Rugby Union Today: Loose Pass on England and France
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 10: Gael Fickou of France looks dejected following the Guinness Six Nations match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on February 10, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Another busy day in the rugby union game as Loose Pass returned to discuss England’s improvement and France’s endless problems.
What’s on the site
England v France formed the basis of Loose Pass this week, with the column praising Eddie Jones’ men following an excellent start in the Six Nations and querying Les Bleus’ coaching conundrum.
Elsewhere, Super Rugby begins on Friday and several teams named their 23s for the upcoming clashes. Quade Cooper’s selection was the headline in the Australian Conference, while Schalk Brits will start for the Bulls against the Stormers in the South African group.
However, the competition will kick-off in New Zealand when the Chiefs host the Highlanders and Brodie Retallick will take sole responsibility for the captaincy in the absence of Sam Cane.
What’s in the news
It appears as though Scott Williams will not take any part in this year’s Six Nations after being released from Wales camp due to a back injury he picked up playing for the Ospreys.
For England, they have named a 25-man group for a training camp which began on Wednesday, with Ollie Devoto receiving a call-up and Maro Itoje and Dylan Hartley also joining up with the squad.
In club matters, Adam Ashe has signed a new contract at the Glasgow Warriors, extending his stay by a further two years, while former British and Irish Lion Matthew Rees has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.
What’s on social media
Lovely words from Dai Young about the emotions of seeing his son Thomas play for Wales against Italy at the weekend.
🎥 "My bottom lip was going. I was half conscious on trying to hold my emotions in and making sure the cameras weren't on me!"
Dai talks about the moment he watched son Thomas step out for Wales at the weekend, while also expressing his delight at @d_jrobson's England bow… pic.twitter.com/2pQH3hutAJ
— Wasps Rugby (@WaspsRugby) February 12, 2019
What’s on TV
The Six Nations takes a break this weekend, which means domestic action returns in Europe with BT Sport showing Gloucester v Exeter, Saracens v Leicester and Bristol v Wasps in the Premiership.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports will broadcast Clermont’s encounter with Bordeaux and Racing’s game against Toulouse, but it is the start of Super Rugby which takes precedence on that channel, starting with the Chiefs hosting the Highlanders.
Finally, the PRO14 gets going once again and Premier Sports have all seven matches, with Ospreys v Ulster the standout contest.