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Posted 83 days ago
The young Scotland No 8 talks sevens, socks and superstitions
RUGBY WORLD: Who’s the best player to room with for away games?
DAVID DENTON: Chunk (Allan Jacobsen) is a pretty good one. You learn an awful lot about life in a very short time.
RW: And the worst room-mate?
DD: Tim Visser is a nightmare. He watches some very strange TV, loves a long…
Posted 84 days ago
LAST TIME Scotland won two Six Nations matches on the bounce, Greig Laidlaw was 15 years old. That was in 2001, since when Scotland have only won more than one match in a Six Nations season three times, most recently in 2006. But all those gloomy memories were cast aside as Laidlaw kicked four penalties to sneak a hard-fought victory over an Ireland side that had enough chances to win this match twice over, but butchered them. Add this win to the victory over Italy two weeks ago, and Scotland have a reason to celebrate.
Posted 84 days ago
WILL CARLING said it this week – forget the form guide, every Six Nations match is a huge hurdle. France finally turned up at this championship and England were made to dig deep to win a game that looked in the balance for an hour. Ultimately, it was Manu Tuilagi’s fortuitous try on 55 minutes that proved decisive. “It was a proper Test match,” said England coach Stuart Lancaster.
Posted 85 days ago
WALES TRAVELLED to Rome with a fragile confidence but they will have returned from their Italian sojourn with more than a little gladiatorial swagger about them. In dank, wet conditions, they had the better of the opening 40 minutes yet had only a three-point advantage to show for it at the break, thanks to Leigh Halfpenny’s trusty boot.
Posted 86 days ago
HIS STUDS had barely begun to sink into the sodden, windswept turf of the Aviva Stadium before the robust Courtney Lawes was damaged by the more compact figure of Rob Kearney. The second half replacement made his tackle, hastily retreating, lunging and throwing his head into whatever was in front of him.
Posted 86 days ago
READY THE ice baths. Warm the pies. Give a last-minute rousing team talk to the terrified beer vendors, steeling themselves for battle. The RBS 6 Nations is back from its short hiatus and the brutality begins again. Get excited. Get very excited! What a difference a win makes. Rob Howley looks like a man regenerated with that magic anti-ageing cream money can’t buy; relief. The Wales squad looks hungry but happy.
Posted 87 days ago
WE’VE HAD a breather from the RBS 6 Nations to catch our breath, but the heat is back on this weekend as Wales head to Rome, France hop across the channel to Twickenham and Scotland host Ireland. We put our neck on the line and pick our winners, but do you think we’ve got it right? Join the discussion on Facebook Rugby World magazine and Twitter @rugbyworldmag.
Posted 87 days ago
ENGLAND are 1-5 on to win the Six Nations and evens to claim a first Grand Slam for a decade – but such odds cut no ice with Will Carling. Abject as France have been ahead of Saturday’s visit to Twickenham, the former England captain sees only a flashing danger light for Stuart Lancaster’s side.
Posted 88 days ago
DYLAN HARTLEY and Joe Launchbury dissect the scrum in the run up to England v France at Twickenham. But what else have the England squad been up to in camp? In this week’s video, Ben Youngs takes us to breakfast, plus we go behind the scenes Owen Farrell and Mako Vunipola, and meet England’s kit man…
Posted 89 days ago
The player himself took to Twitter, pumping out tweets in several different languages to say that his sending off in the 36th minute for swearing – in English according to the French press – was a misunderstanding. With his hearing with the league’s Disciplinary Committee (NRL) being brought forward to Wednesday afternoon for the sake of the Italian national side,…
