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David Flatman: Summer's here, so it's time to start worrying about relaxation

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

There are many adjustments for the retiring rugby player to make. He must quickly get used to working full days, being unavailable for midweek breakfast with friends and wearing clothes that aren't budget, branded items, made of polyester. But not every adjustment is so difficult. At last he can stay up late watching B-movies, choose the garlic bread with cheese and book a holiday without ensuring there is a gym close by.

Ruck and Maul: Tindall gets goodbye to Gloucester but Fuimaono-Sapolu has gone

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Mike Tindall will follow his debut for the Barbarians at Twickenham today with an appearance against an Ireland XV on Tuesday night at Gloucester, in what will be his farewell to Kingsholm after eight years with the host club.

Brian Ashton: Sensible refereeing will allow us all to revel in a vibrant Premiership final

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Follow that, then. After the spectacle of the Heineken Cup's all-Irish showpiece last weekend, we can now look forward to the most significant club match of the English season as Harlequins and Leicester go toe-to-toe at Twickenham this afternoon in the fight for the Premiership title.

David Flatman: Leicester and Quins can both play against type

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Next weekend's Premiership final sees two cultures collide. In a sense, on whichever side of rugby's fence you sit there is a team for you to support.

Ruck and Maul: Change of gear for Ford over the summer as Tiger in his tank runs dry

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

If George Ford is required, given Toby Flood's dodgy ankle, to start Saturday's Premiership final for Leicester it will be the 19-year-old's last action before a summer of rest.

Brian Ashton: Ford's focus can drive the Tigers to title success

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

What a remarkable Premier League weekend. Could Shakespeare himself have concocted a more compelling piece of theatre? As I switched from channel to channel, the excitement and drama built, the odds swinging one way and then the other. And in the midst of it all, I suppose it was inevitable that a character as colourful and controversial as Joey Barton would play a significant role in cranking up the pressure. All this... and no play-offs!

David Flatman: It's simple. England must play the Boks at their own game

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Having played at many of the rugby venues around the world deemed "intimidating", I have come to the conclusion that the whole notion is a bit romantic. Certainly there are grounds at which victory is less likely for a visiting side, but this is invariably down to the quality of the home team and the comfort they find in playing somewhere familiar.

Ruck and Maul: Russia warms up for Sevens World Cup with TV and Tchaikovsky

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

High excitement at the London residence of the Russian Ambassador to the UK on Friday, as the Russian men's and women's teams were hosted by Mr Alexander Yakovenko ahead of this weekend's world sevens at Twickenham, to publicise the Rugby World Cup Sevens being hosted in Moscow in June 2013.

Brian Ashton: Teams could run up a cricket score if they attack the corridor of uncertainty

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It seems only logical now that the cricket season is in full swing that the theme of today's column should emanate from a phrase commonly associated with the great summer game: namely "the corridor of uncertainty". It relates to that hallowed area of the pitch that quickish bowlers, not to mention those who bowl at express speed, unceasingly seek – a line on or just outside off stump that sows the seeds of doubt into a batsman's mind. Does he play forward, play back or leave the delivery alone? Now, there's a question.

England captain Chris Robshaw named Player of the Season

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:41:10 +0100

Harlequins and England captain Chris Robshaw was last night named Player of the Season at the Aviva Premiership Rugby Awards.

The Premiership team of the season

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:29:42 +0100

The Independent's Rugby Union correspondent selects the season's best players from the Aviva Premiership.

Cream of Jersey boys are rising to the top

Sun, 06 May 2012 04:00:09 +0100

Mention of Jersey may bring to mind sandy beaches, Bergerac or grim tales of German occupation. Let us add to those an oval ball and sporting ambition as the Channel Island’s rugby club last week sealed their fifth promotion in eight years. They will play next season in the Championship, one level below the Premiership.

David Flatman: Human cannonball Agulla has broken down my defences

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Ihave never been a fan of the man-of-the-match concept; I always like to think of rugby as the purest of team sports, in which men literally risk their physical health in order not to let their mates down. So to watch this and, at the end of it, declare one man superior – to me at least – smells a little bit of marketing. However, this is very likely my opinion because in 14 years I have only won it three times. Bitterness is indeed an ugly trait. And anyway, nine times out of 10 it is the goal-kicker who takes home the champers.

