Latest news with #OllieHassellCollins
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Gabriel Ibitoye is the most divisive player in English rugby
Whether you are staring at his entrancing footwork or examining his mind-bending statistics, you can quickly start to feel dizzy around Gabriel Ibitoye. At the end of the regular season, the Bristol Bears winger finished as the Gallagher's Premiership joint top try scorer with Ollie Hassell-Collins, having played fewer games. Among English wings, he finished top for carries (152), break assists (11), metres gained (1179), offloads (25) and passes (117) – the latter three categories by massive margins. Extrapolate that across the United Rugby Championship and Top 14 and no other wing in Europe scores more tries, gains more metres, passes more frequently or carries more on a per-80 minute basis than Ibitoye, according to statistics provided by Opta. Even Bordeaux sensation Louis Bielle-Biarrey does not match his strike rate of more than a try a game. And yet the 27-year-old remains uncapped by England and did not even feature in head coach Steve Borthwick's most recent training squad, which did not include any Lions, Bath or Northampton players. Certainly with the likes of Tommy Freeman, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tom Roebuck, England are well stocked in the wing department, but Ibitoye's combination of devastating footwork and freakish handling skills seem born from a different planet. A classic @BristolBears counter attack is finished in style by Kalaveti Ravouvou after the Gabriel Ibitoye basketball pass ⚡️ #GallagherPrem #BRIvLEI — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) April 20, 2025 "That footwork is filth"! 🔥 Ibitoye has his second! #GallagherPrem | #EXEvBRI — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) October 12, 2024 It is hard to escape the feeling that there's a peculiar English mistrust of those who possess a startling point of difference over more well-rounded alternatives, a sentiment shared by Pat Lam, the Bears director of rugby. 'I honestly believe he would be an All Black if he was born there, I really do,' Lam told Telegraph Sport. 'I know Scott Robertson well and if he was a Kiwi he would be an All Black and thriving at that.' 😱 Oh my Bristol Bears!! 👏 The passage of play that had it all! Coast to coast, out-the-back passes and the captains hat-trick! #BRIvSAR | #GallagherPrem | @BristolBears — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) October 19, 2024 Beyond reference to the 'competitive arena' in the wide positions, Borthwick has not directly referenced why he has overlooked Ibitoye. Others have taken up that mantle on his behalf, referencing Ibitoye's defence, high-ball work and perceived work-rate. There are few more divisive players in the Premiership on social media. Lam is keen to address what he calls some 'lazy narratives' that have sprung up around Ibitoye, authorising Bristol's strength and conditioning team to release the metrics they keep on players' work-rate in games. On average, Ibitoye will record up to 1,200 metres of high speed running, which is defined as 19km/h in an average game – more than a Bronco Test and more than 400m of very high-speed running, defined as 25.2 km/h; this would be the equivalent of running a 5km race in 11min 54sec. Ibitoye will also record 23 repeat-effort bouts which consist of three individual efforts separated by 20 seconds or less. 'Sometimes with the guys who are different you find that they don't work but honestly his work-rate is so high,' Lam said. His other standout quality, according to Lam, is his game intelligence and being able to anticipate how play will develop. 'It is not an accident that he ends up in the right places,' Lam said. 'When you understand the game, you're one step ahead so then you can get to those positions really quickly.' As an example, Lam highlights Ibitoye's try against Harlequins at the Stoop earlier this season (see 1m 33sec into video below). By his standards, it was a fairly routine affair, taking Kieran Marmion's pass and running 40 metres untouched, but the simplicity of the finish belies the anticipation of where the space would be. 'He came from the other wing on that score because he could see that the D was coming up on the edge and he started to wander down the front line and then he saw there was no one down the short side,' Lam said. 'We have a call for it and he said that to Kieran and then, bang, he was able to give the dummy. He knew that Gabs was there without looking. Gabs changed his angle as well to get the run-in. That's an example of his ability to know what is going to happen next and put himself in a position to do it.' Lam does not pretend that Ibitoye is the complete package. He would not match the high-ball work of either Freeman or Roebuck. Defensively, he can occasionally look vulnerable, but Lam believes that Ibitoye's failings are put under a greater microscope than his rivals. 'He has made mistakes,' Lam said. 'I have seen all those England wingers miss tackles but when they miss tackles no one talks about it. When he misses a tackle, everyone focuses on that rather than the eight or nine that he makes. Same with his high-ball work. You can set the narrative to anything you want if you go searching for examples.' After being named in the Premiership's team of the season, Ibitoye will have a further opportunity to put his name in lights in Friday's Premiership semi-final against Bath at the Rec. Lam believes that should Ibitoye carry over his form into next season then Borthwick would have no choice but to pick him. 'There's no doubt when Steve came in with the England team a couple of years ago that he would have struggled in the way they were playing,' Lam said. 'But the England team now, with the way they have evolved, the generation that are coming through now and the desire to attack, he would really thrive with that. 'There's so many good players, but Gabs is something that is slightly different to everyone else. Someone like Tommy Freeman is a class player, but you need a complement to him. Tommy does the basics really well. He might not have the skill-set that Gabs has but he has the basics of chase hard, get up quickly, he's strong, he's powerful, he's tall. If those two played together you would have a great complement.'
