CATEGORIES

Italy need to stay in the game if they can

DUBLIN has been anything other than a fair city for Italy in the last decade. Playing a rerouted England side in Rome is one thing, but if the Azzurri are to show visible signs of progress they will need to front up at a ground where they have tended to go missing.

This Irish dynasty will keep on going

WAS the speed of the Irish recovery after the World Cup surprising? No, because I don’t call it a recovery. They showed against France in the Six Nations opener in Marseille last week just how high their standards now are.

That was a try-but the record will not retiect tt

THERE is a three-volume book to be written on false dawns, shattered dreams and broken hearts in Scottish rugby and this game will surely have its own substantial tear-stained entry. Last week they won a game they should probably have lost and yesterday they lost a game they should definitely have won.

Scotland heartbreak after has the final word in late drama

HAS there ever been a Six Nations encounter where the final outcome hinged so dramatically and for so long on the decision of a television match official?

Once again, England escape to victory

IT was another skin-of-the-teeth England win as Jamie George’s crew rewarded Steve Borthwick’s decision to stick with his Rome line-up, as the team edged past Wales in this second round tussle.

Williams sets his sights on Wales return

LIAM Williams has left the door open on a return to the Test scene for Wales’ summer tour of Australia but faces stiff tralia but faces stiff competition from Warren Gatland’s new boys. new boys.

Anglo-Welsh league 'depends on money'

PREMIERSHIP coaches have given their backing to Warren Gatland's call for an Anglo-Welsh league as long as the finances add up.

We're not far off the top teams George

SKIPPER Jamie George claimed his England side were not a million miles off the top teams in the Six Nations after they scrapped to a 16-14 win over Wales at Twickenham yesterday.

Why Six Nations is pinnacle of game

HERE we are at the start of another Six Nations with everything to play for as the excitement builds with the first games this weekend. The world of rugby desperately needs the Six Nations to be a real success if the game is to grow and prosper.

Carnduff learns the Leicester way

FINN Carnduff is honoured to join an illustrious list of England U20 captains and made if four of their past five age-grade skippers to have come from Leicester Tigers.

Ford looks the right Guy to build a bright future

IT HAS been a frustrating season for Chester head coach Guy Ford in National Two West, but with an average player age of 23, the club is building towards a bright future.

Waters relishes biggest battles ahead in race to clinch title

THE battle for supremacy at the top of the National 2 East can feel like a staring contest, and last weekend we may finally have seen the first blinks.

Odendaal enjoying his life back in the Prem

BURGER Odendaal was one of the few Premiership players who did not welcome the break for the Six Nations, raring to go rather than flagging after a non-stop 17 weeks.

Double agents out to prove their worth

Ben Nurse talks to two of Portugal’s World Cup stars looking forward to taking on England A

Dunn: I want to finish my time with a trophy

TOM Dunn has spent his senior career at Bath and intends to finish it by emulating the teams he watched as a boy and securing silverware.

Grand Slam was ours, come hell or high water

I WAS privileged to play with a fantastic squad of players at what was largely a successful time for the Scotland team. Like any good team we weren’t reliant on any one individual, there was always someone ready to step up and take the lead. Everyone knew their role in the team and mine, as a winger, was obviously to cross the whitewash at all costs and put points on the board. I managed to score 15 tries in 37 Tests but that’s not to say I didn’t make an arse of things many, many times!

Hunter wants World Cup to build legacy

FORMER England captain Sarah Hunter believes the side can build a legacy beyond its success on the pitch. England, who have won the last five Six Nations titles, will host next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, seeking revenge for their losses in the last two finals.

Top dogs who build teams in own image

A CCORDING to an article on the American website “Psychology Today”, there is scientific evidence to suggest that dogs not only look like their owners, but also share many of their personality traits.

Cockerill out to beef up Georgia

RICHARD Cockerill starts his reign as Georgia head coach in a remote part of Germany today vowing to put the bite back into the Lelos pack.

Pollock puts England on the front foot

HENRY Pollock’s superb hat-trick helped England U20s to victory against Italy away from home for the first time in six years as they got their Six Nations campaign off to a flying start.

France can only watch as Irish put on a show

THIS was meant to be a tight, hard-fought match between the two strongest teams in Europe by some distance.

Why you don't give up on your dreams

IT’S BEEN said before but needs reiterating on a regular basis but there is no sporting tournament quite like the Six Nations and this mad encounter at the Principality Stadium provided the latest compelling evidence.

Scotland hold off amazing Wales revival

ONLY the Six Nations would dare to dig into the Bumper Book Of Sports Cliches and redefine one of the biggest of all: the game of two halves.

At last! Freeman and Borthwick reasons to

THIS was not England winning in style in Rome, and getting the crowd on its feet, but it was a landmark of sorts.

University helps lift Exeter's challenge

WHEN Rob Baxter outlined his vision for the future of Exeter Chiefs, the director of rugby made no secret of the fact that he would be looking at a number of new kids on the block.

Keen demand to host Euro finals weekend

DOMINIC McKay, chairman of European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), has revealed that interest in hosting European club rugby’s finals weekend was higher than ever after announcing Cardiff and Bilbao as the venues for 2025 and 2026.

Reynolds delight as Raiders march on

JORDAN Reynolds was a happy man as his Guernsey Raiders team came out on top in a must-win clash with Wimbledon.

Cozens urges Clifton to turn it on for the full 80

PLAYER-COACH Luke Cozens called for Clifton to concentrate for full 80 minutes the after two late Chester tries took some of the gloss off a solid home victory.

Tigers on the prowl as first 40 sets tone

FOR those doubting the motivation and desire of the two sides at Dore More, there was the strongest of rebuttals, the Yorkshire rivals – separated by nine league points – dishing up a ‘no quarter asked, no quarter given’ type of fare.

Prodigal son needs to pull the right strings

GREGOR Townsend, the longest serving head coach in the Six Nations, has been in charge of Scotland since 2017.