Banahan leaves before World Cup as Scotland add two coaches
Assistant coach Matt Banahan has left Scotland two months before the Women's Rugby World Cup. Head coach Bryan Easson admitted he is "disappointed" at the exit of Banahan - who has moved on to another coaching opportunity - but thanked him for "kicking on" the attack team during his tenure.Ross Miller, who worked with the squad during the 2021 World Cup, and Steve Shingler have joined Easson's staff as assistant coaches.Miller most recently led the Scotland men's Under-18 team at the Six Nations and rejoined the women's programme earlier this month.Former Scarlets fly-half Shingler joins on secondment from PWR side Trailfinders, where he has been assistant coach for the past season.Fomer England winger Banahan said he is "incredibly grateful" for his spell with Scotland but said the chance of a new coaching role "closer to home was too good to turn down".Easson said: "This does now present an exciting opportunity to reset and refresh our coaching team."We welcomed Steve into camp during this year's Six Nations and we were really impressed by him then. "We have several players at Trailfinders, including some of our key attacking players, who have a fantastic relationship with him already and know what he's about which will give us a smooth transition."Ross has bedded back in with us really well, we've had a brilliant few weeks as a group with him so far. We've worked together for a long time, and he did a great job with us at the last Rugby World Cup. "I think he's a brilliant addition to the group, he knows the players and the players know him which helps too."
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The Guardian
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- The Guardian
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12 minutes ago
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The Guardian
14 minutes ago
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This being Headingley, so often a scene of the absurd and a ground where the past six Tests have been won by the side bowling first, England will refuse to believe they are snookered. By the same token, sticking a team in under clear skies and seeing them lose only three wickets across three sessions was clearly suboptimal. Both captains wanted to bowl first, however, and the modern way – certainly the Stokes and Brendon McCullum way – is not always to do so with an eye on skittling a side cheaply. Against New Zealand at Trent Bridge three years ago, for example, Stokes inserted, saw the tourists rack up 553, and England won by five wickets. India scored 418 at Edgbaston that same summer after being asked to bat first and lost by seven. Of greater concern was the fact that Stokes was the best of the quicks on show, not simply his figures of two for 43 from 13 overs but by way of obvious threat. Carse flickered at times, even if his solitary removal of KL Rahul before lunch came via a lazy waft, but Tongue was largely scattergun and Woakes found precious little movement. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion If there was one relative success among the frontliners it was probably Shoaib Bashir sending down 21 overs with little assistance from the surface and holding his own. With an economy of 3.1 under the overall run-rate of 4.2, the off-spinner had performed a day one role some thought beyond him. Drift was his friend, even if no chances materialised. It had not taken long for the total at stumps to look possible, India dominating the early exchanges and getting to within touching distance of lunch when Rahul's error on 42 opened up an end. The removal of Sai Sudharsan almost immediately, strangled down leg off Stokes for a four-ball duck on debut, might have appeared a bit fortunate when India walked off at 92 for two but there was clearly a plan behind it. This was pretty much the only one that came off for England, however, Jaiswal and Gill putting on 129 for the third wicket in an afternoon of toil for the bowlers. Had Carse not overstepped, Jaiswal would have been lbw 43 when a yorker hit boot and then bat. And had Ollie Pope hit the stumps with a shy from midwicket, Gill would have been run out for one. Ifs and buts count for little, however, and India have unquestionably arrived.
