Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2021 i Rugby World

Ground address The Recreation Ground, Spring Gardens, Bath BA2 4DS Phone 01225 325200 Website bathrugby.com DISCUSSION POINTS Too often it has felt like Bath lack synergy. For all the talent at their disposal, they have also looked like a team weaker than the sum of their parts. If only they could be attack masters. Girvan Dempsey has departed as attack coach, with former academy chief David Williams returning to try to ignite play going forward. But while six teams scored fewer tries than they did last term, not a single rival conceded more; at times it felt like defence was optional for Bath. So while the coaching approach clearly has to change, this team need leaders to grab the scruff of the neck. Charlie Ewels, Tom Dunn and Taulupe Faletau…

Ground address Kingsholm, Kingsholm Road, Gloucester GL1 3AX Phone 01452 872250 Website gloucesterrugby.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Things at Kingsholm improved the longer last season went on and they had a glimmer of qualifying for the Champions Cup… only for Covid-19 to jump in and spoil things, like some infuriatingly efficient opposition jackler. In the end they finished 11th, but that middle clump of teams last term could have shaken out so differently. The pack had some growing up to do. Can they keep improving? They cannot be naïve against bloody-minded opposition eights. KEY PLAYER There will be some sizeable expectations on the shoulders of Adam Hastings, the Scotland fly-half stepping into the playmaker role at a club who need a fresh outlook going forward. Still only 24, there is plenty of…

Ground Address Brentford Community Stadium, 166 Lionel Road North TW8 9QT Phone 020 8847 2511 Website london-irish.com DISCUSSION POINTS Fans of the Exiles were left wondering what might have been after last season was finally wrapped up. Too often they would succumb late on in fixtures, and more worrying than that was the end-of-season slump – a run of Ls on the board that ultimately killed any hopes of Champions Cup rugby. A first full season in their swanky new home begins, though, and there is still enough excitement amongst their junior class to get fans whipped up. Too often last term those same supporters pondered what it would be like if all of their high-profile signings were on the park, fit and firing. Maybe they can get all of…

Ground address AJ Bell Stadium, Stadium Way, Eccles, Manchester M30 7EY Phone 0844 844 8400 Website salesharks.com DISCUSSION POINTS The promise at Sale in undeniable. Their progress has been steady over recent years – just look at their finishing positions, below – and when the new boss Alex Sanderson came in last season there was a considerable boost too. We see the power and tenacity the South African arm of the AJ Bell brings, but Sale’s academy pipeline deserves just as much respect. They are flying the flag for the North. And can you imagine coming out of the junior game and learning from a Faf de Klerk or a Lood de Jager? Even a Jono Ross or the Curry twins. Did you forget Manu Tuilagi is there?! Last season…

Ground address Sixways Stadium, Warriors Way, Worcester WR3 8ZE Phone 01905 454183 Website warriors.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Fifteen seasons in the top flight have produced a best-ever finish of eighth for Warriors, who are fed up being labelled also-rans. Well, a giant broom has swept through Sixways, with 14 new players and key new coaches in Jonny Bell (defence), Mark Jones (attack) and David Drake (head of performance). Tighthead Nick Schonert is the biggest loss among the 20 departees. “We all recognise as a club that it’s time for change,” says head coach Jonathan Thomas, whose squad now contains two 2021 Lions in Duhan van der Merwe and Rory Sutherland, England scrum-half Willi Heinz and Wales hooker Scott Baldwin. Whether it will add up to a steep hike up the table…

Ground address Loftus Versfeld, Kirkness Street, Pretoria Phone +27 12 420 0700 Website bullsrugby.co.za DISCUSSION POINTS There was a time when the Bulls were among the top-performing clubs on the planet, but poor appointments combined with mismanagement led to a decline. The revival began in 2019 when local billionaires Patrice Motsepe and Johann Rupert acquired a controlling stake. And the Covid-19 pandemic provided the franchise with an opportunity to make the necessary changes. Ex-Springbok coach Jake White was appointed director of rugby, and moved quickly to revive the traditional game plan and recruit players to suit the short- and long-term future of the team. The Bulls ended a ten-year trophy drought when they won Super Rugby Unlocked in late 2020 and the Currie Cup in early 2021. In the Rainbow…

Ground address Rodney Parade, Newport NP19 0UU Phone 01633 670690 Website dragonsrugby.wales DISCUSSION POINTS Eight defeats in a row, from December to February, put the kibosh on Dragons’ Pro14 and Champions Cup campaigns last season, but three wins in March were encouraging for Dean Ryan’s side. The director of rugby then used the Rainbow Cup to get game time into his youngsters, with centre Aneurin Owen and lock Ben Carter later called up to the Wales squad. Will Rowlands, the Wales lock, is the headline addition. Another signing is Fiji tighthead Mesake Doge, from Brive. He’s played in Romania too, and won his third and fourth caps against the All Blacks in July. But Nick Tompkins is back at Saracens, Matthew Screech has gone to Cardiff and club legend Lewis…