Ruck and Maul: Casey given send-off by Johnno amid mass exodus of the Exiles

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Brian Smith enlisted his erstwhile England colleague Martin Johnson to give London Irish's captain, Bob Casey, a memorable send-off yesterday after 10 years at the club.

Brian Ashton: Tunnel vision the positive cure for white-line fever

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The most gratifying news to emerge from the rugby world this week was that Michael Lynagh, the great Wallaby outside-half and analyst of renown, had left hospital after suffering a very serious stroke. It will not, to use Michael's own words, be a short road to recovery, but I am certain that I echo a multitude of voices throughout the union-playing nations in wishing him a speedy and complete return to health.

Former Australia fly-half Michael Lynagh leaves hospital

Tue, 01 May 2012 10:30:08 +0100

Former Australia and Saracens fly-half Michael Lynagh has been released from hospital, two weeks after suffering a stroke.

Ruck and Maul: Lancaster can even inspire Vandals to keep their house in order

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Stuart Lancaster's job as England head coach requires maintaining good relations with clubs big and small and the Rugby Players' Association, and on the latter count the signs are good according to Damian Hopley, the RPA chief executive.

David Flatman: No 'machine', no chance against perfect Leinster

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Prop forwards often finish matches with little or no idea how things have really gone. The score is simple enough to find out but as for the ebb and flow of the contest, we regularly end up clueless. This isn't, believe it or not, down to ignorance or apathy, but more about spending so much time with one's head under the armpits of others or chewing the cud when sustenance is needed.

Brian Ashton: Cockerill can crow if Tigers continue to earn stripes

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Just 80 minutes or so of rugby separate the four remaining contenders in the Heineken Cup from a much-coveted place in next month's final at Twickenham. We are deep in "no second chance" territory now and it is in this precise situation that the mind can play some bizarre tricks. But while the ties in Dublin and Bordeaux are the principal business of the weekend, it is worth reflecting momentarily on the comments of a player and a coach from teams at opposite ends of the Aviva Premiership table.

Exeter flanker James Scaysbrook among shortlist for Aviva Premiership player of the year

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:47:37 +0100

Exeter's success has been recognised with flanker James Scaysbrook shortlisted for the Aviva Premiership player of the year award and boss Rob Baxter nominated in the QBE director of rugby category.

James Corrigan: All hail the local zeroes, the heart and spirit of sport

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

You might have missed the result on Saturday from "Fortress Klondyke", the rugby union ground at the northern end of Merthyr Tydfil, just off the Heads of the Valley Road. In the final game of the season, Dowlais beat the visitors 26-16 in what is probably most eloquently described as "a hotly contested encounter".

David Flatman: Don't push it, gladiators might just decide to attack the trolls

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

In the days of old, Romans, tired from a week of toil, would flood to the great arenas to watch the fiercest of men do battle for their pleasure. The excitement, the release and promise of a dramatic conclusion were enough to see them return time after time to cheer, shriek and, quite probably, to imagine themselves out there covered, just for one minute, in the dust and sweat and blood. An experience so visceral that it became instantly unreal, it remains the very definition of the sporting spectacle.

Ruck and Maul: Twickenham's ticketing policy smacks of segregation for fans

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It is fair to say professional rugby union's worst nightmare is seepage into it of anything regarded as football's most unattractive aspects.

Brian Ashton: Not half as many good No 9s as in Melville's day

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Much to our surprise and pleasure, my wife Helen and I found ourselves enjoying a spot of lunch with Nigel Melville last weekend. A scrum-half of the highest calibre, a successful coach at Premiership level and a friend of long standing, it was good to see him back in the North of England. Nigel does not surface in this neck of the woods often, thanks to the demands of his job as chief executive of USA Rugby, a role he has been performing for six years.

Former Australia fly-half Michael Lynagh face 'critical' few days

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:31:27 +0100

Former Australia and Saracens fly-half Michael Lynagh is facing a vital few days in his recovery after suffering a stroke.

Former Australia fly-half Michael Lynagh 'stable' after stroke

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:30:56 +0100

Former Australia and Saracens fly-half Michael Lynagh is in a "stabilised condition" after suffering a stroke, according to the Queensland Rugby Union.

Australia great Lynagh suffers 'stroke' at 48

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The former Australia and Saracens fly-half Michael Lynagh is being treated at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital after suffering a stroke, according to reports in Australia.

