The message has been clear from Ireland all week: when they face New Zealand on Friday, revenge will not be on the menu. Hugo Keenan said it last week from the pleasant climes of the Algarve, Ireland’s second home, and Andy Farrell repeated it when he spoke to reporters in …
Read More »England v Australia: Asher Opoku-Fordjour is new prop star
Maybe because Opoku-Fordjour does not fit the old tight-head mould, he has also appeared on the opposite side of the scrum. While he plays tight-head for Sale, he switched to loose-head for England Under-20s, where Gloucester’s Afolabi Fasogbon and Bath’s Vilikesa Sela give England mammoth depth at three. The trio …
Read More »Premiership Women’s Rugby: Exeter Chiefs ‘tremendous’ in Saracens win – Susie Appleby
Exeter Chiefs head coach Susie Appleby has hailed her side’s second-half showing as they beat Saracens 29-12 in their top-of-the-table clash in Premiership Women’s Rugby. Having led 17-12 at the interval the Chiefs kept Saracens scoreless after the break at Sandy Park as they got a fifth win from five …
Read More »England v Australia: Will Ollie Lawrence switch to 13 help Steve Borthwick’s attack?
England hope Ollie Lawrence’s switch to outside centre against Australia will enable the Bath star to bring his ball-carrying power to the fore on Saturday. The 25-year-old started at inside centre in England’s opening Autumn Nations Series defeat by New Zealand, but has been instrumental in Bath’s rise to the …
Read More »Ireland vs New Zealand: When Ireland beat All Blacks for first time
Ireland host New Zealand on Friday in their opening autumn Test match. To whet your appetite, former Ireland wing Andrew Trimble looks back on their historic win over the All Blacks in Chicago in 2016. The 40-29 victory ended Ireland’s 111-year wait for a win over New Zealand. READ: All …
Read More »England v Australia: Can ‘freakish’ Joseph Suaalii revive the Wallabies?
Part of Thompson’s remit was trying to keep young Wallaby prospects in the XV-player game. Ultimately, in Suaalii’s case, it proved impossible. Suaalii was on the books of South Sydney Rabbitohs before switching to the Roosters, where he made the NRL’s team of the year in 2022, while still a …
Read More »England v Australia: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to start for Wallabies
Rugby league convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will start in the centres for Australia against England on Saturday at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium in his first professional rugby union game. The 21-year-old former Sydney Roosters wing or centre recently switched from league in a three-year deal reportedly worth A$5.35m (£2.7m). Suaalii, who played …
Read More »Exeter Chiefs: Rob Baxter says Haydn Thomas can make defensive difference
Speaking for the first time since Mouneimne’s departure, Baxter said the decision to part way was “amicable”. The former Worcester Warriors and Bristol Bears coach has been at Sandy Park since the summer of 2022, joining a group of long-serving coaches that have been at the club for, in the …
Read More »Antoine Dupont ‘better than ever’ going into France XVs return against Japan
Antoine Dupont has returned “better than ever” to XVs after winning Olympic sevens gold in the summer, says France flanker Francois Cros. Scrum-half Dupont, 27, has been named captain for France’s opening Autumn Nations Series game against Japan on Saturday, in his first game in international XVs since his side’s …
Read More »Ireland vs New Zealand: All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson looking forward to ’emotional’ reunion with Ards RFC host family
Robertson said his time in Newtownards was important for his maturation as a player and person, but also in imprinting upon him the need to pursue education alongside his rugby career. After tagging along with Ards team-mates to lectures at Queen’s University Belfast, a stipulation in Robertson’s first Crusaders playing …
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