Ground address RDS Arena, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin Phone +353 1269 3224 Website leinsterrugby.ie DISCUSSION POINTS Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster will have been disappointed that some of their players missed out on Lions selection, but they might benefit from it now. Garry Ringrose, Johnny Sexton and James Ryan will be motivated by their omission and will have had a nice rest over the summer. Leinster have lost the talismanic Scott Fardy but their options are outstanding. They have nine superb back-rows, seven of them Test players and one, Scott Penny, who will join them in the Test ranks soon enough. They have 28 Irish internationals in their squad and have won the last four Pro14 competitions. With nine trophies banked in ten years, the Dublin outfit are hungry for…

Ground address Swansea.com Stadium, Landore, SA1 2FA Phone 01792 616400 Website ospreysrugby.com DISCUSSION POINTS Ospreys head coach Toby Booth has been busier on the signings front than some of his Welsh rivals, seeking to improve on last season’s average returns. They were a distant third, to Leinster and Ulster, in their conference. Booth has brought in Tomas Francis, Elvis Taione and Alex Cuthbert from Exeter and Ben Warren from Cardiff. But Booth believes one of his key new additions is Michael Collins, the 28-year-old former Highlander who plays centre and full-back. There is plenty of leadership at the Ospreys with Alun Wyn Jones, George North, Stephen Myler and Dan Lydiate kicking about but Collins will add to that mix. How much the side will see of the Lions captain is…

Ground address Cape Town Stadium, Fritz Sonnenberg Road, Green Point Phone +27 66 586 9483 Website thestormers.com DISCUSSION POINTS Those who watched the series between the Boks and the Lions might be inclined to believe that the Stormers are in good shape. Six Cape-based players featured prominently across the Tests. And yet part of the reason why the Bok-laden Stormers have promised so much and delivered so little over the past decade is down to issues at administration level. More recently, MVM Holdings hoped to invest, but instead the consortium opted to pursue a deal with the Sharks. The negative impact on the team has been evident. The Stormers failed to impress during the Rainbow Cup and delivered a series of underwhelming performances in the Currie Cup. They have lost…

Ground address Shaftesbury Park, Frenchay Park Road, Bristol BS9 2EJ Phone 0117 963 0600 Website bristolbearsrugby.com DISCUSSION POINTS Looking at the talent in Bristol’s squad, you’d expect them to be competing at the top of the table. They’ve a host of Wales players, including Siwan Lillicrap, Elinor Snowsill and Jasmine Joyce, one of the world’s best tightheads in Sarah Bern, the experience of Amber Reed… Yet they finished last season down in eighth. The hope is that changes made over the summer – plus keeping players out of the treatment room after a bad run of injuries – can translate into climbing the table. Ex-Harlequins hooker Dave Ward has come in as head coach, with Tom Luke his assistant. The team are now training at the Bears’ High Performance Centre,…

Ground address Alpas Arena, Hartpury/Kingsholm, Gloucester Phone 01452 872250 Website gloucesterrugby.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Set-piece improvement is a big target for coach Sean Lynn this season and he has added former Premiership prop Dan Murphy to his back-room team to focus on the scrum. James Forrester, another ex-pro who was brought in last year, takes care of the lineout and defence. The back-line has looked sharp, with centres Tatyana Heard and Rachel Lund valuable cogs in the attacking machine, but they need a decent forward platform to hit top gear. They’ll want to do that in front of the Kingsholm crowd when they play double headers with Gloucester’s men this term. Another priority is game management, be that closing out tight games or picking up bonus points. The experience of Natasha…

Ground address CorPacq Stadium, Heywood Road, Sale M33 3WB Phone 0844 844 8400 Website salesharks.com DISCUSSION POINTS This is year two of the Sale project. They came ninth in their debut season, winning four of 18 matches and conceding twice as many points as they scored. Still, they didn’t leak more than 50 points in a match, which can’t be said for some others. Over the summer there have been changes to the back-room team. Red Roses centurion Katy Daley-Mclean is still registered as a player but will be more focused on the role of women’s performance lead. Callum Yorke has switched from forwards coach to head of operations for women’s rugby while former Wales captain Rachel Taylor has also joined the coaching staff. They have a settled squad to…

Ground address Sixways Stadium, Warriors Way, Worcester WR3 8ZE Phone 01905 454183 Website warriors.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS The Warriors have made steady progress over the past couple of years – they won more than twice as many matches in 2020-21 as they did in the first two seasons of the league – and Jo Yapp has not only retained the majority of her squad but made notable additions. USA second-row Alycia Washington brings plenty of physicality and, along with the likes of Alex Matthews and Sioned Harries, should get Worcester over the gain-line. Minori Yamamoto, the Japan fly-half, also joins a back-line that includes England wing Lydia Thompson and Players’ Player of the Year Jade Shekells. Yapp has also added a wealth of experience off the field, with ex-Wales captain Liza…