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Joe Cokanasiga and Ollie Hassell-Collins both to score a try today NOW 10/3 - as Bath and Leicester meet in a top of the table clash in the Gallagher Premiership
There are three Price Boosts available for today's blockbuster top of the table clash in the Gallagher Premiership - as league leaders Bath host second-placed side Leicester. The first boost - which is valued at 6/4 - requires both teams to score 20+ points each and Bath to win. Bath got the better of Leicester in the reverse fixture in September - with the Blue, Black and Whites winning by five points away from home. Meanwhile, the other two boosts need Joe Cokanasiga and Ollie Hassell-Collins both to score a try, and each team to score 2+ tries in each half. The odds for those two bets have been enhanced to 10/3 and 11/2 respectively. Cokanasiga and Hassell-Collins have combined to score 27 tries across all competitions to date this season. Sky Bet Price Boosts for Bath vs Leicester: Both teams to score 20+ points each and Bath to win WAS 5/4 NOW 6/4 Joe Cokanasiga and Ollie Hassell-Collins both to score a try WAS 11/4 NOW 10/3 Each team to score 2+ tries in each half WAS 9/2 NOW 11/2
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Leicester Tigers storm back to beat Sale Sharks in thriller
In so many ways, this season has been a shambles for Leicester who still do not know who is going to be their head coach or fly half next season. And yet here are Michael Cheika's side on track for a home semi-final after a pair of second-half tries from both Ollie Hassell-Collins and Emeka Ilione helped down play-off rivals Sale Sharks. On the back foot for much of the game, Leicester relied on their traditional strengths of a resolute set piece and a partisan home backing to roar back from a ten-point half time deficit. These came together in beautiful if brutal harmony for replacement Ilione to be driven over for two tries in the final eight minutes. At the heart of that effort was Leicester's Lion Ollie Chessum, who had a monstrous game at the heart of a dominant Leicester set piece. Having wrapped up an attacking bonus point by half time, Sale boss Alex Sanderson will be furious at how they let the game slip through a combination of a wobbly lineout and some really lax discipline. Alex Sanderson's team committed 18 turnovers and conceded 13 penalties, of which three were kicked by Handre Pollard, with referee Matt Carley twice marching them back ten metres for dissent and Jonny Hill being sin-binned at the death. A path to the play-offs still remains for Sale but their hopes of a home play-off may have disappeared as they lost to Leicester for the first time in three years. It overshadowed a masterful performance by fly-half George Ford, who was overlooked in the Lions squad selection this week, who had a direct hand in three of Sale's five tries, including a rarely seen show-and-go to create a score for winger Arron Reed. There was also a scare for Lions head coach Andy Farrell as Sale flanker Tom Curry went off in the first half with an apparent hamstring injury. This is not a welcome sight 😬 British & Irish Lions call-up Tom Curry has left the pitch early tonight. Hopefully the decision is only a precautionary move 🤞 #GallagherPrem | #LEIvSAL — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) May 9, 2025 Sale had spoken all week about making a fast start and they duly did by scoring a try within two minutes. A scrum penalty allowed Ford to kick to the corner and some backs reinforcements gave the maul the impetus for Cowan-Dickie to be pushed over, although the Lions hooker seemed to hurt himself in the process. With the stakes so high, it was no surprise that Leicester hit back straight away. A good charge by Ollie Chessum laid the platform and then some beautiful hands from Joseph Woodward and Handre Pollard put the red-hot Radwan over. Pollard converted and added a penalty from a scrum to give Leicester a 10-5 lead. While a touch loose with their discipline, Sale were razor sharp in attack and their second try was a beautiful bit of midfield play. Rob Du Preez timed