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Posted 48 days ago
GIVEN THE intelligent, unfussy rugby instincts that characterise his game, it comes as no surprise that Alex Goode also possesses a pretty precise memory.
Describing a short sequence an hour into his first Test start at Port Elizabeth 10 months ago – the last time he faced Springbok scrum half Ruan Pienaar – the Saracens and England full-back offers a razor-sharp recollection.
Posted 132 days ago
FOR ALL the talk in recent weeks about Jonny Wilkinson, and will-he-or-won’t-he sign on for another stint at Toulon, there’s another Englishman in the south of France in a similar situation. In fact the similarities don’t stop there. Iain Balshaw and Jonny Wilkinson first played in the same team in 1997, the all-conquering England schoolboys’ side that also featured Mike Tindall.
Posted 184 days ago
ENGLAND WENT into this Test against a supposedly dispirited Wallaby squad full of confidence. Sadly, when the whistle went, the roles had been reversed, with England, not so regal, in purple. In fact, they were a deep shade of claret after being outthought, outfought and most importantly outscored, as they went down 20-14. Both tries in the match were contentious.
Posted 189 days ago
By Owain Jones, Rugby World Editor
In a nutshell
England performed a satisfactory, if perfunctory job on an underprepared and underpowered Fiji side. The hosts got off to a sluggish start, failing to find the necessary momentum to hurt the Fijians, but after the break, England improved, and started to go through the phases to exploit gaps in the Fijian’s defence. This…
Posted 191 days ago
Would New Zealand have put 80 points on this below-strength Fiji side? They may well have, such is their ability to see an opportunity and take it. That is what England are aiming for and, judging by the Fiji performance, there is still a way to go on that front.
Posted 828 days ago
ALEX GOODE admits he didn’t have much luck in the casinos when he holidayed in Las Vegas this year, but Saracens’ gamble of taking club rugby to Wembley Stadium for the first time last season paid off as they managed to win all four matches in front of crowds of 40,000-plus.
Saracens will make what they hope is a happy…