RWC 2021 Europe Qualifier Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Spain play in a round-robin tournament at Zebre’s ground in Parma to determine the Europe One qualifier for the World Cup; the runners-up will progress to the Final Qualification Tournament. Matches will be played on 13, 19 and 25 September. Lions Feasibility Study The steering group to look into the prospect of a British & Irish Lions women’s team will be announced this month. The study is being funded by Royal London, who have announced Shaunagh Brown, the England prop, and Ireland flanker Claire Molloy as ambassadors. Autumn Tests England have announced two fixtures against New Zealand (29-31 Oct and 5-7 Nov) as well as Canada (12-14 Nov) and the USA (19-21 Nov). The Black Ferns will also play France twice (13…

“At Leinster we aim to win by scoring tries” WHEN I was head of elite player development at the RFU, we had an academy managers conference in 2010 and I gave a presentation on the four semi-finalists that year: Northampton, Saracens, Leicester and Bath. Each, when analysed, were capable of winning the competition but each also had a different playing style. I posed the question: Is there a right or wrong way to win rugby games? The answer was a resounding “no”. However, my point was that to win at the highest level each team must have a clear philosophy that everyone buys into and all can execute. Each of those teams had that. Playing philosophies can come from a variety of sources in any team. Clearly the coaching team…

EACH YEAR the great and the good of South-East Asia rugby head to Phnom Penh in Cambodia for the Angkor 10s, writes RW reader Andrew Tatam. In 2006-07 it was a one-day event, leaving Sunday for the Old Bangkok Bangers’ fines session on a chartered boat on the Mekong River. The rugby had been successful, with some wins and losses. With two epic nights under the belts enjoying our Spartacus-themed tour, it’s safe to say that everyone was well warmed up for a few hours of sadistic drinking on one of the world’s best-known rivers. General fines and the Kangaroo Court were well underway and fun was being had by all (apart from possibly the captain and crew) when one of our more senior gentlemen was called to the bench…

“Every Friday me and my son have pepperoni pizza. He’s a chip off the old block; I know he gets me and he knows I get him.” “My bias means I’ll always think Ulster have a chance of winning the league, but it’s hard to see past Leinster. They’ve created a brand, a style of play, depth… They’ll be very difficult to topple.” “I won a Six Nations with Ireland and the league with Ulster, but my best rugby moment is when Ireland beat the All Blacks for the first time. They’ll never create that history again. Unique and amazing.” “Eric Cantona was a hero of mine growing up. It was his confidence. I wish I’d backed myself more. Has anyone looked more where they were supposed to be than…

“I’VE BEEN in Bermuda for nearly four years working at my gym, Island Rehab Hub. I came for the Classic tournament from 2013 for about seven years and got to know a few of the locals, including the police rugby team where I have played and coached since I got here. “There was a good facility here and I put a proposal to the owner about incorporating my business into his gym. There was no rehab, strength and conditioning or specialist sports training or mid- to late-stage rehab. We have a nice range of clients, everything from people struggling to walk down the street to rehabbing top-level athletes. “I finished rugby professionally in 2005. I’d joined the Royal Marines in 1990, then got a contract with Richmond in 1996. “After…

SPOTLIGHT ON Age 27 (29 Jan 1994) Born Johannesburg Position Centre/wing Club Glasgow Warriors Height 6ft Weight 16st Scotland caps One Instagram @steyno_15 KYLE STEYN would be entitled to scoff whenever he hears players described as heroic just because they made a tackle to save a try or won a game against the odds. From his formative years in South Africa he knows what heroism truly is. He’s seen it up close. The Glasgow wing, who is hopeful of a run in his favourite position at outside-centre now Huw Jones has left the club, has a back story to marvel at – and has photographs to prove it. There’s the one of him as a toddler for a start. Who’s that looking over him tenderly? It’s Nelson Mandela. Steyn’s father,…

Ground address Ashton Gate Stadium, Ashton Road, Bristol BS3 2EJ Phone 0117 963 0680 Website bristolbearsrugby.com DISCUSSION POINTS Last season Bristol clambered to the top of the pile and headed into the play-offs buzzing. And after taking a 28-0 lead against Quins in the semis, it looked like they were off to the final. But they slipped on a multi-coloured banana peel, as Quins pulled off a legendary comeback. Such is Briz’s progress, though, that you feel they’re due to lift a ‘Big One’ – a Premiership trophy and/or Heineken Cup. At their disposal is a frankly ridiculous array of talent and you cannot ignore that they can attract some worldies – this team has more footwork and sleight of hand than Britain’s Got Talent. But director Pat Lam also…

Ground address Twickenham Stoop Stadium, Langhorn Drive, Twickenham TW2 7SX Phone 0208 410 6000 Website quins.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Reigning champions yet only fifth favourites at the bookies – it seems many view last season’s astonishing title triumph, after trailing 28-0 in the semi-final, as a flash in the pan. Quins have other ideas, of course. Without wishing to reinvent the wheel, they’ve brought in the hugely experienced Tabai Matson to oversee the coaching. “The Quins way is we play,” says the Kiwi. Expect more of the attacking brio that reaped 102 tries and 786 points last season. Expect, too, opponents to apply extra heat to the 8-9-10 axis – Alex Dombrandt, Danny Care and Marcus Smith – from which so many of Quins’ scores derive. Only Bath and Worcester conceded…