Minister's son banned from rugby for taking steroids

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The teenage son of the Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, has been suspended from playing rugby for 21 months after admitting that he took banned substances.

David Flatman: Performance is required, not a generation of gym junkies

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

As soon as rugby union turned professional, money seemed to get the blame for everything. It was, and is, said that the camaraderie has disappeared from the game, as its proponents are now just mercenaries. Whenever a team underperforms and the paying supporters begin to verbalise their discontent, there is always one voice near the back labelling the day's runners-up a pack of overpaid apes.

Ruck and Maul: King's in line to join the house of Lancaster after Farrell stays put

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Thursday's announcement by Saracens that head coach Andy Farrell would be staying with the club rather than joining England fitted the former Wigan rugby leaguer's words at Twickenham immediately after last month's match against Ireland at the conclusion of his temporary secondment to the national side.

Where did it all go right for Chris Robshaw?

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Conor O'Shea has covered a good deal of ground over the last eight months in managing Harlequins to top-of-the-bill status in the Premiership and acting as kingmaker at international level by backing Stuart Lancaster's candidacy for the England coaching job, but perhaps his most impressive achievement was winning a small battle with Chris Robshaw a little over a week ago – something no one else has managed this season. The red-rose captain wanted to participate in the European Challenge Cup semi-final against Toulon in the south of France, despite a minor leg injury; his boss did not want him doing anything of the sort and dug in his heels. "It can be pretty hard, stopping Chris playing a game of rugby," O'Shea said with a smile.

Brian Ashton: I applaud Farrell's decision... now they should go for Smith

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It takes a brave man – certainly a mature one – to turn down the chance of coaching England with a home World Cup on the distant horizon. As I know Andy Farrell to be both brave and mature, I cannot say I'm completely surprised by his decision to stay with Saracens for the foreseeable future. In fact, I think that he's probably made a wise choice. Andy will be missed in the England camp, for his contribution throughout the Six Nations was extremely positive, but I understand his reasons for passing up the opportunity to continue his work with the national team.

Warren Gatland injured in ladder fall

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:45:39 +0100

Wales coach Warren Gatland broke bones in both his feet in a fall from a ladder in New Zealand.

Heart issue forces Wales hooker Burns to retire

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The Wales and Newport Gwent Dragons hooker Lloyd Burns has had to retire from rugby because of a neck injury and faces the prospect of heart surgery. Medical tests have revealed Burns has damaged his aorta.

Stephen Jones and Ashley Johnson join Wasps

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:42:12 +0100

Wasps have completed the signings of Wales fly-half Stephen Jones and South Africa number eight Ashley Johnson for next season, despite being in a perilous financial position.

Scrum in the sun in Sardinia

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Will Greenwood looked down from his considerable height at a little chap called Max who, in the middle of a session on kicking the rugby ball, was ambling off the training pitch without permission. "Where are you going?" asked Greenwood, mock-sternly. "I'm going to get a drink," trilled Max, matter-of-factly.

David Flatman: Some role models fall short – why does it make us angry?

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

A year or so ago, I wrote a column about Gavin Henson. To be honest, I wanted to write it as I felt strongly that this was a fragile bloke in need of something other than another inky hammering. In summarising my thoughts I suggested that his legacy would be one of a flower among house bricks; a beautiful athlete who made those around him – at whatever level – look as cumbersome as he was accelerative.

Ruck and Maul: Bristol could be in fashion as Welsh look for Old Deer status

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The break from Championship fixtures for the semi-finals of the British & Irish Cup – Cross Keys beat Cornish Pirates 20-16 yesterday and will meet Munster A in the final – allows a drawing of breath before the annual "will they, won't they" saga of the play-offs, won last season by Worcester.

Flying Dutchman who makes Edinburgh rock

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Not too many people were taking notice when Tim Visser first stepped on to the top-flight rugby union stage. It was on a Friday night in September 2006 and all eyes were on Newcastle Falcons' ill-starred fly-half as he lay stricken by his latest injury blow on the Kingston Park pitch.

Brian Ashton: Retaining the ball, not wasting space, is the way to freeze out rivals

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

They say lightning never strikes twice in the same place. Don't believe a word of it, for it does in the Ashton household. Having found myself being touted, to my considerable mystification, as a potential candidate for the England interim head coach position ahead of the Six Nations, I was interested to read this week that, once again, I was being lined up for a return to the national fold, either as attack coach or midweek coach on the summer tour of South Africa.

