Muller & Payne return to XV for Edinburgh

Posted on Mar 21, 2013 in Ulster

Ulster Head Coach, Mark Anscombe, has made seven changes to the Ulster side for Friday night’s RaboDirect PRO12 game against Edinburgh at Murrayfield (Kick Off 7:30pm).

Captain, Johann Muller, is selected for the first time since February and he is joined in the second row by Lewis Stevenson. Dan Tuohy has been named in the back row alongside Mike McComish and Robbie Diack, who have been retained from the team which drew with Treviso on 1st March. John Afoa has switched back to his regular tight head prop position, with Tom Court at loose head and Rob Herring at hooker.

Jared Payne will line up at full back for the first time since the beginning of January and is joined in the back three by Andrew Trimble and Michael Allen. Paul Marshall is another returning player and he will be partnered at half back by fellow Irish cap Paddy Jackson. Stuart Olding, who has scored twice in his last two games for the Province, will again combine with Darren Cave in midfield.

Nick Williams and Peter Nelson have returned from injury and are named among the replacements. They are joined on the bench by Niall Annett, Michael Heaney, Callum Black, Ali Birch and Ricky Andrew.

Game will be televised on BBC NI red button and online at www.bbc.co.uk.

Ulster XV replacements to face Edinburgh, RaboDirect PRO12, Murrayfield, Friday 22nd March 2013 (kick off 19.30)

(15-9): J. Payne, A Trimble, D Cave, S Olding, M Allen, P Jackson, P Marshall;

(1-8): T Court, R Herring, J Afoa, J Muller, L Stevenson, D Tuohy, M McComish, R Diack;

Replacements (16-23): N Annett, C Black, R Lutton, N Williams, A Birch, M Heaney, R Andrew, P Nelson.

Jason Robinson talks about England disappointment

Posted on Mar 19, 2013 in England

By Paul Smith, Sportsbeat: World Cup winner Jason Robinson has warned Stuart Lancaster he must make his beaten England side a stronger attacking force.

Robinson, who scored in the victorious 2003 World Cup Final and was also part of the last England team to claim a Six Nations Grand Slam in the same year, was left bitterly disappointed by his country’s defeat to Wales in Saturday’s championship decider in Cardiff.

Wales were 30-3 victors, as Alex Cuthbert scored two tries while England could respond only through a solitary Owen Farrell penalty.

As well as losing the Six Nations title and missing out on a Grand Slam, Lancaster’s men have been criticised for scoring just one try in the last four games of the championship, and Robinson insists improvements are needed.

“It’s a horrible statistic to have only scored one try in the last four games,” said the man nicknamed ‘Billy Whizz’ who scored 30 tries for England. “The days of just turning up and relying upon a good set-piece and penalties to get you goals are long gone.

“If you want to win the big prizes you have got to have a team that can create something.

“Failure is part of success and sometimes you have to go through these things to make you stronger.

“England and Stuart Lancaster made a massive turnaround but in order to really kick on we need to get this attacking side to our game right.

“As an ex-player who loved to take people on, that is what I want to see more from the England team.”

Rugby World Cup winner and British & Irish Lions legend Jason Robinson is an HSBC ambassador. Jason was attending Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens tournament running special coaching clinics for participating schools courtesy of HSBC. For more information visit www.rpns7.co.uk

Croft shocked at England recall

Posted on Jan 14, 2013 in emb, England

By Paul Smith, Sportsbeat: Returning England flanker Tom Croft admits his recall to the national squad after an eight-month injury layoff came as a shock – but his Six Nations participation remains in doubt.

The Leicester Tigers ace suffered a broken neck following a mistimed tackle on former England team-mate Nick Easter during an Aviva Premiership clash against Harlequins last April.

After his recovery took longer than expected, the 27-year-old returned to action for the Tigers in a Premiership clash with Worcester Warriors at the start of January and he has now been named in Stuart Lancaster’s elite player squad for next month’s Six Nations campaign.

However, Croft insists he is only concentrating on getting more match action under his belt with his club, and revealed that if he features in England’s Six Nations campaign at all, it will only be during the very late stages.

"After eight months out with my neck injury, and only playing 50 minutes of rugby, it is quite a shock to be involved," said Croft on his England recall.

