Latest news with #SixNations'
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Leinster's Leo Cullen on Sam Prendergast's performance against Scarlets
Leinster boss Leo Cullen was quick to jump to Sam Prendergast's defence following his side's URC quarter-final win over Scarlets. Ireland's Six Nations' out-half has been attracting lots of attention recently and was the subject of stinging criticism about his defence from former Ireland star Shane Horgan in the wake of the Champions Cup semi-final defeat to such as former England out-half Stuart Barnes, praised the Leinster star's ability to attack, to be exciting, and that there was a decade or more of brilliance coming down the the same time and most likely down to that performance against Northampton, Prendergast missed out on Lions squad selection and while Leinster won on Saturday, he was once again down for some flak - and it wasn't about his with his side 15-7 up and three metres from the Scarlets line on the verge of half-time, he fluffed a pass directing it backwards and behind his own defence and from where Scarlets raced down the field and scored. 15-7 became a tricky 15-14.'Sam is a young player and he had some unbelievable moments in the game today and that's not to hype somebody up to the point where we're unrealistic in our expectations," said Cullen."There were probably a couple of penalties there, a number of Scarlet's players offside, no clear release and one of the breakdowns, and then they go the length of the field and score, which is potentially a 14-point swing at half-time.'So you have a young player, just gone 22 recently, and we need to support these guys coming through the system in Leinster, and there's patience and being realistic about what young men can do.'And for us it's just we want to try and nurture talents and most of the guys come through the system here, a few guys add as well, like Jordie Barrett, a big influence, having the likes of RG Snyman coming off the bench. Rabah Slimani, the experience he has as well.'But for the most part it's guys that come through, Academy players that have progressed through the senior team."Still, Leinster had negotiated the hurdle, there was no disastrous Cullen: 'It's great to be still playing knockout rugby at this stage of the season."We've talked about this, it's week by week now. Glasgow and ourselves have had a good look at each other over the last number of weeks, so we know each other pretty well."We will just build a plan now for next week and recover well. We're into June rugby, the season goes on.'The big thing for us is support and genuine excitement. It shouldn't be a drudge, it should be like 'This is amazing, we are in a semi-final, we are getting ready, we are playing the current reigning champions."What we know is that they're kicking the ball quite a bit, even at the end, pinning us back in our end, and I think Glasgow will be doing something similar next week as well."Moreover Glasgow are facing a similar challenge to the one they encountered last season."Last year they won a home quarter-final and came away to Munster to win an away semi-final before they went to South Africa to win an away final.'If you're putting yourself in Glasgow's shoes, what are they like? They're relishing the opportunity to come here but we need to be relishing the opportunity of playing in front of our home fans.'I's great to be in a semi-final again but we take nothing for granted.'We have already lost a semi-final. Everyone was, supporters, staff, trying to look too far ahead so it was a real harsh lesson for us but learning from that and we are excited now.'We know it's going to be hard. We're up against the URC champions who came to Ireland last year to win their semi-final. Hopefully it'll be a great contest."Josh van der Flier is unlikely to make it back for next weekend, there is more likely going to be a precautionary rest not least as Scott Penny did so well when he came Conan and RG Snyman will be ice-packed and stitched up and ready to go, Tadhg Furlong is back training fully while Garry Ringrose may make the picture. Robbie Henshaw is not expected to play again this season but will be moving straight to the Lions in the aftermath. "It looked like it was Josh's hammy," said Cullen of van der Flier's injury, "that's the report, he felt a bit of tightness again, he was struggling to run it off so whether that's back-driven or neuro I don't know."Obviously Scott came in there so the six-two bench worked for us there as Scott was a natural no7 coming off the bench. Scott was good, brought good energy."You are always nervous during the warm up, 'hope one of these backs doesn't go down and cause some complications...".There was also a nod to the attendance, 12,789, which would seem quite low for a URC quarter-final albeit this was a Bank Holiday weekend."Hopefully we have support to come out again in the semi-final and I know we ask a lot of supporters over the course of the season but let's make it a special occasion, a semi-final, let's be better than we were in the last semi-final.'That's our job as coaches, making sure we have a good plan there this week but be genuinely excited by the challenge of it."
