France was brilliant. It was an awesome France masterclass exhibition from Fabien Galthie’s men and as for England…. they are truly at rock bottom. Or maybe not, as the old adage goes, ‘we did not realize that rock bottom had a basement’ – as they head to Dublin next week. England were awful in all […] READ MORE
Tag: Henry Slade
England’s forwards get the job done over Italy in men’s 2023 Six Nations
England’s 31-14 win over Italy on Sunday had Steve Borthwick written all over it. England’s pack was dominant up front, granite-like in defense, and with high energy in the kick-chase. Borthwick’s forwards got the job done and there was a lot to be happier about a week on from the Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland. […] READ MORE
Feature: England’s ‘finishers’ provide blueprint to beat the Springboks
Sir Clive Woodward is not a fan of the expression ‘Finishers’. His understandable argument is that all players should be capable of playing 80 minutes. But with all due respect to Sir Clive, England’s finishers nearly pulled off a remarkable victory over the All Blacks on Saturday. Messrs. Dave Ribbans, Mako Vunipola, Will Stuart, Freddie […] READ MORE
England can beat the All Blacks with a bit of unpredictability
England put on a much-improved performance against Japan after their limp display over the Pumas. An error-ridden Japan were poor, allowing England to rediscover their confidence ahead of this Saturday’s huge clash where they intend to beat the All Blacks. New Zealand, by contrast, was taken all the way by a brave Scottish team before […] READ MORE
Ireland then France to determine England rugby team’s 2023 prospects
Eddie Jones and the England rugby team goes into two hugely important games over the next two weekends. Ireland are up first, crucially for England at ‘fortress Twickenham’. England then finishes their tournament in the cauldron of Paris against a resurgent French team. After the first three rounds, many have no idea where England’s rugby […] READ MORE
Candidate choices as the England new centre (among roles under scrutiny)
England may have ‘scraped their way to victory’ over Wales on Saturday, but little was done to instill confidence in this team. Positional analysis might be searching for improvement and/or change, including areas like the candidates for an England new centre Though some individuals stood out, the overall performance was rather underwhelming for a number […] READ MORE
Reasons for English Rugby optimism in the 2022 Six Nations
Last Word on Rugby looks at the reasons for English Rugby optimism about the 2022 Six Nations tournament ahead. Despite a fifth-place finish last year, England will be going in with their sights set on the title. This may seem a bridge too far but, a lot has changed in the past 12 months, and […] READ MORE
Eddie Jones faces Farrell selection headache; England v Australia
England’s emphatic win over Tonga has given Eddie Jones a number of selection headaches ahead of England v Australia on Saturday. Every coach wants options but for Jones, he may have to make the biggest selection call of his England coaching tenure. Does he relegate Owen Farell now and promote Marcus Smith? The clamour to […] READ MORE
Exeter Chiefs Rugby 2021/22 Gallagher Premiership focus
Gallagher Premiership Rugby is just weeks away from beginning. Here at Last Word on Rugby, we’re turning the microscope on to all the major competing sides and focusing on Devon’s Exeter Chiefs. The former Championship winning club was bested in the final playoff match. One that will be remembered for the sheer excitement and to-and-fro […] READ MORE
British and Irish Lions watch – Finn Russell is back
Despite the empty stadiums’ international rugby is back and with it the long road to British and Irish Lions selection. God willing the British and Irish Lions will get the chance to tour South Africa. Unlikely but let’s enjoy the autumn whilst we can and the selection conundrums that Lions coach, Warren Gatland will face. […] READ MORE