Furioso con espressione – England v Italy – Bedford 23 November 2019 – England put Italy to the sword to complete another unbeaten Quilters series. Simon Middleton wanted to test the depth of talent available to him, and his starting fifteen gave him a resounding response. Ten tries were scored as the Red Roses grew more
What’s gone wrong with England? It took them 79 minutes at Exeter to manufacture a try that satisfied the referee’s standards. The previous week it needed two excellent pack-drives to bring an away win in France. For their remaining points they had to rely on Emily Scarratt’s right boot. Ten points away, twelve points at
Second Quilters International – England v Italy Bedford – The Last Line-up before 6 Nations In line with his long-term policy Simon Middleton has made many changes to his starting XV for the last autumn international of 2019. In come Shaunagh Brown, Poppy Cleall, Vicky Fleetwood, Emily Scott and Claudia Macdonald. On the bench there’s
Of all the many test matches being played out this November the most intriguing was surely Italy v Japan. Against Japan Andrea Di Giandomenico, Italy’s head coach, caused a minor surprise by announcing a squad of only 23 – the regulation number for a single test – for both this game and the visit to
Philip Doyle, Scotland’s new boss, is not a man to mince his words. Some of his most devastating last month ran like this: ‘I have inherited an incredibly weak scrum’. As Scotland’s latest match against Wales unfolded, the truth of the matter was placed before our eyes. For most of the game the Welsh pack
First Quilter International 2019 – England v France, Exeter – A Result that tells its own Story (almost) If you’re anxious for the action, scroll down to The Main Course The Red Roses were desperately lucky to win the game. It had the crowd on the edge of their seats, except when they were on
France have lost to England three times this year; no wonder they are taking things so seriously. They were badly outplayed only in the Six Nations game at Doncaster last season, and even there they won the second half 26-17. But they are finding it difficult at present to get on top and stay there.
One of the main planks of World Rugby’s strategy for strengthening women’s rugby is to increase the number of test matches. This is being achieved with a vengeance this autumn. Scottish players returned from South Africa overjoyed at making that rare tour abroad. Their two wins put them in good heart as they prepare for
France v England – Clermont-Ferrand, 9 November 2019 It’s been a tough struggle, but at last the Red Roses have overcome their great opponents away from home again. Just as significant, this was only France’s second home loss in eighteen games. New Zealand took the first of their two encounters in Toulon in November last
There has been talk about clubs of different nations meeting up in competition for quite a while, but it’s taking time to lift off decisively. When Saracens met Stade Rennais in May 2018 in Dunkirk it looked like the start of something big – note that both sides played away from home – but since
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