Ground Kingston Park Stadium, Brunton Road, Kenton Bank Foot NE13 8AF Phone 0191 214 5588 Website newcastlefalcons.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Newcastle finished above Worcester and Gloucester last season but that cuts no ice with the bookmakers, who have the Falcons as rank outsiders in a season with no relegation. Mike Brown is the headline addition to a squad bolstered mainly by players stepping up from the academy. The signing of men like sevens expert Ollie Lindsay-Hague and athletic lock Matthew Dalton points to a desire to up the ante in the attacking stakes, with Falcons seeking a fast-paced game on their artificial pitch. Jamie Blamire, Callum Chick, Trevor Davison and Adam Radwan were all capped this summer by England, Radwan and Blamire scoring hat-tricks against Canada. There’s a sense Newcastle are…

Ground address StoneX Stadium, Greenlands Lane, London NW4 1RL Phone 020 3675 7200 Website saracens.com DISCUSSION POINTS They say a change is as good as a rest. Well, last season Saracens had a bit of it all as they served a term in the Championship, following their relegation in the wake of the salary cap scandal. They came up at the first time of asking, such is the quality they possess, with some of their big-name stars playing a little less than seasons gone by and others going out on loan to Premiership or Pro14 outfits. Many of those players have returned and noises coming out of the camp are that the machine is well-oiled again. Gulp… But have their superstars, including a number of frontline England internationals, rediscovered the…

Ground address Cardiff Arms Park, Westgate Street CF10 1JA Phone 02920 302000 Website cardiffrugby.wales DISCUSSION POINTS A new name for the club but not a great deal of movement in the transfer market for Cardiff Rugby. Still, Dai Young, the permanent director of rugby since April, is hoping for long-term success and the banishing of the blues. Cardiff finished fourth in Conference B of the old Pro14 in 2020-21, winning half of their matches. The Rainbow Cup campaign was similarly lukewarm with three wins out of five. Lock Cory Hill has gone, with Matthew Screech coming in, but Young has name-checked a couple of youngsters of whom he is expecting big things. Ben Thomas is still searching for his best position in the back-line and Matthew Llewellyn, son of lock…

Ground address Edinburgh Rugby Stadium, 42 Saughtonhall Avenue EH12 5QY Phone 01313 465252 Website edinburghrugby.org DISCUSSION POINTS Richard Cockerill is no more, the former England hooker having left amid persistent talk of player unrest. In a newspaper column, ex-Scotland captain John Barclay savaged his “autocratic” style that became a “malign influence”. Whatever worked initially may have run its course – top of their conference in 2019-20, they waned spectacularly last year and went back to old, bad habits in their ultraconservative tactics. Cockerill’s replacement, Mike Blair, ought to be a breath of fresh air, but this is his first head coach gig and SRU budget constraints are biting hard. With a new stadium on the Murrayfield back pitches, Edinburgh need a more engaging style – as well as home –…

Ground address Emirates Airline Park, Cnr Currey and Staib Street, Johannesburg Phone +27 11 402 2960 Website lionsrugby.co.za DISCUSSION POINTS Given the state of the Lions at present, it’s hard to believe they were at the top of the southern hemisphere rugby pyramid just four years ago. Back in 2017, the Lions had a squad stacked with internationals as well as a highly effective attacking approach. Then coach Johan Ackermann moved overseas and a number of Boks departed. Swys de Bruin replaced Ackermann for a couple of years, then more than a few eyebrows were raised when conditioning coach Ivan van Rooyen was given the top job. Nobody was surprised when a team shorn of its top players and coaches proceeded to struggle. While they have their admirers and have…

Ground address Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli, SA14 9UZ Phone 01554 783900 Website scarlets.wales DISCUSSION POINTS A 57-14 home Champions Cup thumping by Sale for a team full of Welsh Six Nations winners was a cruel reality check for Scarlets last term. Head coach Glenn Delaney was on his way a month later and the appointment of Dwayne Peel as top man, and defence coach Hugh Hogan arriving from Leinster, could be the shot in the arm they need. New faces include prop WillGriff John, who arrives from Sale, and Argentinian flanker Tomás Lezana, plus an old face in centre Scott Williams. Carwyn Tuipulotu is an interesting promotion from the academy. KEY PLAYER Scrum-half Gareth Davies was one of the forgotten men on the Lions tour, where he managed less than…