his pass perfectly for centre partner Rekeiti Ma'asi-White who cut a devastating line that left full-back Freddie Steward clutching thin air. Leicester regained the lead with a pair of Pollard penalties before Ford showed exactly why he was robbed of a place in the Lions touring party in creating a try for Reed. After Pollard kicked Leicester to within three points, Ford showcased another side to his game with a monster penalty to within ten metres of the Leicester tryline right on half-time. Rather than go for the maul again, Sale opted to use their heavy artillery before Ford put Du Preez under the posts. Right from the restart 🤯 Robert du Preez has a second of the night to keep Sale Sharks right in it 👊 #GallagherPrem | #LEIvSAL — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) May 9, 2025 Sale dominated the opening to the second half but then Pollard suddenly produced a brilliant kick pass to set Hassell-Collins free down the right-hand touchline. He finished superbly with a little stutter step to go past Ford in the corner. Pollard's penalty brought Leicester back to within three points. After Ford was charged down, Cowan-Dickie decided to throw over the top five metres from his own tryline, only for Ben Curry to knock the ball on and Hassell-Collins stepped inside two defenders to have a clear run under the posts. A Ford penalty brought Sale back to 30-29. But then came Leicester's party piece – the close-range maul with Ilione twice dotting down either side of a Rob Du Preez try from another Ford assist in a grandstand finish at Welford Road. Comeback complete ✅ #GallagherPrem table 👏 Look at what it means. — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) May 9, 2025
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Second-half fightback gives Leicester win over Sale
Gallagher Premiership, Welford RoadLeicester (16) 44Tries: Radwan, Hassell-Collins 2, Ilione 2 Cons: Pollard 5 Pens: Pollard (3)Sale (26) 34Tries: Cowan-Dickie, Ma'asi-White, Reed, R du Preez (2) Cons: Ford (3) Pens: Ford Leicester Tigers scored four second-half tries to come from behind and beat Sale Sharks for a crucial win in the race for the Premiership Radwan scored Tigers' first try but Sale had control at the break after Luke Cowan-Dickie, Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, Arron Reed and Rob du Preez earned them an early bonus point and a 26-16 half-time responded quickly after the interval with two tries from winger Ollie Hassell-Collins, and when replacement back-row Emeka Ilione added their fourth try the game looked du Preez immediately scored his second try to bring the visitors back to 37-34 but with the final play of the game Ilione was driven over to deny Sale a losing bonus to follow. Leicester: Steward; Radwan, Kata, Woodward, Hassell-Collins; Pollard, van Poortvliet; Smith, Montoya (c), Heyes, Henderson, Chessum, Liebenberg, Reffell, Clare, Cronin, Cole, Rogerson, Ilione, Youngs, Shillcock, Carpenter; Roebuck, Rob du Preez (c), Ma'asi-White, Reed; Ford, Warr; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Bamber, Hill, van Rhyn, T Curry, JL du McElroy, McIntyre, John, Andrews, B Curry, D du Preez, Quirke, O' Hill (79).Referee: Matthew Carley.
Times
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Leicester and Sale set for meaty clash while Cardiff hosts Bristol v Bath
Friday, 7.45pm TNT Sports 1 No bread, no water, just meat. This will be like putting an MMA fight in a butcher shop and arming the fighters with fireworks: big meaty men just out to be explosive with their feet and in collisions. Only Bath (24) have gained more points than Tigers (18) and Sharks (19) over the past five matches. Leicester have won three of their past four and absolutely pulverised Harlequins at Welford Road in their previous outing. In fact, they played how this guy looks. Hard bastard. You would not know it, but Tigers fans were delighted by beating Harlequins GETTY Away from being nails, it was a great day for top Premiership wings who do not get international recognition. Ollie Hassell-Collins kept himself towards the top of the tryscoring charts with a lovely double, while