Henson's career looks over after Blues sacking

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

"I'm not getting any younger, I'm playing for a contract ... this is it, really." So said the much travelled, much troubled Gavin Henson before his debut for Cardiff Blues in late December and as the Blues must now be added to his long list of former clubs, that may very well be that. The celebrity centre was sacked yesterday after a heavily publicised night on the sauce in Glasgow, followed by some drunken antics with some ice cubes on the flight home. Unfortunately for him, his apology cut no ice with his employers.

Henson apologises for drunken behaviour on flight

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Gavin Henson has apologised for his "inexcusable", alcohol-fuelled behaviour during a flight on the morning after the Cardiff Blues' game against Glasgow Warriors. The Blues have suspended the player pending "discussions" on what action they may take.

Ruck and Maul: Could Wasps find a new home in groundshare with the Bees?

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

London Wasps host Gloucester today with a win imperative, after bottom club Newcastle beat Sale on Friday.

David Flatman: Lancaster is the analogue man in a digital world – and I like it that way

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

After what seems like an age, English rugby can breathe a quick sigh of relief and start getting on with it. Stuart Lancaster, the man dropped in to keep a big seat warm for a big name, somehow managed in no time to rebrand, restructure and rejuvenate the national team and has now become a big name himself. Good on him.

Brian Ashton: Coach should be English, and Stuart Lancaster is correct choice

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0100

In applauding Stuart Lancaster's appointment as England head coach through to the next World Cup and a few weeks beyond – and yes, I believe the Rugby Football Union's choice to be a positive one – I'd like to make a couple of broader points. Firstly, I find it reassuring that we have an Englishman in charge of the team. I'm not arguing that nationality alone should be the deal-breaker on these occasions, but it's good to see some renewed faith in our coach education system. Stuart is a product of that system and I hope it will go from strength to strength now the powers-that-be have backed it with this decision.

Saints ready to appeal Calum Clark's 32-week ban

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Northampton are considering an appeal against the 32-week suspension imposed on their England squad flanker Calum Clark, the player responsible for leaving the Leicester hooker Rob Hawkins with a broken elbow following an unpleasant incident during the Anglo-Welsh Cup final at Worcester a fortnight ago.

James Lawton: Stop worrying. Lancaster has earned himself a shot at title

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0100

So now, naturally, English rugby union agonises over whether Stuart Lancaster should have been thanked, patted on his head and sent on his way with his pail of water and cleaning utensils.

In pictures: The games that earned Stuart Lancaster the England job

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:04:23 +0100

Stuart Lancaster has been appointed as England head coach after a successful RBS 6 Nations campaign.

Five challenges facing England coach Stuart Lancaster

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:57:30 +0100

Stuart Lancaster has finally been able to drop the interim tag after being officially appointed as England's head coach.

Stuart Lancaster: Factfile

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:46:49 +0100

Stuart Lancaster is to be named as the new England coach. We take a closer look at Martin Johnson's replacement.

David Flatman: Yes it's tough on the pitch but it will be much harder off it

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

There must something in the water in Bath; everyone seems to be retiring. First Lewis Moody calls time ona quite stunning career, then club stalwart Andy Beattie does the same. But these announcements seem to have become so regular nowadays that in truth they tend to be old news before the ink has dried.

Ruck and Maul: Gomarsall says RFU want Woodward back to oversee head coach Lancaster

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The former England scrum-half Andy Gomarsall has mixed singing with soothsaying on this Sport Relief weekend, predicting the return of Sir Clive Woodward to the Rugby Football Union after this summer's Olympic Games.

Alun Wyn Jones: laying down the law

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Strictly speaking, the team list for last weekend's Grand Slam game between Wales and France should have referred to Alun Wyn Jones LLB. "No one ever puts that in the programme, not that I've ever made a point of asking," says the Lions lock after dragging himself away from the familiar comfort of a crummy old sofa at the Ospreys training ground in Llandarcy. "It took me five years to finish that law degree, thanks to rugby. Will I put it to use when I retire? Dunno, really. I might go into conveyancing, or maybe probate: land and death are two things that will always be with us. There again, I might do something else. The law's an ass."