Telegraph
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Mike Tindall Q&A: It wasn't Finn Russell's best Six Nations
To mark the end of the 2025 Six Nations, Mike Tindall sat down to answer Telegraph readers' questions. This was the last of our five Q&A sessions with Tindall and James Haskell, the hosts of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast. In previous interviews, James Haskell explained why Jerusalem should not be the national anthem and why the scrum is important in rugby, if only 'for the fat lads'. Mike Tindall previously took questions on Steve Borthwick's need to turn close defeats into victories (which he went on to achieve) and England's frustrating kicking game. 'It wasn't Finn Russell's best Six Nations' Alex Bainbridge asked: Has Finn Russell lost the starting 10 jersey for the Lions due to how many big mistakes he makes? Fin Smith would be a better option. This is the coaches' prerogative now, and they are not just going to be watching internationals. They will be watching what is going on at Bath. As a whole, I would say Scotland haven't performed, but Russell will have a lot of credit in the bank compared to Fin Smith. That is not to say that many would argue if Fin Smith or even Sam Prendergast came in, because I do think there are question marks there and it will be down to how the coaches want to play the game. Finn has made a few key errors and it hasn't been his best Six Nations, but he will carry that credit in the bank. Bath are top of the Premiership and he will still be in the running, as much as I agree that it is a dilemma for Andy Farrell. 'England will be kicking themselves' James Gorick asked: Should England be disappointed that they didn't beat Ireland and win the Six Nations? I think so, when you think about where they were after 50 minutes in Dublin. That's a lesson for them. I've said on our podcast that I don't think Ireland have played as well as people think they have. James Lowe was just unbelievable for them in the first couple of games and Hugo Keenan and Dan Sheehan have impressed at points. I do think England will be kicking themselves, but it is still their best Six Nations performance since winning it in 2020 and it is sometimes good to go away with frustration, so you can use that feeling to get better. I just hope that we've seen the brand of rugby that England want to play in the last two games and they bring that energy and positivity into the bigger games, getting the balance between the controlling side and intent to play when they're under pressure. That is the next question. 'Henry Pollock has been on my radar for years' James Gerada asked: What are your thoughts on Northampton Saints taking over England's back line? How good is Henry Pollock? Henry Pollock, as Jiffy [Jonathan Davies] said at the weekend, was 'the Pollocks'. 'Golden Pollocks'; 'Top Pollocks'; you can play around with his name a fair bit. It was refreshing to see someone come on and enjoy themselves that much. He's been on my radar ever since that interview he gave after a game for England Under-18, which contained some colourful language. That's the next generation and I'm happy to see it. On the backline, as we've seen with Leinster and Ireland, it can make sense to have so many people who are in-tune with one another. But, then again, that made it more weird that Ollie Sleightholme was dropped. And everything still worked, even when Tommy Freeman went down with only George Ford on the bench. It might have been interesting had another couple of calls gone the other way, but England have had enough calls go the wrong way recently that they were due them. 'England have options in the centres' Mike Bell asked: Tommy Freeman looks good at 13. Who should partner him in the centre for England for the 2027 World Cup. Zack Wimbush? Feels like we have been missing a big centre pairing since 2003. I do a Mystic Mike act, but this is pushing the boundaries! It's difficult to predict that. I don't think you'd leave out a fit Ollie Lawrence, because he has been one of England's stand-out players this year and he's young enough to make 2027. You just don't know what will change in that time. It might be that someone comes into the reckoning that we don't know about yet. What I will say is that for the first time in a long time, England were so dominant that it was easier for their centres to get into the game. We haven't seen that for a while. Tommy Freeman fits into that role because he just wants to get into the game. He has genuine pace, power and is a good handler of the ball. There are question marks around where Marcus Smith would fit in. Is there a spot for him at 12? Does he become a super-sub? He's too good a player just for that, I feel. He still beats more defenders than anyone else in that England backline, wherever he plays. When you have that sort of attacking threat, maybe you just have to find a position that he can stick to. What we do know is that Henry Slade is 32 this week and he hasn't had opportunities like in the game at the weekend, where he gets to enjoy himself. Is that the fault of the structure? I would say they had more attacking intent while being dominant in the last two games than they had had for a long time. There is a lot of water to flow under the bridge yet. What I'm happy about is that there are options – Freeman, Slade, Lawrence and Fraser Dingwall, without going to people like Will Butt, who has had a great season for Bath. 