Ground address Kingspan Stadium, 134 Mount Merrion Avenue, Belfast BT6 0FT Phone 02890 493222 Website ulsterrugby.com DISCUSSION POINTS Marcell Coetzee’s departure for the Bulls is a sore point for Dan McFarland. The South African No 8 was the Pro14 Player of the Year, joint top try-scorer (nine), ranked first for offloads (20) and was in the top five for carries. With a stellar record of 14 wins and two draws, Ulster finished second in their Pro14 conference behind Leinster, but the truncated nature of the tournament meant they went out. Cruel. They lost both Champions Cup games by a narrow margin. Another blow. They’ve promoted a battalion of players from their academy but made no signings to join them. McFarland has a settled and very solid squad, but could do…

Ground address Darlington Arena, Neasham Road, County Durham DL2 1DL Phone 01325 350267 Website mowdenpark.com DISCUSSION POINTS Last season was grim for DMP Durham. The statistics show that these Sharks had little bite; they crossed for only ten tries in 18 games and won just one match. The 34-17 win at Bristol in the penultimate round would have been a big fillip for a side more used to suffering hammerings (both Harlequins and Wasps put more than 100 points past them). Not only do DMP need to score more points, they need to stop conceding so many. Last season their defence had more holes than a newly ‘distressed’ T-shirt as they leaked 172 tries. Jake Rodgers has moved up from assistant coach to head man, while former Red Roses forwards…

Ground address Surrey Sports Park, Guildford/The Stoop, Twickenham Phone 020 8410 6000 Website quins.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS It was third time lucky for Harlequins last season as they came out on top in the final, beating Saracens – victors in the first two completed seasons – 25-17 at Kingsholm. Now the challenge is to back it up. They have lost experience in Leanne Riley and Abbie Ward but have retained other Red Roses stars, like Amy Cokayne, Jess Breach and Vickii Cornborough. And head coach Gerard Mullen has recruited smartly, bringing in international locks Sarah Bonar and Rosie Galligan, scrum-half Emma Swords and some back-line stardust in Ellie Kildunne. He’s added Simeon Barnes as forwards coach, too, following the departure of Karen Findlay at the end of last season. KEY PLAYER…

Ground address StoneX Stadium, Greenlands Lane, London NW4 1RL Phone 020 3675 7200 Website saracens.com DISCUSSION POINTS Saracens have dominated the league since its inception but their reign ended last year when they lost to Harlequins in the final. Still, few would bet against them contesting the final again. They have re-signed their big Red Roses stars – Poppy Cleall, Zoe Harrison, Hannah Botterman, Marlie Packer, Vicky Fleetwood and Sarah McKenna – as well as Team GB’s Holly Aitchison. The power and skill of their pack is demonstrated by the fact that the starting forwards scored more than double the number of tries as the starting backs last season – 66 to 28 – with both Cleall and hooker May Campbell touching down 17 times. Expect their pack to dominate…

SPOTLIGHT ON Age 28 (3 June 1993) Born Queenstown, NZ Position Centre Region Ospreys Height 6ft 1in Weight 15st 8lb Twitter @CollinsMycool A SPELL AT Scarlets five years ago helped Michael Collins earn his first Super Rugby deal. Now, after stints with the Blues and Highlanders, the Kiwi is back in Wales and hoping to help the Ospreys challenge for trophies again. This is the centre’s story… I had a rugby ball in my hands from an early age. I was brought up in the rugby environment, in the changing sheds and watching games. My dad played, my brother played and I started playing for Wakatipu, the club team in Queenstown, at five. Queenstown is beautiful. I grew up there before it got touristy. It was small enough that it…

IN THE late 1990s, Israeli rugby looked set to make a long-awaited breakthrough into the country’s mainstream consciousness. With the vision of the late Israeli statesman, Shimon Peres, about creating a “new Middle East” and regional peace under the auspices of the dot-com bubble, “the obvious thing was to launch an international rugby tournament in Jerusalem” recalls entrepreneur Adi Raz. Raz was then a young university student making his first steps in the business world. The son of an Israeli diplomat, he grew up in Fiji and fell in love with the game from an early age. When the family returned to Jerusalem, he started playing in the university team and at the same time decided to invest in rugby. Jerusalem hosted the International Rugby Sevens Tournament in 1998. This…

1 Fight for every inch The term ‘fight’ is one I’ve used to emphasise to players not to die in contact. It’s about second and third efforts, about getting a feel for how you’ve been tackled – can you break free, make extra ground? It’s also about getting into a better position to place the ball or even to get to the try-line, as Coombes does here. Players need a good understanding of how they are orientated in a tackle and/or on the ground as there are so many poachers over the ball in today’s rugby. 2 No pre-latching The ‘latch’ support is something World Rugby are looking at, with lots of sides adopting this strategy to create contact 2 v 1 situations. Here the Munster support players don’t bind…

“On match days we plan to be at the stadium two hours before kick-off at home or an hour for away fixtures. A strapping list will go out and the physios will be responsible for strapping all the players who need it. We want to be on the pitch 45 minutes before kick-off but some players will be out an hour before.” “At Connacht we leave the initial period up to the players. That time is spent getting their heart rate up, although the match intensity will come later in the warm-up. During this time the players are jogging (forwards and backwards), skipping, accelerating and decelerating, and doing dynamic stretches. We find that dynamic stretching best replicates the in-game situation.” “We then split into forwards and backs. The forwards will…