England reject Care faces sexual assault allegation

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Danny Care, the troubled Harlequins scrum-half jettisoned by England after committing two alcohol-related offences either side of Christmas and who was cautioned for being drunk and disorderly after a further incident earlier this month, has been questioned by officers from the West Yorkshire force investigating an allegation of sexual assault on a woman in Leeds. It emerged yesterday that Care is on police bail pending further inquiries.

Brian Ashton: Wales must add grand ambition to Grand Slam

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

My congratulations go to the Wales coach, Warren Gatland, his management team and the men of the valleys on recording another Grand Slam: no mean achievement whatever the circumstances and one that will give them real confidence for their trip to Australia in the summer. Gatland's laudable and entirely logical stated aim at this stage is to start winning games against the big three nations south of the Equator – something that has proved, and continues to prove, elusive.

Danny Care questioned on assault

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:47:45 +0000

England scrum-half Danny Care has been questioned about an alleged sex assault on a woman.

Rob Brydon: Federer said no... so I had to ask Jonathan Davies

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:30:01 +0000

I was never especially keen on rugby as a child growing up during the 1970s in Port Talbot. It was a golden period for the Welsh team and I went to my share of matches but that was where it stopped. On the playing field at school I stayed as far away from the ball as possible, terrified of the studs on the boots of the other players who seemed and undoubtedly were bigger than me. It's only in the last 10 years that I've developed an interest in and perhaps even a love of the game. An ideal Saturday afternoon is now spent on the sofa watching the BBC's coverage of the Six Nations, my favourite element being Jonathan Davies.

Biting charge for Hartley puts England tour place in jeopardy

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Dylan Hartley, the England hooker who re-established himself as a front-runner for British and Irish Lions duty in Australia next year with a strong showing in the Six Nations, will discover early next week if his impressive work over the last couple of months amounts to nothing.

Lewis Moody: Farrell proves if you are good enough, you are old enough

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The most exciting aspect of the 2012 Six Nations was the emergence of so much new talent. So much for all those voices of doom warning us that with all the overseas players flooding our Leagues the next generation would find it impossible to materialise.

Dan Lydiate wins Six Nations award

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:27:03 +0000

Flanker Dan Lydiate has been named RBS 6 Nations Player of the Championship for 2012 after his outstanding displays in Wales' Grand Slam triumph.

Six Nations: Team of the tournament

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:30:58 +0000

The Independent's rugby correspondent Chris Hewett picks his team of this year's Six Nations.

Grand Slam winner on £5,000 - and that's a year

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Not since the amateur days has a Grand Slam match-winner boasted such a meagre salary. In a revelation which should stun all of football's young multi-millionaires, Alex Cuthbert, Wales's try-scorer, is on £5,000 with his club. That's £5,000 a year, not a week.

James Lawton: Merv the Swerve's legacy appears safe in the hands of Lydiate and Halfpenny

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The Welsh Grand Slammers may not have turned the valley skies into the most luxuriant crimson but who could not be warmed by the glow of their achievement, by that sense that they had been faithful to the ultimate demand made by all true professionals?

Five reasons why an ailing red rose is flourishing again

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

1 Three into one works better than the power of four

David Flatman: Lancaster worked his way to the top, now leave him there

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The RFU must confirm Stuart Lancaster as England head coach. Yes, I know, I have played under him before but I am not going to get picked now, no matter what I say, so at least I can write what I want.

Ruck and Maul: Memorial Stadium a fitting stage for Welsh after loss of Merv the Swerve

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

London Welsh's first match after the death of their great former No 8 Mervyn Davies will be at Bristol's Memorial Stadium this afternoon. Davies won his first 19 Wales caps while playing for the Exiles, whom he joined when he was a PE teacher in Surrey in 1968, and the second 19 with his home-town side, Swansea.

England v Ireland player ratings

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:51:17 +0000

Following the contest between England and Ireland we take a look at how the individual players performed.

Brian Ashton: Glimpses of an attacking revolution bode well for the future

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The Six Nations Championship, which draws to a close today, may not have provided us with a consistent level of entertainment over the last month and a half, but it has certainly produced an intriguing last round in which each game has meaning, the precise significance of which depends on your nationality. The rugby has at times been both dramatic and controversial, especially the two last-minute climaxes involving Wales – the first in Dublin, the second at Twickenham – but it would be stretching a point to suggest that this has been a great tournament.