'I quite like the idea of 15 on the bench' Steve Davis asked: How about a rule that says the bench is for injury replacement (and HIA and blood bin) but that any player substituted for injury cannot return to the field of play and must be stood down for the next two matches. This is so hard. I would prefer it the other way. I would never want to be in a place where you can't keep it as 15 v 15 on the field because of genuine injuries. At the moment, I have no issue with having rolling subs after extra injuries. I quite like the idea of having 15 on the bench but you are limited by substitutions. But then I wouldn't want a cap of, say, four replacements to stop it being 15 v 15. The downside is that you would get people faking injury… if someone started that, they should get the worst ban possible. We've spent enough time messing about with a 20-minute red card because it has become so easy to be sent off. I agree there can be something done around subs and how many you can make, but I also like the tactical side of it. If you're going to reduce the subs, should there be more choice according to what is going on in the game and everything else? 'Ted Hill fits the mould used by England' Billington Humpledink asked: What does Ted Hill have to do to get a consistent run in the team? He's pulling up trees in the Premiership and has done well in his cameos so there's clearly something missing. Is he a bad trainer? I hear so many good things about Ted Hill. Jonny May has been on the pod talking about his speed. I saw him play for Bath against Gloucester at second row and go very well. What coaches see, what they want and the opinions they form is what makes debate. Seeing someone that big, that fast and with the skills of a back is appealing, especially with someone like Ben Earl playing 35 minutes as a centre. I think Ted fits into that mould. It's tough for him. All he can do is keep his head down, keep playing well and talking to Steve Borthwick, so he can take the opportunity that comes his way. 'Wales need to export more players' Ian Davies asked: Even as a proud Englishman, I feel almost sad about the Wales-England result. I was a young man in the 60s and 70s when the question was not whether England might win against Wales, but what the level of our defeat was going to be. I really hope Wales can find the answer. Mike Mahoney asked: Welsh rugby is clearly broken. How can it be fixed? It's a hard position for Wales to be in. They're bandying around the idea of losing a region, but it feels like they have lost the connection with places like Swansea, Neath, Caerphilly, Pontypridd and Pontypool; places that I went down to on a Wednesday night back in the day to get my head kicked in. They've lost players within that. I believe they need to look into having more players move to other nations. They didn't perform against England, but Gareth Anscombe, Jarrod Evans and Max Llewellyn have given them more. Why not reduce their wage bill a bit by letting some of the biggest players go? They'll be playing a better standard in France, and Wales won't be fishing in a smaller pool. Then potentially regions will have more freedom to bring in outside resource, like Cardiff did with Jonah Lomu and the Ospreys did with Justin Marshall years ago. Those great players bring a change of mindset. Otherwise, you are never thinking outside the box. But they have no money. They need to somehow get the Swansea-Neath rivalries going so that the best players get sucked up to regional level. You've got to reignite the passion in Welsh rugby. They had lost 16 on the bounce before Saturday and still had a full stadium and still had a little bit of hope. That's without really connecting with a lot of the fanbase. If you lose the existing fans, you miss out on more money and it becomes even more difficult. It's a drastic fix that is needed, and quite quickly. 'Prioritise the national coaches' Jes Smith asked: The game needs a strong Welsh team. If you were in charge of the Welsh Union where would you prioritise spending? The national coaching team, the youth pathways or the regional sides? It is hard, because one affects the other. Ultimately, you need a strong player pool so that they can generate competition. That says to me that you need to prioritise below the regions. I think of free resource; the recently retired players like Jon 'Foxy' Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Sam Warburton, Josh Navidi, James Hook, Steven Jones. Even Shane Williams. They've got a great back three and Shane could challenge them on their reactions to certain situations. They've got to replace the coaching set-up, because Matt Sherratt isn't continuing, so firstly they need to get someone to coach them in a way they want to play. Historically, Wales have played with a bit of width, they've offloaded. They need to find a coach who suits that. Let's go with coaches first, because they need them. Then they need to find the gems in the lower player pool and identifying talent. And then it's making that level below the regions more competitive so the best players rise to the top. 