"Obviously the back row is a highly contested area in English rugby so to be kept in the squad is massive, but I won’t be rushing back.

"I need to get the injury right first to make sure I am fit enough and at the right level to play for my country.

"I won’t be available for the first few games and I’m probably looking more at the back end, if at all.

"The most important thing is getting back playing for Leicester and getting back to how I was playing prior to injury. England is blessed with a lot of depth in the back row so those boys will be playing and if I regain any sort of form it is then up to the coaches to decide when to put me in."

SSE has launched Rugby Energy, supporting community rugby clubs by giving them advice on saving money on their energy bills. To kick start 2013 SSE are offering clubs £10,000 worth of kit. For your chance to WIN just register on www.SSERugby.com and find out how your club can start benefitting.

England Women’s Six Nations 2013 fixtures confirmed

Posted on Jan 11, 2013 in England Women

England Women will play Scotland, France and Italy at home this year in the Six Nations championship, with Esher RFC and Twickenham Stadium hosting the reigning Grand Slam champions.

The seven times winners will open their championship campaign against Scotland at Esher RFC on February 2, kick off 2pm, before their first away game against Ireland at Ashbourne Rugby Club a week later.

Twickenham Stadium awaits England on February 23rd, when the Grand Slam winners take on fierce rivals France on the big stage, (720pm). Rugby fans can watch the match for free with free entry to the stadium after the men’s RBS 6 Nations clash against France. The game will also be broadcast live on the BBC.

England will then return to Esher RFC  on March 9th to take on Italy, kick off 1pm, before their final game of the campaign at Aberavon RFC against Wales on March 17th, 230pm.

Rugby fans will also be able to watch England Women take on Scotland and Italy live on www.rfu.com/englandwomenlive whilst tickets for these games are available from www.ticketmaster.co.ukfrom Tuesday January 15th.

England head into this year’s tournament as defending champions but with 17 players involved in England’s Rugby World Cup Sevens training squad Head Coach Gary Street is set to field a very different squad to the side that defeated the world champions, New Zealand, in the autumn.

Lichfield No. 8 Sarah Hunter will captain England with Katy McLean involved with England Sevens, and Hunter commentated: “Every Six Nations is a special tournament and I am always filled with excitement to play in the championship. But certainly this season it is going to be tougher than ever. We will be without several regular starters; players like Margaret Alphonsi, Emily Scarratt and Heather Fisher so that is going to present us with a very different challenge.

“However, I think it is going to be a very exciting challenge. We have shown over the last few years that we do have real depth in this England squad and this season’s Six Nations championship will be a real chance for some of the less experienced or younger players to show what they can do. It could certainly be our toughest Six Nations ever but I am relishing getting our campaign started and captaining this new-look England squad.”

School of Hard Knocks

Posted on Nov 7, 2012 in English Rugby

By Paul Smith, Sportsbeat: RUGBY is being used as a vehicle to drive young out of work adults to seek employment.

The School of Hard Knocks programme, backed by the likes of England’s World Cup winner Will Greenwood and ex-Wales captain Scott Quinnell, is currently in Croydon aiming to help up to 25 unemployed over-18s back into work.

The charity – whose work is televised by Sky Sports – uses expert rugby coaches to get those on the programme playing sport, before going into the classroom to educate them on trying to find a job.

"We believe at School of Hard Knocks that one of the best ways to teach people responsibility and motivate them, give them a bit of steel in the backbone, is to get them to play rugby," said the charity’s CEO Ken Cowen.

"So we use rugby as a vehicle for helping these guys into work. We are pushing them quite hard.

"In this climate there are people who are really well qualified with a fantastic CV and a great track record in terms of employment history and they are competing with them for jobs.

"If they don’t massively step-up in terms of the amount of applications they are making they are not going to get work."

One of those taking part in Croydon is 25-year-old Jamal Campbell who is hoping for a career in the media industry.

"I didn’t know how it was going to be because I had never played rugby before," he said.

"But it has been brilliant. If I get a job I would recommend anyone to do it if they are unemployed."

School of Hard Knocks is a social inclusion programme, tackling unemployment and social disengagement through sport. Visit www.schoolofhardknocks.org.uk to find out more.