Rugby Union Today: Jamie George starts for England
Another busy day in the rugby union game as Jamie George replaces the injured Dylan Hartley in England’s starting line-up for the France game.
What’s on the site
With round four of Super Rugby due to start tomorrow, we look ahead to the Highlanders-Stormers and Rebels-Brumbies matches.
There are also previews of the Anglo-Welsh semi-final between Bath and Northampton, and the rearranged Scarlets v Leinster PRO14 clash.
Finally, following Rob Andrew’s view on England yesterday, Expert Witness returns as ex-France back Thomas Lombard has his say on Les Bleus.
What’s in the news
England will be without injured captain Dylan Hartley for this weekend’s clash against France, with Jamie George starting in his place. Mike Brown is also missing from the XV as Eddie Jones has decided to bring Elliot Daly back into the fold, with Anthony Watson shifting to full-back.
Meanwhile, Les Bleus have recalled Francois Trinh-Duc to their team – previous incumbent Lionel Beauxis moving to the bench – in their only change.
For Ireland, they have made two alterations to their line-up as Tadhg Furlong and Garry Ringrose come into the side.
What’s on social media
On International Women’s Day, World Rugby displayed the growth in the game with these statistics:
It’s International Women’s Day and rugby continues to grow globally!
🏉 60% increase in female rugby players since 2013
🏉 150% increase in registered female rugby players since 2013
🏉 Over a quarter of all players across the globe are now female #IWD2018 #PressForProgress pic.twitter.com/i6TDPniH46— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) March 8, 2018
What’s on TV
Round four of the Six Nations takes place this weekend with ITV broadcasting Ireland’s clash against Scotland, while France-England and Wales-Italy will be shown on the BBC.
There is also plenty of action on Sky Sports and BT Sport. The former has a packed Super Rugby schedule but will also televise the France v England women’s Six Nations match, as well as two Top 14 encounters and the Vancouver Sevens.
On BT, the Anglo-Welsh Cup returns for the semi-finals as Bath and Northampton Saints go head-to-head on Friday, with the Exeter-Newcastle contest taking place on Sunday.