Quins sign Scotland lock McIntosh from Saracens
Harlequins have signed Saracens' Scotland lock Fi McIntosh for the 2025-26 Premiership Women's Rugby season.The 25-year-old played 50 times for Saracens and started their 2022 Premier 15s final win over Exeter. She made her Scotland debut against England in April last year."Fi is a player with plenty of experience at the highest level. She is a shrewd operator at the line-out and brings real expertise in that area of the game," head coach Ross Chisholm told the club website. "She is a player with international experience and leadership qualities from her time with Saracens. I'm excited to see what she can do in a Quins shirt."
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The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘I've got nothing to prove': George Ford on inspiring Sale and why 99 England caps are not enough
Should Leicester fail to reach this year's Premiership final they will have been floored by a familiar foe. George Ford spent two spells totalling nine years at Welford Road and made his Tigers first-team debut as a 16-year-old. It says everything about his enduring desire and dedication that, aged 32 and clad in the blue of Sale Sharks, his tactical decision-making grows sharper by the year. Whether he is kicking teams to death or slicing them apart with his deft short passing game, the GF menu of fly-half skills remains rich and varied. His fellow squad members all regard him as a coach in waiting, so good is he at steering them around the field and managing pressure situations. When Michael Cheika, Leicester's head coach, expressed bafflement at Ford's omission from this year's British and Irish Lions squad, he was by no means alone. The only missing elements, arguably, have been more end-of-season trophies and greater public appreciation. Having been named world junior player of the year in 2011, Ford has subsequently had to jostle with the ultra-competitive Owen Farrell, the mercurial Marcus Smith and, latterly, the fast-rising Fin Smith. If the coming weeks yield a century of England caps – he is on 99 – and a first Premiership title for Sale since 2006 it would be due reward for his playmaking and perseverance. Sitting in a London hotel lobby, all dressed up for this week's Premiership awards, what comes across is his absolute determination to keep pushing himself. In theory it would be easy to nudge a single in Argentina next month, raise his bat and retreat to his northern pavilion to spend more time with his young family. In reality the cricketing metaphor doesn't really fit – 'I've never got to 99. Maybe nine trying to get to 10 …' – and there is still fire in his trim, tuxedo-ed belly. Not for him, for example, a lucrative ticket to some over-hyped breakaway league that would prevent him from representing his country. Ford, a strong candidate to skipper England against the Pumas in the absence of Maro Itoje et al, is still driven by more traditional ambitions. 'For me the most privileged thing, the biggest honour, is playing for England. It always has been ever since I was a kid. I don't think anything would make that change. 'You just can't replicate the feeling. You're representing your country in the biggest Test matches with the best players, in front of your family who've made a lot of sacrifices to help you get there. When you add all that into the mix that's the ultimate.' While he would love to see Owen Farrell return to the Premiership – 'To have him back would be great, wouldn't it? Any league Owen Farrell is playing in can only benefit' – relocating to French club rugby was never his personal preference. 'We know as players that if you don't play in England you can't play for England. To make that call, it's got to be a good reason. If you still think you are good enough and then to call your own time on that ... yeah, it would be significant.' Also catapulting him from his bed every morning is the shared bond of the collective. While he likes the idea of fly-halves maturing like a fine wine – 'That's a nicer way of putting it than I usually get' – he is much more interested in communal satisfaction than individual glory. 'The game is changing a little but this is the ultimate team game we're playing. I want the team I'm playing in to be successful and to create a memory. That's my biggest motivation. You crave that feeling.' Looking back at his career, it is also possible to detect a hint of unfinished business on the eve of this year's potentially gripping semi-final. Ford may have featured in five previous Premiership finals but three were defeats. Even his two triumphs, both for Leicester, were not exactly from central casting. In 2013 he was a replacement in a final best remembered for Dylan Hartley's red card and in 2022 he departed injured in the first half, leaving Freddie Burns to seize the headlines with his dramatic late drop-goal. Nor has he toured with the Lions, which is why missing out again this time would have stung. Typically, though, he has resisted the temptation 'to have a little sulk' and focused on what he can control. 'It shouldn't really affect the way you are as a person. Even though you're disappointed and gutted it certainly shouldn't change the way you prepare every week and turn up to training. That's what I pride myself on: how consistent I can be whether I get selected or not.' The next eight days could yet offer some solace, particularly if Leicester and their World Cup-winning Springbok pivot Handré Pollard can be overcome. Ford, though, won't be particularly relying on his local east midlands knowledge. 'I suppose it does bring back memories but it's weird. You're that focused on the game you don't take them into consideration that much. It's: 'Right, let's get the job done today'. It's quite a ruthless way of thinking but that's what we need to do.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Experience has also taught him that, on the biggest days, the secret is to stay calm and keep things simple. 'Knockout games are different, aren't they? Everyone knows what's riding on it. But ironically it's not about big things or special things. It's about how consistently well you can do the basics. Good things and special things will then come off that.' There is more to Ford, though, than just an expert tactical brain. His wife, Atdhetare, left war-torn Kosovo as a refugee for a new life in Oldham and the couple now have a 15-month daughter, Alarnia. A visit to his wife's homeland further opened his eyes to life beyond the touchline. 'I went over for the first time last summer and loved it. Their family home is basically just a massive farm – middle of the field, no phone signal, best thing ever. I was even doing a bit of farming. I was like, 'What's going on here?' It couldn't be any further away from rugby.' Coaching, though, will definitely claim him one day – 'I think I'd love it, I just don't want it to be too soon' – as it already has his father, Mike, and brothers Joe and Jacob. 'You can't go to a family event without dissecting a game. My mum hates it.' For the time being, though, there remain on-field targets beyond his impending century. 'It wouldn't be a case of getting to 100 and thinking 'That's it now, I can rest on my laurels'. It would be special and I'd be proud but it wouldn't be me finished. 'I still believe – and I probably won't ever not – that I can still play at the very top level. From a physical and mental point of view I have a massive desire to do that. I've nothing to prove to anyone specifically, it's just about trying to influence the team I'm playing in, whether that's Sale or England.' And if that means disappointing the Tigers' faithful who once roared him on, so be it.