'Scotland's timing is unlucky' Martin McPhie asked: How do Scotland break into the top tier of rugby nations? Great team to watch but same so-so results. Can we actually do it with our player base? They really went after France at the weekend. Blair Kinghorn was fantastic and Darcy Graham combined really well with Finn Russell for a try. We know they can have one-off games and it is about the fifth year we have been talking about their consistency. I feel like it's a very tough situation for them. They've been playing against the best Ireland team in a generation and the best France team of a generation, and it is only France's second title under Fabien Galthié and the first since 2022. It's just awkward timing for Scotland. Would moving on from Gregor Townsend work? We can't say. Is it the right time, with a World Cup two and a half years away? Maybe. That is one for the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU). What I will say is that Gregor has them playing a brand of rugby that they all understand. They know where their strengths are and go to them. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. I agree that they have to find a way to win when it isn't as smooth as they want. 'Roebuck brough pace and physicality' Lester Wilson asked: England backs looked better against Wales but How do we rebalance the backs to bring in real pace which we need to compete at the top level? I felt like there was a lot of change for England ahead of a game where they had to go and score a lot of points. Tom Roebuck brought pace and physicality on his first full cap. That was impressive. Ollie Sleightholme will have been disappointed, and yes you have to settle into something that works, but if you can blood people and have several options, it's perfect. Everyone who played at the weekend has shown they can play at that level. Now it's about form and tactics.
The Independent
09-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
5 things we learned from this weekend's Six Nations action
A fascinating penultimate round of the Guinness Six Nations produced wins for France, Scotland and England. Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from the three games. France's to lose The final weekend will be lit up by a three-way tussle for the title – but France are undoubtedly in the driving seat. They host Scotland in the climax to the tournament and, even without their injured captain Antoine Dupont, they are overwhelming favourites to produce the victory needed to seize Ireland's crown. England and Ireland are also in contention, but Les Bleus' one-point lead at the summit of the table and points difference of plus 106 puts them in a near-unassailable position if they dispatch Finn Russell's men. England on the march After a year of cliff-hangers, England finally eased the nerves of their supporters with a seven-try demolition of Italy. It was their best performance of the Six Nations by a distance, even accounting for a flat period in the second-half and their opponents' inability to sustain the threat they often posed. Twickenham booed the amount of box kicking against Scotland in round three, but this was far more to fans' liking as England's attack clicked into gear. Ambitious and generally well executed, this win will put a spring into their step heading to Cardiff. 'Le Bomb Squad' detonates Free-spirited backs such as Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Maxime Lucu may have provided the pyrotechnics for France's rout in Dublin, but the victory was founded on their power up front with 'Le Bomb Squad' proving unstoppable when five heavyweight reinforcements stepped off the bench in the 49th minute. The tactic of fielding a seven-one split between forwards and backs in the replacements is causing discontent among some nations, but for those with the pack resources – primarily France and South Africa – Ireland's crushing defeat was evidence of its effectiveness. Reputations tumble Ireland's defeat was a collective failure, but individual reputations still tumbled as France ran amok at the Aviva Stadium in a setback to Andy Farrell's planning for the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia. Bundee Aki, Joe McCarthy, Tadgh Beirne and Josh van der Flier were red-hot Lions contenders who were unable to make a dent on France and most worrying of all for Farrell was the clear power deficit against the new favourites to win the title. Morgan and Jordan shine Shortly after events in Dublin challenged Farrell's selection thinking, two players at Murrayfield continued to present compelling arguments for their inclusion. Openside Jac Morgan is excelling amid the adversity of Wales' 16-Test losing run, topping the Six Nations' tackle count, carrying hard and making a nuisance at the breakdown. Tom Jordan, meanwhile, has filled the boots of Scotland's injured inside centre Sione Tuipulotu with aplomb, proving a threat as a runner and playmaker and is shaping up to be a bolter for the tour.