Wales' 1976 Grand Slam captain Mervyn Davies dies

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:50:57 +0000

Wales' 1976 Grand Slam captain Mervyn Davies has died, the Welsh Rugby Union said today. He was 65.

Lewis Moody: Gatland's Wales are good enough to take on the southern giants

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Wales should, and I think will, win their third Grand Slam in eight years. By any token it would be an incredible feat and one I'm sure will be appropriately celebrated on Saturday evening.

Tom Rees forced to retire due to knee injury

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:47:42 +0000

England flanker Tom Rees was today forced to concede defeat in his long battle with injury after retiring with immediate effect on medical advice.

James Lawton: Is Lancaster really too raw for the RFU after all this?

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

We keep being told Stuart Lancaster is too raw, too inexperienced to take the England he has picked up from – well, you might say the gutter – on to the big stage of World Cups and the potentially devouring challenges that beckon in the southern hemisphere.

France v England player ratings

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:25:18 +0000

Following the contest between France and England we take a look at how the individual players performed.

David Flatman: French flair is just a fluke – give me the scrummaging

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Ijust love watching French rugby. I am still unsure what it is that keeps me so enthralled but for as long as I can remember they have remained the world's most enigmatic rugby nation.

Ruck and Maul: Henry will be busy educating the English – but not England

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Sir Graham Henry will be welcomed with open arms by the Rugby Football Union when he gives a series of coaching masterclasses on a visit to England in May.

Brian Ashton: 'Must win' can turn into quickest way to defeat

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Fantastic news for England supporters: Superman is to be appointed the new full-time England coach! My inside information was garnered from a close acquaintance with whom I spent last Saturday afternoon – someone with a good deal of knowledge on the subject of John Kirwan and his absence from the shortlist of candidates for the big job. We discussed at some length the Rugby Football Union's phone call to Kirwan, apparently telling him he lacked sufficient international experience. Three World Cups as a coach, a World Cup winner's medal as a player, 60-odd Test caps for the All Blacks – if this counts for nothing, who, apart from Superman, has the necessary credentials?

James Lawton: Lancaster needs spirit of Skinner to stop RFU selecting 'dream ticket'

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The debate surrounding England's interim coach, Stuart Lancaster, at the Stade de France tomorrow would have been quite unthinkable at the old skirmishing site of Parc des Princes, 20-odd years ago.

Lewis Moody: It is now down to the team to keep Lancaster at the top

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

So Stuart Lancaster needs a win in the next two games to boost his chances of landing the England job on a permanent basis. It shouldn't be like this, but unfortunately it is. And the players will sense the urgency and know what is required.

Lewis Moody: Flanker to try his hand at coaching after body says enough is enough

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Rugby union has lost Lewis Moody as a player but the game will be glad to learn that it may not have lost the man they call "Mad Dog" altogether. As he sets out on a life which for the first time since he was five years old will not involve putting his head where many devils would fear to tread, the former England captain revealed he is set to try his hand at coaching.

France v Ireland player ratings

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:21:28 +0000

Following the 17-17 draw between France and Ireland we take a look at how the individual players performed.

Rugby star Max Evans cleared of club attack

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:18:22 +0000

Scotland rugby international Max Evans was back at training today after being cleared of assaulting a man at a nightclub.

France v Ireland player ratings

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:03:52 +0000

Following the contest between France and Ireland we take a look at how the individual players performed.

Do you agree with our ratings? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

David Flatman: Welcome back, Danny boy wonder – now get your head down and play

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

We have a remarkable habit in this country, whether we like it or not, for building up young rugby players before they are quite in a position to live up to their assumed hype. As a rookie dipping his chubby toe into the rough and unforgiving waters of rugby writing, I am as guilty as the next key-tapper. Only last week I was calling Owen Farrell's performance "stunning"; I appear to have been caught up in it all.

Ruck and Maul: Walsh explains advantage law in light of Anglo-Welsh furore

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Steve Walsh, the referee for last weekend's England v Wales match at Twickenham, has rejected claims that he ought to have come back for a penalty – or forgot to do so – when he played advantage to England in the move that led to Dave Strettle's unsuccessful dive for a try in added time.

Brian Ashton: The Farrells can unlock England's imagination

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

I listened to my head rather than my heart last weekend and just about made the right call as Wales scrambled to a gutsy, gritty Six Nations victory over England. It was a mighty close-run thing, but the key element was the Welsh ability to control the ball – and therefore the game – for long stretches of the second half, most importantly when their outside-half Rhys Priestland was in the sin bin. All in all, it was another sign of their growing maturity as a group.

