Latest news with #scrumhalf
Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
How Lyon will try to stop ‘magical' Finn Russell in Challenge Cup final
Martin Page-Relo used to be Antoine Dupont's understudy at Toulouse, the same club where Romain Ntamack was his half-back partner in the youth teams from the age of 12 and then his flatmate when the pair broke into the senior ranks. It's safe to say, then, that the Italy scrum half knows a special talent when he sees one, which makes it all the more striking to hear him assert that Finn Russell operates at 'as high a level as anyone I've ever played with or against when it comes to technique, vision and game understanding. The three of them [Russell, Dupont and Ntamack] are exceptionally strong all-round, but Finn is the one with what I would call the magic touch, who can create something
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Care to wear nine shirt off the bench in final game
Retiring scrum-half Danny Care has been given special dispensation to wear the number nine shirt in his final game on Sunday, despite being named on the scrum-half Guy Porter will wear the 21 shirt after Harlequins were granted permission by the Premiership and opponents Exeter to go against convention and league-wide is believed to be the first time that 1-15 numbering has been relaxed for a player since it was standardised across the division more than 20 years ago. Care announced on Tuesday that Sunday's match at the Stoop will be his 395th and final appearance for player has made more appearances than the 38-year-old for the club in the professional joined Harlequins from Leeds Tykes in 2006 and won two domestic titles during his time with the teams are mandated to wear the numbers traditionally associated with their and Bristol stopped wearing letters on the back of their shirts in the 1990s, although Tigers shirts have a letter above the club crest in a nod to the and Gloucester allow players to display the flag of a nation they have represented in the Test game on their club shirt, although the Cherry and Whites removed the Russian flag from the back of prop Kirill Gotovtsev's earlier this season to fall in line with other sports and teams that have declined to display it since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Gloucester to bring in scrum-half Austin
Gloucester have signed scrum-half Mike Austin from Championship side half-back will move to Kingsholm in the summer after two seasons with Gloucester's Championship has played twice for Gloucester this season after joining the club temporarily from his Championship employers in was a replacement in the pool stage win over Exeter before starting their quarter-final loss at Newcastle.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Danny Care to retire from rugby at the end of the season
Danny Care has announced that he will retire from rugby at the end of the 2024-25 Premiership season. The former England scrum half concluded his international career shortly after winning his 100th cap during last year's Six Nations, and will now bow out entirely from the sport. The 38-year-old had initially agreed a one-year deal to remain at Harlequins until the end of the next campaign, but has brought forward his retirement after nearly 400 appearances in the colours of the west London club. Care won two Premiership titles during his time at the Twickenham Stoop after making the move from Leeds Tykes nearly two decades ago. 'So, it's finally time,' Care said. 'Unfortunately, after 19 years of playing for this incredible club, I'm going to be retiring from rugby at the end of the season. 'I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting a lad from Leeds come down to this club and feel like home from day one. To all the fans. Thank you for everything you've given me and my family. As I said, you brought us into your hearts. You've sung my name louder than it's ever deserved. And I can't really put into words what representing this Club and playing in front of you all has meant to me. 'I'd also like to thank all my amazing teammates, all the coaches, staff members who have been a part of my career. I will be supporting this club forever, and I'll always be a Quin.' Having made his England debut in 2008, the scrum half has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in recent years having seemingly fallen out of favour before the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Care's key role in leading Harlequins to the Premiership crown in 2021, nine years after securing their first, forced a recall from Eddie Jones in 2022, before again being cast aside. The arrival of Steve Borthwick as England head coach offered a surprise third chapter at international level, though, with Care a key part of the squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup. A prominent figure in the media through his work with the BBC and TNT Sports, Care will also now take on an ambassadorial role with Harlequins. His retirement follows that of long-time scrum half rival Ben Youngs, who will also conclude his playing career at the end of the campaign. 'It's hard to put into words the impact Danny has had on not just Harlequins Rugby Club, but the sport of Rugby Union as a whole,' Harlequins chief executive Laurie Dalrymple said. 'As he steps away from the professional game, he leaves behind an incredible legacy—close to 400 appearances for Harlequins and over a century of international caps for England is no small feat .'Danny is a player and person who embodies the values of our club, and he's made a lasting mark both on the field and in our community in his 19 years at The Stoop.'