Telegraph
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
BBC snubs England's Six Nations clash with Italy
England's Six Nations clash with Italy is set to miss out on live BBC radio coverage despite prior promises of every match on its two sporting stations. Cricket's Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand is instead scheduled for live coverage on Radio 5 Sports Extra in a surprise move. Chelsea's Premier League game against Leicester will take prominence, meanwhile, on the main 5 Live station on Sunday. Coverage of England's penultimate Six Nations match has therefore been relegated to the BBC Sport website or app, in a blow for supporters unable to watch on television or access the internet. A BBC source said the decision is based on the Premier League and Champions Trophy being behind TV paywalls, while the England match is available to watch on ITV. But the omission from the two main channels goes against a pledge in 2021, when the corporation secured the audio rights for the men's Six Nations from 2022 to 2025. 'As per previous years, every home nation game throughout the competition will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 5 Live or 5 Live Sports Extra,' the BBC announced. In January, broadcasting regulator Ofcom also said the BBC will 'broadcast live radio coverage of all the matches in the 2025 Six Nations on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra'. 'BBC Sport is providing audiences with comprehensive multi-platform coverage of the Six Nations covering all the home nations including the Scotland vs Wales game this Saturday,' a BBC spokesperson said. 'Commentary of England's match against Italy will be on the BBC Sport website and app.' The Six Nations' current TV deal, for which live coverage is shared between ITV and the BBC, is in its final year, and Telegraph Sport understands the bidding process will commence after this year's edition. The BBC holds the rights to Wales and Scotland home matches, while ITV broadcasts all those in England, Ireland, France and Italy. The omission of the match from the main radio channels was first reported by the Daily Mail. A BBC Sport press release ahead of the Six Nations this season stated: 'Every home nations match will be available on BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app with radio commentary.'
BBC News
03-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ringrose ban 'incredibly lucky' - O'Callaghan
Former Ireland international Donncha O'Callaghan believes Garry Ringrose's Six Nations red card against Wales "holds a massive mirror" up to rugby's disciplinary centre Ringrose was dismissed for a high tackle on Ben Thomas in the Principality Stadium last month but will sit out just one championship game, his side's hosting of France in Dublin on Saturday."If we're going to give the bans, we need to stand by them. Otherwise we're undermining all our officials," said O'Callaghan on Rugby Union Weekly."We [Ireland] are incredibly lucky to have Garry back on the pitch so soon. "Nothing towards him. He's an incredible player, not a bit dirty, an incredible guy, but that went wrong."To see the way the citing went is disappointing."Ringrose's three-game ban came after the mid-range entry point of a six week/match suspension was reduced by 50% taking into account his guilty plea and previous disciplinary record.A further game will be taken off should Ringrose complete World Rugby's Coaching Intervention Programme. The 30-year-old was also able to serve the first game of the suspension during Leinster's United Rugby Championship victory over Cardiff on Saturday, meaning he could return against Italy in the Six Nations' final Ntamack was handed a similar ban for his red card against Wales in round one, also for a tackle on Thomas, although his suspension did not include matches for his club side Toulouse. Both players were inititally shown yellow cards subject to off-field meant the punishment could only be upgraded to a 20-minute rather than full red card and allowed Ireland to later replace Ringrose with Bundee the huge impact made by Aki in the remainder of the game, O'Callaghan questioned the reduced sanction which is being used in the Six Nations for the first time this season."You have to think does it undermine the card itself?" he added. "Did Wales lose out on the advantage? Do France gain as opposed to what it was there for?"It holds a massive mirror up to the sanction."
