Liam Williams will be in the spotlight if England continue to kick against Wales with Leigh Halfpenny absent February 21, 2019 England exploited Robbie Henshaw's inexperience at full-back in the win over Ireland and then capitalised on Yoann Huget's inability to lead the backline in the victory against France a week later. Liam Williams will not present such an obvious weakness in the Wales back three for Saturday's Six Nations showdown, but Eddie Jones's side have [...]
Frankenstein’s flanker: England’s Tom Curry has taken on aspects of all his idols but is keeping grounded after successful Six Nations start February 14, 2019 Tom Curry is quickly establishing himself as Eddie Jones's go-to man at openside flanker after an impressive start to the Six Nations. He may be only 20 years old but his ability and tireless work ethic has seen him improve England's performance at the breakdown markedly – even if he is modest about it. In [...]
Ollie Phillips: England’s emphasis on the collective has turned the side into a multi-faceted one with a shot at a Six Nations Grand Slam February 14, 2019 England have enjoyed a perfect start to the Six Nations but the length of the tournament and physical nature of rugby means squad depths will always be tested. Mako Vunipola was one of the stand-out players in the wins over Ireland and France but an ankle injury means the back-up options now come into question. [...]
England pull off another tactical masterclass in 44-8 win as France fall apart February 10, 2019 Going into this game with France, Eddie Jones warned England would have to win a battle against complacency following last week's triumph in Dublin against a team labelled the best in the world. As his side ran out 44-8 winners here at Twickenham, there was evidence that England were heeding his advice: they thrashed Les Bleus [...]
Ollie Phillips: Brilliant England need to prove Ireland performance was not just a flash in the pan February 7, 2019 What a difference one match makes. England’s outstanding win over Ireland was a performance which saw them emphatically back to their best, displaying their true potential. It was the perfect way to start the Six Nations and a World Cup year, with intensity, physicality, accuracy and pace which out-did one of the best teams in [...]
Match made in Dublin: Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade are the midfield pair England have been looking for February 7, 2019 As England pulled off a masterclass in Dublin last weekend, Eddie Jones perhaps also stumbled across the midfield match he had been searching for. The combination of George Ford, Owen Farrell and Jonathan Joseph at 10, 12 and 13, brought success during Jones’s early tenure, winning successive Six Nations. But once teams had exploited their [...]
Unpredictable France can pack a punch and test England’s resolve February 5, 2019 On the face of it, England’s biggest battle when they meet France in the Six Nations on Sunday will be not succumbing to complacency following last weekend’s contrasting results. In reality, France could still pose a significant threat to England’s Grand Slam dreams in Le Crunch, as it is known colloquially, such is the nature [...]
England’s “brutal” Six Nations victory over Ireland showed the Eddie Jones blueprint of physical dominance February 3, 2019 Eddie Jones continually promised England’s opening fixture against Ireland would be “brutal”. In the build-up to a tournament like the Six Nations such phrases can be explained as fighting talk intended to ramp up the hype, but in this case England’s head coach chose his words carefully. On Saturday he delivered on his promise as [...]
The Six Nations is becoming increasingly competitive but Ireland are still clear favourites according to a supercomputer February 1, 2019 The Six Nations has rarely been more competitive. Last year’s championship saw an average points difference of just 14 across the 15 games – the lowest since 2013 – according to Gracenote Sports. Although Ireland ran out Grand Slam winners, there were just five points separating second-placed Wales and fifth-placed England come the end of [...]
Ollie Phillips: Ireland are favourites but the opening round could shape a tight Six Nations January 31, 2019 The Six Nations finally gets under way tomorrow and the fixture list has thrown up some fascinating ties to kick off with. England travel to Dublin to face defending champions Ireland on Saturday, which I think might actually prove to be a blessing rather than a curse as there is little pressure to improve their [...]
