Iain Balshaw’s glitz at Biarritz isn't catching Johno's eye

My Life in Rugby with Chris Catling - The England A, Gloucester, Exeter, Worcester, Beziers & Amatori Catania full-back talks about his time in the game I'VE been a long time retired so when I come across people in work now, and I tell them in conversation that I used to play professional rugby, those that are interested sometimes go away and…

England v Fiji England to Win Both Halves Marcus Smith Anytime Tryscorer, Owen Farrell to Score 12+ points, Any Fiji player yellow carded & England to Win France v South Africa Thomas Ramos to score 10+ points and France to Win France to Score 1+ Try in Each Half *All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are…

MARSEILLE, France -- Marcelo Bosch is weighing up the nature of sporting underdogs and how this mentality will aid Argentina in their Rugby World Cup quarterfinal with Wales on Saturday. It's mid-morning in Marseille, the calm before the storm of the weekend's quarterfinal matches, and he's been speaking non-stop for the best part of an hour about…

Fresh from their 150th anniversary friendly match in midweek, the SportsLens layers have been having a bit of fun looking at what odds England and Scotland would be if they joined the English Premier League. Thanks to strikes from Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, England weren't left with haggis on their face in their latest clash…

In the second of our two-part series of features explaining the glorious game of rugby, we look at Santa Monica's local team, the Dolphins plus some of the teams and players to watch in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Four years ago, in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final hosted by Japan, England played one of the worst games in English rugby history, which…

In a cut-throat World Cup, the Wallabies can thank the rugby gods for their relatively soft landing in Pool C alongside Wales, Georgia, Fiji and Portugal. After five straight defeats, Eddie Jones's side badly needs a confidence boost, which should come quickly with their first pool match against lowly Georgia next Saturday in Paris. However, there…

10. Owen Farrell (England and Saracens) (Captain) After much deliberation, we have decided to pick Saracens talisman Owen Farrell to lead the line at fly half. There are three viable options from England alone, as Borthwick juggles with the Farrell-Smith-Ford conundrum. Wales' best offer for the number 10 jersey is experienced halfback Dan Biggar,…

England's Under-20 World Championship campaign is over following Sunday's 52-31 semi-final loss to France, but there have been enough promising performances for Steve Borthwick to be excited about the future talent coming off the conveyor belt. This year's championship in South Africa is the first edition of the tournament since the pandemic, and…

Two former Otago rugby players are on the verge of something special in France. Otago Daily Times sports editor HaydenMeikle tracks down Tony Ensor and Gavin Stark for a chat. You do not have to look hard in French or Japanese rugby to find players with links to Otago. Throw a dart and odds are you will find a fringe Highlanders prop or an…

When the Waratahs struck injury problems with front-rowers early this season, the chance to sign Nephi Leatigaga from England's Leicester Tigers looked like good business. A 29-year-old prop with six Test caps for Samoa, Leatigaga spent the past eight years packing down in scrum-loving leagues in France and England, and was looking to move back…

Auch, according to the table - and esteem - should win at a canter. But things somehow never quite work out like that in France. At half-time, just as with Saint-Jean-de-Luz's victory over Anglet a week before in the same league, there is a scrap. The crowd - notwithstanding their allegiances - are incandescent and, no matter the outcome of the…

With four days to go before Ireland's showdown with England at the Aviva Stadium, here's today's Six Nations diary. Marcus Smith might be wearing splinters this weekend but he is also pleading for his squad not to splinter after their record humiliation against France. Andy Farrell's son Owen is expected to return to the side after enigmatic…

How Jonny Wilkinson killed off'Le Crunch' In August 2012 I spent a day in Toulon observing Jonny Wilkinson conduct a mentoring masterclass with two young British players, part of a now defunct project called the Jaguar Academy of Sport. The two tyros were Matthew Screech and Jack Walker, both of whom have been capped by Wales and England in recent…

The final quarterfinal matchup sees World Cup holders France face England. This clash of high-level attacking talent will no doubt be compelling - and our World Cup picks expect an upset. Saturday's late World Cup game is the finale of the quarterfinals, with England vs. France facing off. It's set up to be a classic, with a young and exciting…

The World Cup quarter-finals continue on Saturday and our tipster Jones Knows takes to the prediction chair to dig out some juicy betting angles. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Even a cynical old goat like me is getting rather giddy over this fixture. A game of a lifetime, indeed. I'm always reluctant to play the over…

Manchester City winger Phil Foden has backed England team-mate Jude Bellingham to become the world's best midfielder amid a sensational 2022 World Cup. The 19-year-old recorded his latest eye-catching display alongside Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson in midfield in Sunday's 3-0 last-16 win against Senegal. Bellingham has become one of Europe's…

57th minute: Bukayo Saka scores England's third goal following some great work by Phil Foden. It was a composed finish, but most of the credit belongs to Foden. The Manchester City man excelled. England 3-0 That Harry Kane's first goal of the tournament made him England's eighth different goalscorer in just four matches is a great sign. This…

We continue our look at EPCR Challenge Cup Pool B contenders with a profile of Stade Français Paris. EPCR Challenge Cup record Stade Français have won the tournament once - in 2017, when they beat Gloucester Rugby 25-17 in the final at BT Murrayfield. They have also finished runners-up twice - in 2011, when they were edged out 19-18 by Harlequins…

I am interested to see who makes this England starting eleven on Monday. Yes, Newcastle United is my first, second, third…priority, but when the tournaments come around, I do take an interest. I know for some of you, you are keen to say you won't be watching any of this Qatar World Cup and especially the national side. Well, I don't see it that…

Love letters are not my forte. English, male, emotionally constipated; do I need to draw you a diagram? I suspect not. I did once write a tear-stained billet-doux to George Best when he got sent off at Chelsea but, in fairness, I was only seven. The Valentine card to Halle Berry when I was 47 was, I admit, less excusable but no less heartfelt. No…

French rugby points to England's broken system as the gulf between the Top 14 and ProD2 widens The Gallagher Premiership featured in Monday's editorial in Midi Olympique and not in a good way. France's rugby newspaper highlighted the plight of Bath, thrashed 64-0 by Gloucester last weekend, as a warning for their domestic game. The reaction in…

Former France scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili says that'revolution' has always been part of the French psyche as talk of unrest and rebellion at their current training base in Kumamoto prompts memories of the rallying drive towards the World Cup final in 2011 when Les Bleus went from pool-stage ignominy to coming within a couple of points of toppling…

The Rugby World Cup has finally arrived and it is time to place your bets on this year's tournament. There is one overarching consideration to bear in mind when thinking about your portfolio and that involves New Zealand. Do you believe that the mighty All Blacks can become the first side to defend the trophy? If so how do you maximise your…

The odds are in England's favour on Saturday, not just because of this season's Six Nations form but because of results in'Le Crunch' over the last ten years. Bear in mind it's a decade in which England have rarely touched greatness but they've still won seven of the last ten competitive matches versus France, and it's now ten years since the…

Ireland boss Andy Farrell insists under-fire England remain capable of representing one of the ultimate tests in world rugby ahead of a tantalising Twickenham showdown. Farrell's in-form side are odds-on favourites for a fifth successive victory over their rivals to stay on course for back-to-back Guinness Six Nations Grand Slams following…