#Joe Launchbury

With Steve Borthwick set to announce his chosen 36-man squad on Monday morning, former England number eight and ex-Worcester Warriors defence coach Nick Easter spends a morning playing selector, with balance and Premiership form at the top of his thinking. "Borthwick's first England side is obviously a key selection," Easter said. "The simple truth…

It's been a year when disciplinary decisions have been in the spotlight like never before. We've had the Joe Marler gypsy-boy row, Argentine assaults, a vicious hit on a female referee and a suspension following a bizarre incident in an airport toilet cubicle! Rugby correspondent Simon Thomas looks back on these and the players who picked up bans…

The Champions Cup gets under way this weekend, with the competition continuing with the format it adopted last year due to Covid. In this format, there are 24 teams in the competition split into two pools. Each team plays two sides, home and away, from their side of the draw. The top 16 sides, eight from each pool, will progress into the round of…

Bottom of the pile last season but with Johann van Graan's arrival comes a degree of optimism that things will improve. At the very least supporters can expect more commitment than was shown in the humiliating defeat by Gloucester in April and in Chris Cloete, Dave Attwood and Quinn Roux, the South African coach has added some heft to his forwards.…

Several lively debates are raging around English rugby. Some reckon the national team are starting to plateau and, despite a striking win-loss ratio under Eddie Jones, could be vulnerable to a chilly blast of reality at Murrayfield on Saturday. Others argue that is nonsense and insist world domination is imminent. By Saturday evening the truth…