England’s forwards, not Marcus Smith, can influence ‘Le Crunch’

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All the headlines this week are around Marcus Smith taking Owen Farrell’s jersey. Rightly so, as it is a brave call made by England coach, Steve Borthwick. International coaches, particularly England’s, are paid the big bucks to make these selection decisions. For a traditionally risk-averse coach, this is a significant change in direction for Borthwick. […] READ MORE


England takes huge step forward but Owen Farrell question remains

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England took a huge step forward by beating Wales in Cardiff on Saturday. Steve Borthwick will know a whole lot more about his team, particularly his forwards, who are growing in confidence with every game. England’s back row was superb with Alex Dombrandt, Jack Willis, and Lewis Ludlam all having outstanding games. Wales was disappointing […] READ MORE




Calcutta Cup: England’s experienced players must step up

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England was 20-12 up going into the final quarter of a pulsating Calcutta Cup clash. Ellis Genge had thundered over and Twickenham was rocking. It was a moment where really good teams get the job done. England then dropped the restart and a few minutes later Scottish scrum-half Ben White later cantered over. It was […] READ MORE


Calcutta Cup: Desperate England to edge out Scotland

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The 2023 Calcutta Cup is set for one of its most intriguing battles for many a year. England has a new coach, a seemingly new approach and they desperately need a win. Scotland have been the perennial underachiever with Gregor Townsend at the helm. So, who wins it? It is such a difficult one to […] READ MORE


Veterans may return for Steve Borthwick’s first Six Nations squad

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England coach Steve Borthwick will soon pick his eagerly awaited first Six Nations squad. There may be an ‘understandable’ leaning toward his Leicester Tigers England representatives plus, the return of a couple of veterans. Anthony Watson and Dan Cole are among several veterans who might be considered. Charlie Inglefield looks to pick a possible first […] READ MORE


Sacked Eddie Jones – an enigma who changed England rugby

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Eddie Jones should go down as one of England’s greatest coaches. Indisputable, even as the RFU sacked Eddie Jones overnight. That should not be his epitaph though.  Let’s not forget that no England coach has a higher win percentage than Eddie – 73% -and that includes his nemesis, Sir Clive Woodward. Eddie Jones was an […] READ MORE


Autumn International Series: Springboks lay down World Cup marker

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The Springboks have roared back into being one of the favorites for the World Cup next year. They utterly destroyed England at Twickenham on Saturday despite being at half-strength. They join Ireland and France as genuine contenders. There were upsets, led by Georgia’s memorable win over Wales, last-minute thrillers, and plenty of controversies. Charlie Inglefield […] READ MORE