20th The Telegraph Sports Book Awards take place tonight at the Oval, with six tomes battling it out for Rugby Book of the Year… Dylan Hartley: The Hurt, Exe Men: The Extraordinary Rise Of Exeter Chiefs, James Haskell: What A Flanker, Joe Marler: Loose Head, Our Blood is Green and Rob Kearney: No Hiding. 8th Today marks two years to go until the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, when the hosts will kick things off against New Zealand in Paris. Will Romain Ntamack (right) be involved? There are still seven places up for grabs at the tournament, with either Canada or USA moving a step closer this month depending on the results of their two-legged play-off. 12th This Sunday would have been Ray Gravell’s 70th birthday and S4C are…

1 ELLA WYRWAS Age 22 (7 March 1999) Born London Position Scrum-half Club Saracens Country England When did you first play? I was six, at Saracens minis. My brother started and I got my mum to take me along. It got more difficult when I couldn’t play with the boys; I chopped and changed between clubs depending on who had a girls’ side. What other sports did you play? Lots. When I got to Year 11, my mum said I should probably choose what to focus on. Up until then I did every sport under the sun! I played water polo to quite a high level but I decided on rugby. What positions have you played? I was a centre until towards the end of my first year with Saracens…

“He is funny in five languages and that should be appreciated” ALL TOO often we hear the refrain from players that they don’t care what number they’ve got on their back so long as they are in the team. Most times you hear that, something doesn’t sit quite right – you get the principle, sure, but like tinfoil on fillings, it just feels that wee bit weird. Yet in the case of Bulls prop Trevor Nyakane, his versatility is a bona fide strength. And we’re not just talking about his ability to work on either side of the scrum, though we will get to that. “He’s the funny guy in the team,” starts hooker Corniel Els, who packed down with Nyakane for the Bulls over a number of years and…

Ground address Sandy Park, Sandy Park Way, Exeter EX2 7NN Phone 01392 890890 Website exeterchiefs.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Exeter came within a whisker of backing up their 2019-20 title last term but it masked a worrying habit of only responding when the chips were down. “We didn’t have a killer instinct, we kind of did enough,” DoR Rob Baxter says. “And ‘doing enough’ in the last few weeks ended up costing us in the biggest game of all.” Chiefs have hit the reset button, so expect a more ruthless approach from a squad featuring two new tightheads in Josh Iosefa-Scott and Sam Nixon. With Harry Williams and Marcus Street already in situ, they won’t lack for options anchoring the scrum. Confidence should be high, Exeter having three new Lions forwards in…

Ground address Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium, Aylestone Road LE2 7TR Phone 0116 319 8888 Website leicestertigers.com DISCUSSION POINTS Are the good old days returning to Welford Road? Steve Borthwick is putting the meat and gristle back into the Tigers pack, their scrummaging and mauling as good as any in the Premiership. A top-six finish and a Challenge Cup final was tangible reward last season but it wasn’t pretty, with a match average of 30 kicks in play – the highest in the division. So Leicester will look to add attacking layers to their game, whilst erecting a brick wall under defence coach Kevin Sinfield, who has arrived from Leeds Rhinos and replaces Mike Ford. Leicester had no Lions this year for the first time since 1968 but Freddie Steward,…

Ground address Franklin's Gardens, 54 Bowden Rd, Northampton NN5 5LT Phone 01604 751543 Website northamptonsaints.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS How long do your hangovers last? For Saints, it felt like it took a large part of last season to get over their abysmal run the season before. They eventually got to playing some of the rugby that makes this Northampton outfit so brilliant to watch and when Dan Biggar and Courtney Lawes in particular were at their best, this side looked good too. However, they never looked good enough to generate the momentum required to make it into the play-offs, despite finishing in fifth position. They may have been best of the rest but they were ultimately too flaky and the distance between them and Quins in fourth was vast. KEY PLAYER…

Ground address Coventry Building Society Arena, Judds Lane, Longford CV6 6AQ Phone 02476 933444 Website wasps.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS New stadium name, new logo, new coaches – a lot is different about Wasps as they strive to rebound from the disappointment of a second eighth-place finish in three years. In between was that glorious run to the final and when Dan Robson, Jacob Umaga, Josh Bassett et al are in full flow they can give any side the runaround. What did for them last season was a litany of injuries. Jack Willis (MCL) and Joe Launchbury (ACL) probably won’t be back this side of Christmas, and Paolo Odogwu and Alfie Barbeary have missed huge chunks of game time too. John Mitchell has taken over the attack reins after leaving his England…

