RC Toulon : Jean-Baptiste Gros absent à Perpignan

England player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

fl 16 minutes ago

Wigglesworth coached Leicester to 3rd in the premiership, in a season where he only became a fulltime coach halfway through. The man has immense talent, and did a great job with England's attack in the six nations. If the attack has faltered since then that's the fault of Marcus Smith.

El-Abd is doing poorly in the D2 as a DoR; a position he was promoted to on the basis of good performances as a defence and forwards coach.

Sinfield, Borthwick, and Wigglesworth are the real talents in the English set up, but El-Abd and Harrison are much better than they are given credit.

14 Go to comments

jb 17 minutes ago

Perhaps NZR did not learn from Folau after allowing the Haka hijack

Almost as bad as calling someone a wit kant..

Ex-referee Jaco Peyper handed promotion in South Africa set-up

fl 23 minutes ago

is this a promotion, or just a different job?

Teddy Thomas the latest La Rochelle player to join Toulouse – report

PL 1 hour ago

Amazing player joining the best club in the world, what could go wrong? His replacement at 13 for La Rochelle looks like a very good match. Can't wait to see the association Ahki - Thomas next year

1 Go to comments

PL 1 hour ago

Courtney Lawes gives most telling insight yet into his Lions ambitions

As good as it is this year I don't think he will make it. There are plenty other players ahead of him right now. Plus, not sure if Farrell really watch Pro D2 on thursday evening

Perhaps NZR did not learn from Folau after allowing the Haka hijack

JG 1 hour ago

You’re comparing apples and oranges. Or apples and Tuesdays. First, Folau was already contractually bound not to make the kind of comments he made; no such contract obliged TJ to avoid the kōrero of a haka he had been asked to lead. Second, Folau’s remarks weren’t just expressions of “belief”; they were a calculated damnation of people already vulnerable to homophobic attacks. Even if you disagree with TJ’s (and his teammates’) belief in respecting the nation’s founding constitutional document, nobody’s life is in jeopardy because of what he said. The most political position I’m seeing here is Bidwell’s “keep politics out of sport” line, which is exactly what Ron Don and his ilk were saying on the eve of the ‘81 Springbok tour. Funny how that “apolitical” line ends up always lending implicit support to reactionary institutions and initiatives.

Perhaps NZR did not learn from Folau after allowing the Haka hijack

SM 2 hours ago

Sums up the ABS, more worried about silly haka than rugby .

Why the Wallabies' Murrayfield munching offered a worrying glimpse of the Lions showdown

Ed the Duck 2 hours ago

Tuipulotu was effectively ditched by Aussie and came to Scotland via Japan because he believed he just wasn’t getting a fair crack. You could see some of that in his attitude and verbals with the Aussies during the game.

Same happened with ses and he’s now with Edinburgh, which was a slightly odd decision because they’ve got some serious issues as a club and have had for a long time now. Regardless, it showed some backbone to decline the opportunity to be under his big brothers wing at glasgow and he may well have the makings of an equally good player.

Apparently there’s a third one too, who is said to have potential to be the best of them, playing at hooker with the tahs. So they will prob need to ensure he gets a few early opportunities or he will be heading north pdq as well…

Why the Wallabies' Murrayfield munching offered a worrying glimpse of the Lions showdown

Ed the Duck 2 hours ago

Maybe not but you have certainly started asking some seriously loaded and leading questions…!!!

Perhaps NZR did not learn from Folau after allowing the Haka hijack

PL 2 hours ago

Comparing Folau's story with TJ's seems to be a rather precarious balancing act. Yellow card and 10 minutes in the sin bin Mr Bidwell

Why the Wallabies' Murrayfield munching offered a worrying glimpse of the Lions showdown

Ed the Duck 2 hours ago

Yep…but 2yrs garden leave this time!!! 🤑🤑

Why the Wallabies' Murrayfield munching offered a worrying glimpse of the Lions showdown

Ed the Duck 2 hours ago

Yes, he can drift out but it happens when his team find themselves on the back foot continuously. Doesn’t happen too much with Glasgow but does happen at times with Scotland. I suspect the Lions game plan vs Aus will suit him and if England continue their current form he could def usurp slade. He also offers good cover playing fb which none of the aforementioned can and always enhances a players selection prospects.