Scotsman
24 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Ex-Hearts boss emerges as next manager contender at rival as McInnes comparison made
A former Hearts player and manager is said to be keen to take charge of Premiership rivals Motherwell. Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Robbie Neilson has reportedly declared his interest in taking charge at Motherwell after the former Hearts manager was described as a potential 'safe as houses' appointment for the Fir Park club. BBC Sport have reported the former Hearts boss is keen to return to the dugout with the Steelmen and have claimed Neilson's CV has been submitted to club chairman Kyrk Macmillan. The 44-year-old has been out of work since leaving USL Championship club Tampa Bay Rowdies in April 2025 but has spoken of his desire to get back into management ahead of the new season. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Motherwell have been without a manager since Michael Wimmer left his position with the Steelmen last month after citing 'family reasons' as the reason for his decision and has now returned to Germany to take charge of third tier club Jahn Regensburg. The BBC report says a three-man sub-committee of Motherwell's executive board 'draw up a shortlist, conduct interviews and make their managerial recommendation'. Chairman Kyrk Macmillan, chief executive Brian Caldwell and digital marketing chief executive Greg Anderson will play integral roles in appointing a successor to Wimmer as they look to improve on last season's eighth place finish. 'They might not be too concerned' Former Falkirk and Dundee striker Rory Loy has told discussed the possibility of Neilson taking charge at Hearts in the near future and believes the appointment would mirror Hearts' decision to appointed Derek McInnes as their new manager. Loy described the situation following Wimmer's departure as 'quite rare' and insisted the Steelmen won't be concerned shunning a 'safe as houses' appointment and 'going a bit more leftfield again' after they appointed ex Austria Wien manager Wimmer earlier this year. "You look at Hearts, appointing Derek McInnes is probably as safe as houses in terms of the risk involved," Loy told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "I think Neilson is pretty similar for Motherwell. I don't like the cliches of 'he knows the league' and 'he knows the players', but it is relevant to an extent. And one thing he has had is success. Whether Hearts fans enjoyed how he played or his personality or how he came across, he had a level of success where they were consistently finishing in good positions in the league. The difference is, and it's quite rare, Wimmer wasn't actually sacked. Motherwell maybe like what they did and could see where it was going, so they might not be too concerned about going a bit more leftfield again." Your next football read: Scotland team v Iceland: Steve Clarke to give players a chance in predicted line-up for Hampden friendly
BBC News
38 minutes ago
- BBC News
Who is the most important person at a football club?
Until not so long ago, that might usually have felt like a pointless appointed, the manager was assumed to have command - within the parameters, financial or otherwise, set by his employers, anyway. The manager set the tactical policies, enforced discipline, selected or at least had right of veto over new signings, and everyone on the football side of the club was therefore theoretically working to their was the manager's way, or no way, until the day the board called their game moved on, at least at the higher levels. Perhaps the football department of a Premier League club is now just too big for one man to manage it all. For a while, replacing "manager" on the office door with "head coach" might have felt like an affectation, but now the head coach position often appears one of a suite of job titles given equal billing on a club's organisational the head coach is the only one required to front up in public on a regular basis to account for his club's form, when they speak you can get a feeling about whether their stock is rising or falling internally. This may not indicate internal conflict. But it often indicates the degree of influence the head coach is about to hiring him to rescue the team from a perilous situation last December, it now seems that Wolves are ready to line up behind Vitor Pereira, making him first-among-equals on the football side, just as Nuno undoubtedly was when Wolves first drafted him in eight years suggestion that the new technical director - not sporting director, spot the difference - will be a colleague of Pereira in his most recent job points to reshuffle has left Matt Hobbs without a seat, which could be considered a harsh verdict, depending where you start from. Over the past two years he was, at various times, praised for finding Gary O'Neil and blamed for finding Gary O'Neil. The signings in January that helped Pereira fix their season were on Hobbs' watch, and make for a positive final there were a few moments during his tenure as sporting director when Hobbs was the most important - or at least most influential - person at Wolves. But for now it seems the board have heard the supporters' praise for Pereira, read the room and fallen in behind Wolves updates throughout the summer on BBC Radio WM Sport from 18:00 on weeknights