Ground address Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Via dei Campi Sportiv, Treviso Phone +39 0422 324238 Website benettonrugby.it DISCUSSION POINTS Kieran Crowley has stepped up to the Italy job, with Azzurri legend Marco Bortolami replacing him and Paul Gustard a heavyweight capture as defence coach. Crowley’s sign-off was that spectacular Rainbow Cup victory, which came after Benetton lost every Pro14 game they played last season. The challenge for Bortolami is to prove it was not a flash in the pan; that they can become a regular play-off force. The loss of Paolo Garbisi is grievous but there have been decent-looking additions from South Africa, as well as local talent such as Lorenzo Cannone, the highly-rated younger brother of Italy second-row Niccolò. KEY PLAYER Michele Lamaro missed big chunks of last season…

Ground address The Sportsground, College Road, Galway Phone +353 9144 7751 Website connachtrugby.ie DISCUSSION POINTS Last season Andy Friend got Connacht moving again. At times they were breathless in attack. Between the Pro14 and Rainbow Cup they pulled off a notable treble – they went to Leinster, Ulster and Munster and won. Inspired by Jack Carty at ten, the Pro14’s joint-top try-scorer Alex Wootton, centre Tom Daly and the excellence of lock Gavin Thornbury, they finished second in their conference and would have made the play-offs had it been a normal season. On their day they’re an exciting side with burgeoning confidence levels. They scored 53 tries in 16 games in the Pro14. Only Leinster and Ulster outscored them. Of the eight games they won, they clinched a four-try bonus…

Ground address Scotstoun Stadium, 112 Danes Drive, Glasgow G14 9HD Phone 01412 761620 Website glasgowwarriors.org DISCUSSION POINTS Having inherited the legacy of several years of iffy recruitment, Danny Wilson was left trying to punch with both hands tied behind his back as injuries, Test commitments and Covid issues conspired against him last year. This season – when it’s more his team – we can properly judge. Wilson is keen for the Warriors to become a more hardened unit, but they have yet to strike a convincing note between that trademark all-court attacking style and the more measured approach that tends to succeed at the business end of seasons. Adam Hastings has moved to Gloucester, but the emergence of Ross Thompson was one of the few highlights last term. His poise…

Ground address Thomond Park, Cratloe Road, Limerick Phone +353 6142 1100 Website munsterrugby.ie DISCUSSION POINTS You have to go back to 2011 to find the last time Munster won a trophy and, frankly, they’re pretty sick of waiting. They’ve reached multiple finals and semi-finals but have reverted to what they were before their 2006 European breakthrough – nearly men. This could be their year. True, CJ Stander has retired. That’s a big blow in terms of quality and personality, but they shouldn’t lack in either department. Simon Zebo will bring creativity to a back-line that already boasts Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Damian de Allende, Joey Carbery and Conor Murray. The front row could do with an injection of world class, but look at what they have behind. Jason Jenkins could…

Ground address Kings Park, Jacko Jackson Dr, Stamford Hill, Durban Phone +27 313 088 400 Website sharksrugby.co.za DISCUSSION POINTS American consortium MVM Holdings acquired a controlling stake in the Sharks earlier this year. This led to several high-profile signings, including Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, and they have been open about their ambition to become one of sport’s most successful teams. While they’ve embraced private equity and a more professional model, the team will take time to realise their full potential. They possess an array of gifted backs and the addition of veteran fly-half Lionel Cronjé will provide them with the experience needed to prevail in tough northern hemisphere conditions. Their pack is a work in progress, though, and it remains to be seen how the less experienced forwards will respond…

Ground address Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Via S Leonardo, Parma Phone +39 521 221 168 Website zebrerugbyclub.it DISCUSSION POINTS There was a time when Zebre seemed to be making slow, but definite, progress under Michael Bradley. Last season was a bit of a competitive write-off, however, as they finished bottom of their Pro14 conference (12 points behind Dragons), then lost all five games in the Rainbow Cup. There hasn’t been much to get excited about in the ins and outs, so it’s hard to see where any big shift is coming from. Even more concerning for those associated with the Parma-based outfit is renewed speculation that the FIR are keen to move the franchise to the Italian rugby heartlands, with Padua strongly tipped as a place of bigger potential fan and…

Ground address Sandy Park, Sandy Park Way, Exeter EX2 7NN Phone 01392 890890 Website exeterchiefs.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Exeter sprung a few surprises in their debut Premier 15s season. They won only two of their first seven games but went on to beat all of the top-four sides. For a new team made up of component parts from all over the world, finishing sixth was impressive, and the fact they have retained the majority of those players means there will be more familiarity and cohesion. Their defence stood out – they conceded the fewest points (314) of any team outside the top four – but they will want to develop their attacking game this term. Coach Susie Appleby has bolstered her back-room team with the appointment of Chiefs legend Tom Hayes…

