Rugby Union Today: Loose Pass and Eddie Jones’ future
England Coach Eddie Jones during the training session at Fuchu Asahi Football Park, Tokyo.
Another busy day in the rugby union game as Loose Pass returned to Planet Rugby to provide its unique take on several topics in the sport.
What’s on the site
The incident in the Saracens v Munster encounter, which saw Jamie George take offence to a comment made by one of the visiting team’s medics, is the main talking point for Loose Pass this week. The column also discusses the salary cap and the difficulty sides in the Premiership have of retaining homegrown talent.
Elsewhere, RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney admits that they have yet to enter negotiations with England head coach Eddie Jones over extending his contract. The Australian’s deal ends in 2021 but they have not decided whether Jones is the right man to lead the national team into the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
What’s in the news
Australia have received a boost after tying down utility back Reece Hodge until 2023. Hodge has signed a new deal with the governing body which will keep him at the Rebels for at least the next four years.
Meanwhile, there was also good contract news for Gloucester, who have managed to keep hold of Ben Morgan. The England number eight joined the Cherry and Whites in 2012 and will now remain in the West Country for the foreseeable future.
Finally, Leicester Tigers have confirmed that Mark Bakewell has left the club. That duly leaves the door open for England coach Steve Borthwick, who has been heavily linked with the Tigers, to join the Midlanders.
What’s on social media
Excellent and prompt action from Ulster to ban a supporter for abusive behaviour during their game with Harlequins in the Champions Cup.
As a result of complaints made by other supporters at the Harlequins game, I have today banned an individual from future @UlsterRugby matches. We all want @KingspanStadium to be an intimidating place for away teams to visit, but abusive behaviour will never have any place here
— Jonny Petrie (@JP_Petrie) December 18, 2019
What’s on TV
After another thrilling Champions Cup round, domestic action returns this weekend and BT Sport will be showing the Premiership games, including Gloucester v Worcester, Leicester v Exeter and London Irish v Bath.
Elsewhere, it’s all about the PRO14 derbies on Premier Sports with Leinster’s clash against fellow high-fliers Ulster and the 1872 Cup encounter between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh the big fixtures this weekend.