#Tommy Freeman

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…

The RFU are set to give head coach Steve Borthwick the go-ahead to name a New England captain for the 2023 Six Nations. The new boss spent seven years as predecessor Eddie Jones' right-hand man for both Japan and England before becoming director of rugby at Leicester Tigers. He prefers to keep a low profile, which could make some aspects of the…

A 19-point Santiago Carreras fly-half masterclass led Gloucester to an impressive 34-19 win over Northampton Saints on Saturday night. Jack Singleton's early try was cancelled out by a quick-fire Tommy Freeman double that put the Saints in front. But Chris Harris and Santiago Carreras responded with tries of their own to give the cherry and whites…

Bath Rugby tighthead prop Will Stuart will start his fourth consecutive Test for England as the club's only representative in the matchday 23 to face Australia in the series decider at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. Bath's giant wing Joe Cokanasiga misses out on selection while Northampton captain Lewis Ludlam replaces the concussed Sam…

Given the short timescale England have to turn around their Barbarian mauling into lessons learned for both selection and tactics, Eddie Jones is likely to go with a team of tried and trusted but with a little seasoning from a couple of the more effective players from last weekend's match. Courtney Lawes is his biggest headache; Lawes professes he…

ENGLAND take on Australia in a must-win game on Saturday morning (10:55am UK time) in Brisbane for the second of their three match series. England go into the game 1-0 down in the series following the 30-28 defeat in Perth last weekend. Last weekend's defeat was the first time that England had lost to the Wallabies in nine matches, spanning a seven…

South Africa's Autumn International Series 27-13 demolition of England on Saturday at Twickenham was a brutal reality check for English rugby. England were completely dominated in every department. To further compound what was one of the worst displays by an England rugby team in many a year, the Springboks were down to 14 men going into the final…

Henry Arundell added a different dimension to England's attack from the bench in the first Test Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Australia v England in the second Test on Saturday. Sky Sports Action, 10.55am Saturday England 1pt 7-5 Betfair, BoyleSports All the numbers in last week's first Test in Perth should have added up to a win for…

Max Malins (left) and Alex Goode feature in Saracens' high-quality backline Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Saracens v Northampton in the Premiership. ITV & BT Sport 1, 12.15pm Sunday Saracens -6 1pt 10-11 general Two in-form teams meet at the Stonex Stadium on Sunday and Saracens are seven-point favourites to keep up their 100 per cent…

Northampton's George Furbank in action Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Harlequins v Northampton in the Premiership on Sunday. BT Sport 1, 3pm Sunday Northampton-Harlequins double result 1pt 5-1 general The first few weeks of the Premiership have been a crazy time of big scores and astonishing fightbacks, and in a desperately difficult…

Premiership final hero Freddie Burns is back for Leicester Free rugby tips, best bets and analysis for Northampton v Leicester in the Premiership on Saturday. BT Sport 1, 3pm Saturday Leicester -1 2pts Evs bet365 Leicester beat their East Midlands rivals Northampton three times last season including a 27-14 success in the playoff semi-finals, and…

We were treated to a stunning spectacle of rugby last weekend which saw all four Southern Hemisphere nations take the chocolates, while France was the only team from up north to collect a win. With several series on the line can England, Ireland or Wales fight their way to victory in Game 2? Read on for all the line-ups and key team news as it…

Competition: Gallagher Premiership Date and kick-off time: Friday, September 9, 2022, 7.45pm Venue: AJ Bell Stadium Weather forecast: 18c, showers Live coverage: PRTV Live Referee: Tom Foley Sale Sharks: L James; Roebuck, S James, Tuilagi, O'Flaherty; R du Preez, Warr; McIntyre, van der Merwe, Schonert; Wiese, Postlethwaite; JL du Preez, B Curry…