Ground address Loughborough Uni, LE11 3TU Phone 01509 222222 Website lboro.ac.uk/sport/performance/lightning/rugby DISCUSSION POINTS For all the class in their back-line, including Emily Scarratt, Helena Rowland and Helen Nelson, it is their pack, and particularly the driving maul, that’s proved such a huge weapon for Lightning. Hooker Lark Davies was the main beneficiary, scoring a quarter of the team’s tries last season. Loughborough will want to continue their dominance in that area while also ensuring the likes of Scarratt and Rowland are able to bring their talents to the fore. Rhona Lloyd, who took one of the wing slots in the Premier 15s Team of the Year, is a significant loss in the backs while Scotland’s involvement in World Cup qualifiers, as well as Team GB sevens events, is likely to…

Ground address Twyford Avenue Sports Ground, Acton W3 9QA Phone 020 8993 8384 Website waspsfc.co.uk DISCUSSION POINTS Given the mix of sevens players and internationals in the squad, there will be times when Giselle Mather is without her full complement. Early in the season the likes of Cliodhna Moloney and Claire Molloy will be involved in Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers, while Meg Jones – so influential on Wasps’ attack last term – is set to be amongst those playing in tournaments for GB7s. Still, Mather has spent time developing the squad’s strength in depth and while there may not be consistency in selection, Wasps are aiming for consistency in results. Their big coup in the transfer market is bringing in one of the Cleall twins, Bryony, while they have also…

Rugby’s most outspoken and inf luential journal ist THERE ARE serious grounds for believing that the next 14 months will completely change the landscape of elite rugby for women. There is so much to savour in the plans for the future, culminating in the rearranged World Cup in New Zealand. Before then, we will be able to watch the Black Ferns, the USA, Canada, England and France in action in the forthcoming autumn Tests. And with a year between then and the World Cup the stakes could well be enormous. Furthermore, the growth in the profile of the Allianz Premier 15s has been marked, so much so that the great Leicester Tigers have partnered with Lichfield and have a clear intention to enter the English top flight at the earliest…

SPOTLIGHON Age 21 (30 Sept 1999) Born Montpellier Position Centre Club Montpellier Height 6ft Weight 13st 12lb France caps 14 (1T) Instagram handle @arthur_vcnt IT’S NO secret that France head coach Fabien Galthié has an internal hierarchy to his set-up, that he’ll remain loyal to those he regards as his ‘first choice’ in any given position. Such is the strength in depth in French rugby today, however, that he has options all over the park. ‘First choice’ is, increasingly, a matter of opinion rather than fact. Galthié’s top midfield duo may be clear-and-present attacking threat Virimi Vakatawa and Shaun Edwards’s defence captain Gaël Fickou. But the convenient truth is that there’s no noticeable drop in quality if either or both are unavailable for France, as was the case on July’s…

1921 The All Blacks and Springboks play their first matches, on New Zealand soil. The hosts win the first match on 13 August in Dunedin 13-5, the Boks the second two weeks later in Auckland 9-5, while the third in Wellington is a 0-0 draw 1928 New Zealand play their first Tests in South Africa, with the series again drawn – but, controversially, Māori players like George Nepia (right) are not selected at the insistence of the South Africa government. The policy remains for the 1949 and 1960 tours 1956 The All Blacks win their first series against South Africa. It was 1-1 after the first two Tests in Dunedin and Wellington, but the hosts triumph in Christchurch and Auckland to take the series 3-1 1970 The South Africa Rugby…

WHEN YOUNG back-rows appear in the Munster side I take note. Having coached against wily operators like Anthony Foley, Alan Quinlan, David Wallace and Jim Williams, you know they’re passing their legacy way down the track. Enter Gavin Coombes. The 23-year-old from Skibbereen had a sensational 2020-21 season, being named Munster Player of the Year. He’s a big man, 6ft 6in and around 115kg. A mighty carrier with an appetite to offload, for a young man he has superb spatial awareness. Armed with a professional outlook he says he has modelled on his idol CJ Stander, he underlined his potential by winning his first Ireland caps in July. If there’s one thing that sets Coombes apart from all other No 8s (or No 6s) going into the new United Rugby…

1 MOVE SITTING IN the stand to watch your team under the lights is what rugby is all about, writes nutritionist James Morehen. However, it’s also a time when large amounts of calories can be poured in without even realising it. Beer and rugby go hand in hand but my advice is to leave the watery pints and opt for a bottle of beer instead. Reduce the liquid from a 568ml pint to a 330ml bottle and you substantially reduce the calories and grams of fat consumed. Even better, if you want a drink but want to reduce the calories further, then a clear spirit and mixer is even better at 90kcal – like a gin and slimline tonic. Food-wise, it can be tricky relying on stadium grub. My advice…

The Star Letter winner will receive £20 – let us know your views on the game to be in the running STAR LETTER Relax the eligibility laws World Rugby needs to stop living in the past. The world is a multicultural and multiethnic society, and rugby needs to embrace this and so help the smaller nations grow. Some players have been ‘locked’ by bigger rugby nations who could be released to play for their birthright countries and add to the depth of the game. Other players who have less than a handful of caps are being wasted on the sidelines and will never get international exposure. I propose that people who have represented a country through residency can return to a birth country to represent them and/or players with less…