CHRIS FOY: Owen Farrell must be made to wait for England recall… the logical step would be for Eddie Jones to select Marcus Smith and George Ford for the Six Nations Head coach Eddie Jones shouldn’t rush Owen Farrell back into the England side Farrell should be given time to get back into the groove at Saracens Instead Jones should select George Ford to challenge Marcus Smith Marcus Smith was
Ealing and Doncaster are still in the dark over their Premiership promotion hopes after applying to join the expanded top division next season… with both clubs proposing stadium expansions to satisfy the RFU Ealing Trailfinders and Doncaster applied to join the Premiership last month Rugby Union’s top division is set to expand to 14 teams in the 2022/23 season The two clubs are battling it out for top spot in
The sporting legacy of Sonny Bill Williams is a hugely successful one, with the two-time Rugby World Cup -winner having accomplished greatness almost anywhere he's gone in his career. As well as winning rugby union 's greatest accolade on multiple occasions, the Kiwi superstar is also a two-time NRL Premiership champion and has represented New Zealand in both rugby league and sevens. Not to be restricted in his athletic accomplishments,
The arrest that led to Blake Ferguson being fired by Japanese rugby club Green Rockets Tokatsu could have further-reaching implications amid suggestions the outfit is under pressure to fold. The Chiba-based Rugby League One side announced on Sunday that Ferguson's contract had been terminated after he was arrested at a Tokyo restaurant on December 30. It's claimed the former National Rugby League (NRL) star assaulted a man before police discovered
Dan Biggar’s 2021 has been a year of ups and downs with Wales’ Six Nations title and Lions caps blighted by Grand Slam heartbreak and defeat in South Africa… now he’s desperate for crowds and atmosphere when international rugby returns Dan Biggar has had a mixed 12 months with Northampton Saints and Wales He enjoyed Six Nations success and made three starts in the Lions series But the Welsh were
England have been handed a boost as Premiership clubs suggested captain Owen Farrell, Jamie George and Manu Tuilagi could return in time for the Six Nations. All three stars were injured during the Autumn Internationals and initial reports suggested they wouldn’t make it back in time for the tournament, which begins 5 February. Saracens’ director of rugby Mark McCall says Farrell, who needed ankle surgery, will be back at the
England star Marcus Smith has been ruled out of Harlequins ' Gallagher Premiership clash with Northampton Saints on Monday after returning a positive Covid-19 test. More than 70,000 people are set to be in attendance at Twickenham for the post-Christmas blockbuster. It would have been the perfect stage for 22-year-old fly-half Smith to once again demonstrate his talents after impressing in an England shirt last month. He was one of
Courtney Wakefield is a mum of two and a farmer. She lives in south-west NSW on a 109,000 acre sheep property. She’s also a Richmond footballer. “The distance between my husband, kids and city life can be challenging at the best of times,” she says. “I travel back and forth for a bit, then once pre-season starts I shift down to Melbourne, and once my eldest finishes school commitments she
For the second year in a row the pandemic shaped the AFL season, putting teams back in hubs, players and coaches on protocols, and keeping league executives on their toes once again. But for the Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney Giants, it wasn’t only COVID-19 that defined the year. Both teams wrote their own script, bouncing back from a disappointing 2020 to sneak back into the top eight and
European competition is in turmoil as organisers scramble to find a window in the already crowded schedule to stage the seven matches that have been postponed this weekend. And with the new French travel restrictions that have caused chaos across the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup likely to continue into January, meaningful completion of the group phase is no longer a certainty. All seven round two games involving French
