Source: 6 Nations

England turn the heat up

England v Ireland Result: England 88 Ireland 10 Player of the Match: Ellie Kildunne (third time this series!) Your homework for this evening: write out a detailed game-plan for beating the Red Roses (maximum 500 words). The performance all England had been hoping for took place in front of a big crowd at Twickenham. Playing

Continue Reading →


Source: WRU

Cunningham wields the Axe

Wales v France – Preview Sunday 21 April, Cardiff Arms Park Teams are shown below The alarming prospect for Wales is a drop from WXV1 to WXV3 within one year. That is the reality of their current position. They face France at home in Cardiff, a game they can only dream of winning. Then a

Continue Reading →


Source: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Sam Monaghan out

Round 4 – Saturday Match Previews Fixtures: England v Ireland, Twickenham Stadium, KO 14.15 Italy v Scotland, Parma, KO 16.45 The four teams are shown below. England v Ireland The big news – though it goes completely unmentioned in the team announcement and Scott Bemand’s comment – is the absence of Sam Monaghan from the

Continue Reading →


Source: Thomas Lyte

The Women’s Six Nations Trophy

The conclusion of the men’s Guinness Six Nation’s tournament used to signal the end of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter international season. Now it serves as block-busting precursor to a women’s competition that grows in stature year-after-year. Thomas Lyte, the Royal silversmiths and goldsmiths, are at the heart of a tournament that boasts a trophy befitting

Continue Reading →


Source: ©INPHO/Robbie Stephenson

Whither Wales?

It’s not a new story, a national side’s fortunes can go up and down. At the Stoop In 2020 I recall Siwan Lillicrap looking distraught as she faced a battery of reporters, asking her opinion of the latest Welsh perfomance (7-66) – alternating in two languages. The neutral observer could only sympathise with her. The

Continue Reading →


Source: 6 Nations

Six Nations Matters

The third round of the competition has thrown up any number of discussion points. Here are a few: Discipline Reports on England’s win in Edinburgh came under two headings: “Red Roses sweep to 8-try victory” and “England’s discipline a big worry”. The usual follow-up to the second headline is: “When they come up against stronger

Continue Reading →


Source: FFR

France nearly perfect, but not quite

France v Italy Les Bleues produced the victory a large and expectant crowd wanted, but one or two doubts remain. Italy still await their first win on French soil, but they finished well, crossing the line more than once. A central question must be: why did Sofia Stefan, the captain, insist on playing a slow

Continue Reading →


Source: 6 Nations

Ireland Reborn

Ireland v Wales The most remarkable of all the results so far. Ireland played like souls possessed, to leave the Welsh looking distraught. Scott Bemand’s side showed a conviction and fluency we haven’t seen in a long while. Their last win, back in WXV3, was a hard-fought slog. This one – for most of the

Continue Reading →


Source: 6 Nations

Scotland v England

Six Nations – Round Three England put on another breathtaking display in front of a packed house. The game began in the foulest weather, rain and wind making handling a chancy business. The Red Roses showed off their passing skills till Zoe Aldcroft, today’s captain, took her eyes off the ball and dropped it. Abbie

Continue Reading →


Source: 6 Nations

France v Italy

Round Three – Preview Sunday 14 April Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris, KO 12.30 (UK time) As usual, we have to fancy France’s chances at home in the capital, but Italy are finding some real form. There is more cohesion about their play than we have seen in recent seasons, partly helped by maintaining consistency in the

Continue Reading →