saying it was in the best interest of the club.
Yarde, who has made 13 Test appearances for England, has not played in Quins' last two games having been dropped due to an "internal disciplinary matter".
"Marland is a top player and I have a great relationship with him," said Harlequins director of rugby John Kingston. "We have enjoyed working together over the last three years and I want to thank him for his contribution to the Club and wish him well for the future.
"He's played really well for us this year, but the decision for Harlequins to allow Marland to speak to Sale was made because I felt it was in the best interest of the Club. Every decision I make is with the intention of doing the right thing for Harlequins football club, and that's the way it will always be.
"I'm building a positive environment and culture at Harlequins, on and off the field, which I believe will ultimately allow us to challenge for honours."
Yarde joins Sale in 'best interest' of Quins