Why the Wallabies' Murrayfield munching offered a worrying glimpse of the Lions showdown

Ed the Duck 2 hours ago

Maul has improved for Scotland both as a weapon and defending against. Much of this is down to the coaching of Franco Smith at glasgow, he is genuinely working wonders there and i’m pretty sure the Boks will have taken notice if Rassie ever decides to hang up his tracksuit.

Why the Wallabies' Murrayfield munching offered a worrying glimpse of the Lions showdown

Ed the Duck 3 hours ago

Jeez you’re having it rough these days! Is Gatland still the man for the job then, personally I’m genuinely not sure as there are two very different but logical rationales:

1. His time has slipped and the game has moved on. Evidenced by the lions in SA, the Chiefs and now wales just not making significant gains

2. His record with wales was outstanding and sustained over achievement first time and welsh rugby is in the financial 💩

On balance if it was my call, I believe in loyalty but only where it’s justified and for me that holds with Gatland for now, at least through the 6N and maybe until the end of 25.

Why the Wallabies' Murrayfield munching offered a worrying glimpse of the Lions showdown

Ed the Duck 3 hours ago

And ofc court jesters would simply have their cranium removed in days of yore when they ceased to entertain…!

🤡🪓😉😂

Ex-referee Jaco Peyper handed promotion in South Africa set-up

DC000 3 hours ago

Pretty amusing given how 💩 a ref Jaco was

'The World Cup... I'm not sure it's going to happen for them'

PL 3 hours ago

hahaha "lower level games". I know you wanna be salty and provocative but please, at least attack us on real issues. The Top 14 is one of the best (if not the best) championship in the world, bringing together some of the best players in the world. It's an extremely demanding league where you have to be at your very best for 30 high-level matches + very high intensity champions cup matches, and it's clear that your big stars who come to our league often struggle to meet the physical challenge (Kolisi, Kitshoff, Kok, Kolbe when in Toulon, and plenty more.). Unlike you, I don't trash the South African national team, I can at least recognize how they manage to form one of the best teams in the world and perform just as well at home as they do away.

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Soliloquin 3 hours ago

'The World Cup... I'm not sure it's going to happen for them'

Well, currently the biggest rugby stars from other countries are not really playing in France, except for Argentinian players (Mallia, Chocobares, Kremer, Oviedo, Petti, Lavanini, Carreras) or Fijian ones (Tuisova, Dakukaqa, Waniqolo) . This time is over.

You have great players that usually choose to cease playing for their countries like Ludlham, Sinckler, Farrell(who's been a shadow at Racing 92), Fainga'anuku, Marchant, the Kpoku brothers, Arundell, Ribbans or declining stars like Biggar, Kerr-Barlow, Radradra, Botia, Goodhue, the Vunipola brothers, Hogg or Manu Tuilagi. Not exactly first choices or guys who make the best international XV.

The exceptions being Arata, Skelton, Jack Willis, Cappuozzo (he's French but plays for Italy), Niniashvili, Staniforth, Ahki, Tameifuna, Nicotera, Garbisi, Ioane, Lucchesi, Kinghorn, Ben White or Saito. Not many of them from SA, NZ, Ireland or England or close to top 3 in their positions.

When Kolisi or Etzebeth played in Top14, despite the big bucks, it wasn't shiny performances at "lower level games", as well as Kolbe at Toulon after his extraordinary stunt at Toulouse. Whitelock was at the end of his career.

I think you've mistaken the big bucks low level league with Japan Rugby League One stars welcomed at their prime (Mo'unga, de Klerk, Matera, PSDT, de Jager, Mostert, Kolbe, Kriel, Barrett, Savea, Cane, Koroibete, Perenara, Kwagga Smith, de Allende, Kolbe, Wiese, Marx) because it pales a bit. 12 of of the 30 players that started the RWC final play in Japan. With a maximum of 16 games/season. In France it's up to 29 to be get the Top14 title, plus the Champions Cup.

Try to keep up the rythm with more than twice as many games.

I guess you've read their interviews on the intensity of Top14, right? Right?

The biggest Top14 stars are in great majority French players, because the JIFF policy has changed the way French clubs operate.

The era of Carter, Botha, Wilkinson, Kaino, Smith or the others mentioned before is over.

33 Go to comments

NB 3 hours ago

Why the Wallabies' Murrayfield munching offered a worrying glimpse of the Lions showdown

I am an NH commentatory RW, though I haven't used the word 'decline' [yet].😁