Zach Mercer winds up “massive” Paul Willemse before France face England

Zach Mercer has a confession to make and it is bad news for the England pack who are preparing to face a French forward onslaught at Twickenham on Saturday. At the heart of the French pack will be a fired up Paul Willemse, the giant South African born Montpellier lock, who has rediscovered his destructive Read More …

Kelly Brown keeps whiskey promise to Maro Itoje and backs Scotland for Slam

Kelly Brown, the former captain, is backing Scotland to move a step nearer a first Six Nations Grand Slam by registering a second successive win over France in Paris on February 26 after their best start to the championship. Having beaten England and produced a record 35-7 win over Wales, Scotland, who won their last Read More …

“Simmering” Manu Tuilagi ready to prove his England career is still alive

Sale boss Alex Sanderson says a “simmering” Manu Tuilagi is ready to prove his England career is not over when he faces Northampton at Franklins Gardens. Tuilagi has seen Bath’s Ollie Lawrence chosen in the defence busting role against Italy after Harlequins Joe Marchant was picked to partner captain Owen Farrell in the loss to Read More …

Letting Netflix film behind the scenes in Six Nations could be a “mistake”

Former England wing John Bentley, who had a key role in making the 1997 British and Irish Lions video of the test winning tour to South Africa an international success, is concerned the Netflix fly-on-the-wall Six Nations series which has started filming could be a “ mistake” at a crucial time for the sport. With Read More …

Byron McGuigan switches from Scotland to Namibia for 2023 World Cup

Byron McGuigan is preparing for a 5,387mile journey from Manchester to Windhoek that will transform the Sale Sharks wing from a Scotland international into a key member of Namibia’s squad at this year’s Rugby World Cup in France. McGuigan won 10 Scotland caps with the last coming in the 17-0 win against Italy on February Read More …

Andre Esterhuizen tells England not to put Marcus Smith in a “box”

Andre Esterhuizen, the Springbok centre, is urging England not to put Marcus Smith “in a box” if they want to ensure the outside half can deliver his unique skills in the Six Nations championship. Smith signalled his return from an ankle injury with a Man of the Match performance which eclipsed Finn Russell, the Scotland Read More …

Mateo Carreras flying high for Falcons as he becomes top try scorer

Mateo Carreras is a constant reminder of the clear and present danger waiting for England at the Rugby World Cup and the recent 30-29 Twickenham loss to pool opponents Argentina helped oust Eddie Jones from his role as head coach. That defeat during a disappointing Autumn international series for England triggered a regime change with Read More …

Sale Sharks bring in six Thai masseurs to aid recovery

Alex Sanderson, the Sale Sharks director of rugby, has never been afraid to push the boundaries to prepare his players for extreme physical and mental challenges which is why six Thai masseurs arrived at the club’s Carrington training ground this week as the team dealt with a five day turnaround between matches. While this latest Read More …