French clubs rule the roost, says Steve Meehan

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

If England have managed only two chargedown tries in four hours of Six Nations rugby, neither of them likely to be remembered for longer than half a minute, it is entirely in keeping with the spirit of an age in which the rugby played by the vast majority of Premiership clubs is about as thrilling and thought-provoking as a plate of boiled cabbage. Under the circumstances, it is tempting to ask where the most imaginative attacking coach of recent seasons might be these days. The answer? Back home in Australia, studying for a degree in psychology and awaiting another shot at the big time.

RFU announce new England kit deal

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:55:50 +0000

The Rugby Football Union today announced that Canterbury will replace Nike as England's kit manufacturer for the next four years.

Lewis Moody: If it ain't broke, don't fix it - Lancaster must get the job

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

If last Saturday showed anything it is that Stuart Lancaster and his coaching team are on the right lines. So why are some people still calling for a big name to take over England? To me it would be change for change's sake and would seem so pointless.

Pretender Farrell can't be judged by Jonny's long reign

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

It is human nature to wonder whether Owen Farrell may be the new Jonny Wilkinson. We do the same in whatever our own walk of life. "Hmm, this new boss doesn't stand me a pint like the old bloke" or "Blimey, that's his fifth email this morning". Comparisons are inevitable but they can be too rushed and too selective. We may as usefully consider in what ways Farrell is not the new Danny Cipriani or Charlie Hodgson or Toby Flood or George Ford. If Farrell is a better bet as the England fly-half than that quartet, that is enough to be getting on with.

Jamie Corrigan: Gatland brings the 70s flair back into fashion

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Contrary to what you may have been led to believe recently, a foreign manager of a British national team doesn't have to be a money-grabbing short-term mercenary with no connection to the land and no pride in the jersey. And, believe it or not, some of them can actually speak pretty good English.

Scotland v France player ratings

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:24:25 +0000

Following the contest between Scotland and France we take a look at how the individual players performed.

David Flatman: Lancaster's beaten battalion have team spirit to spare

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Despite being a rather emotional old bear, I have never felt my soul stir at the use of purportedly evocative buzzwords. "Passion" is a word that is often uttered on days like yesterday and while I recognise its presence it has, for me, always looked like a sensation that disappears with fatigue. "Playing for the badge", too, has become a somewhat diluted concept since squads went global and residencies became blurred.

Ruck and Maul: Documentary fans flames over prices on ticketing website

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Thursday's Channel 4 documentary concerning so-called "fan-to-fan" ticket resellers presented a compelling case that organised groups and purchasers on the make – rather than inconvenienced individuals who had paid for events they subsequently found they couldn't attend – are making a fortune buying and selling tickets to our most popular sporting events.

England v Wales player ratings

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:17:01 +0000

Following the contest between England and Wales we take a look at how the individual players performed.

Ireland v Italy player ratings

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:33:39 +0000

Following the contest between Ireland and Italy we take a look at how the individual players performed.

Brian Ashton: The game will be won or lost on decision-making

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The country is full of rugby supporters who think they know how the changes to the England team for this afternoon's fascinating Six Nations meeting with Wales at Twickenham will affect the contest, but the truth of the matter is that no one knows anything ahead of kick-off.

Lewis Moody: My five ways England can bring down the red curtain

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Realism has been the order of the day for England's Six Nations campaign so far and so it must continue on Saturday, regardless of this being the first game at Twickenham, or the fact that the visitors are Wales. In all the emotion, we must keep in mind where this England side are and where we hope they are going.

David Flatman: OK, no Grewcocks. But don't write off this relentless pack

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

With every win comes increased expectation. Of course, Stuart Lancaster and his England players would rather have it this way than the other, but that initial excitement we felt at what was still an unknown is receding and this group of youngsters are becoming a proper international team. And, inevitably, they are beginning to shoulder the angst and pressure that come with this newly forged status.

Ruck and Maul: Cold calculations in Paris as the French face a pay freeze

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

With fingers of blame pointing back and forth between Ireland and France after last weekend's last-minute postponement at a frozen Stade de France, figures obtained by Ruck and Maul show an estimated €14 million changed hands over the Six Nations match that never was.