Rugby

Rugby headlines for today: England star criticized for choice; former Six Nations leader in line for top position

 The latest rugby headlines from Wales and beyond

Schmidt could join the Wallabies after leaving New Zealand

Schmidt in line for Wallabies job

According to sources, Joe Schmidt, the former coach of Ireland, is a candidate for the open position of head coach of Australia.

The 58-year-old, who won three Six Nations Championships with Ireland between 2013 and 2019, including a Grand Slam, joined the All Blacks as attack coach last year. However, he departed following the World Cup when Scott Robertson was offered the position of head coach.

Rugby Australia is now in the process of selecting a new head coach for the Wallabies and Wallaroos teams, in addition to a new director of high performance, following a challenging year. The women’s squad now has Jo Yapp, a former England captain, as their manager, while the Sydney Morning Herald says Peter Horne is in line to take over as high performance head.

After working together in 2020–2021, Horne, who is presently World Rugby’s high performance director, is tight with Schmidt. According to the magazine, Horne will “be heavily involved in the recruitment of the next Wallabies coach.”

Following Eddie Jones’ resignation after a disappointing World Cup campaign, Australia’s centurion Stephen Larkham, Argentina’s coach Michael Cheika, and former All Blacks manager Ian Foster have all been linked to the position in recent weeks.

In the meanwhile, it appears that Horne will not be selecting former Cardiff coach Billy Millard or former Wallabies captain James Horwill, despite their names being nominated for the high performance director position.

Arundell decision slammed

Chris Ashton, a former England player, has informed Henry Arundell that his decision to remain with Racing 92 and forego participating in the Six Nations the next year was a mistake.

Despite being based in France, the 21-year-old wing’s eligibility to play for England this season was first granted due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the dissolution of his former club, London Irish. However, he must have signed an RFU hybrid contract for the 2024–25 season by the time the Six Nations competition begins in order to play, according to the most recent Professional Game Partnership agreements.

He turned down a contract extension with the French club, effectively putting his international future on hold for three years, even though he was offered a deal that would have seen him sign with Bath.

But Ashton, an England cap winner of 44, thinks the young player’s career will suffer from such a transfer. When asked if Arundell would be better off staying in France, the 36-year-old said, “No way,” to the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast. What makes that advantageous for a player that is 21 years old?

“Henry left Irish to play on the bench, see the Irish team lose, travel to a World Cup, learn a new language in Paris, and play for a team full of famous players. I simply don’t see how doing that at this time is the appropriate course of action. Your career calls for you to do those stuff at certain points.

At that age, he continued, “I needed someone to like properly mentor, spend a lot of time, put a lot of effort into me.” “You require someone who is prepared to devote an absurd amount of time to children at that age. How many players between the ages of 20 and 21 have left their home nation to achieve success?

Flatman hits out at Farrell boo boys

Former England prop David Flatman has blasted Saracens supporters for jeering Owen Farrell during the team’s Pretoria game against the Bulls.

The 32-year-old recently said that he will be giving up playing rugby internationally to save the mental health of himself and his family. To analyst Flatman’s chagrin, he was jeered throughout the weekend’s Champions Cup match.

To get things straight, I have no problem with a little amount of faux sports animosity and booing of opposing players as their names are introduced. That’s OK with me,” he stated on ITV Sport.

However, since you are all internet readers and phone owners, you are all aware of his struggles and his retreat. You should take a day off if there is a designated period for it.

“Everyone who is harassing him on social media and jeering him will have players they look up to who they consider to be amazing and whose viewpoints they respect,” he said.

“You ask those guys who the greatest players are—the players they like to have on their team, the ones they play against, and the players they play with. Because of his exceptional skill, Owen Farrell is likely to rank in the top three or top five of most heroes’ lists.

Since he’s such a lovely guy, I really simply hope he’s okay.

Ryan hails Nienaber influence in La Rochelle triumph

Following Leinster’s incredible 16-9 Champions Cup victory against La Rochelle, James Ryan has praised the influence of new senior coach Jacques Nienaber.

Two weeks ago, the coach of the Springboks, who has won two World Cups, came in the province, and Ryan thinks that everyone could see his impact.

Ryan said on Leinster Rugby TV, “It wasn’t the night to play ‘Leinster rugby.’ We had to play a different kind of rugby.”

“We needed to play smart and had excellent set-piece skills. Luckily, in the end, we accomplished enough.

“I believe your defense will win you the game when you are playing away in France for the Champions Cup.

“Jacques has had a significant influence since joining. It was fantastic; the boys took tremendous pleasure in standing up for one another in the field.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button