Tag Archives: eddie jones

Why not?

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Sam Roberts

63 minutes and 47 seconds on the clock; Marcus Smith beats the floor with his fist. He has knocked the ball on attempting to keep a move alive. A move that had swept towards the All Blacks’ try line like … Continue reading →

Posted in rugby, Uncategorized | Tagged All Blacks, Autumn Internationals, eddie jones, england, england rugby, harlequins, Marcus Smith, maro itoje, new zealand rugby, owen farrell, rfu, rugby, Rugby union, Rugby World Cup 2023, twickenham | Leave a comment

Just desserts

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Sam Roberts

Do England and the RFU have the coach they deserve? Having pardoned mediocrity before, can they really be surprised it has turned up at their door again? In Eddie Jones they have someone who is wonderfully evasive and difficult to … Continue reading →

Posted in rugby | Tagged aviva premiership, eddie jones, england, england rugby, rugby, Rugby union, RWC 2023 | 1 Comment

The spectral sceptre

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Sam Roberts

Please click this link to read this piece on RugbyPass It was telling that two individual moments of brilliance were all that England could proffer in Paris. Against a defence fatigued by work already done, England’s Jonny May jinked forth … Continue reading →

Posted in rugby, Sport | Tagged eddie jones, england rugby, nigel owens, owen farrell, rfu, Rugby union, six nations, twickenham | 1 Comment

The heartbreakingly simple truth

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Sam Roberts

Read my words on the heartbreaking Rugby World Cup final for RugbyPass

Posted in rugby, Sport | Tagged eddie jones, england, england rugby, Rugby union, Rugby World Cup 2019, rugby world cup final, South African Rugby | 1 Comment

From Twickenham, with love

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Sam Roberts

So, there we go. The World Cup is on. England are a very good team and they can go to Japan full of hope and expectation. God help them. These things are always better when they sneak up on you. … Continue reading →

Posted in rugby, Sport | Tagged eddie jones, england, england rugby, france rugby, guinness six nations, Japan, Rugby World Cup 2019, six nations | Leave a comment

Alacritous England end Ireland’s reign

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Sam Roberts

“If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well it were done quickly…” Macbeth, Act I, Scene VII. Alacrity is a lovely word. And few better sum up the way England set about Ireland in the opening round of … Continue reading →

Posted in rugby, Sport | Tagged eddie jones, england rugby, ireland rugby, rugby, Rugby union, six nations | Leave a comment

Anatomy of a feint No.3

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Sam Roberts

Sam Underhill’s running style is distinct. Indeed, it isn’t really a run, it’s a scamper. His shoulders are hunched, his body compact, perhaps from all of those lung puncturing tackles he makes. As he gallops, his head is pushed slightly … Continue reading →

Posted in rugby, Sport | Tagged All Blacks, eddie jones, england, england rugby, new zealand rugby, rugby, Rugby union, Sam Underhill | Leave a comment

Old Eddie and the Sea

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Sam Roberts

It was a test match of which Ernest Hemingway would have approved. A trial of colossal strength, of titanic willpower. The American loved his bloodsports, loved to see men arm-wrestle for hours on end, and Saturday afternoon had two heavyweights … Continue reading →

Posted in rugby, Sport | Tagged Autumn Internationals, eddie jones, england, england rugby, owen farrell, rugby, South African Rugby, twickenham | Leave a comment

It’s a mad world…

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Sam Roberts

It’s a mad world my masters. Now, more than ever. And to prove it so, European Rugby was comprehensive in its lunacy. The sublime and the ridiculous; the mundane and the daft. If you had any reason to doubt how … Continue reading →