🎙️🆕 Harlequins 🃏 Ruck special Times Sport

Come down to Guildford to hear from Quins before the #BigSummerKickOff

🃏Chandler Cunningham-South
🃏Cadan Murley
🃏Danny Wilson
🃏CEO Laurie Dalrymple

Stay for a top ✈️ 🍺 story! Alex Lowe 📰 Alfred Reynolds
open.spotify.com/episode/1vd2LA…

Phil Dowson on the RFU's new England contracts:

December 1: 'The DoRs are meeting to find out where we are with the RFU. The sooner it is sorted the better. Rugby needs direction.'

April 23: 'I've had no more clarity since the last time we spoke, which feels like months ago.'

Very reasonable ticket pricing for Wales games in November. They might lose all three but good value nonetheless given the opposition of RWC darlings Fiji and RWC champs SA, plus a potential Aussie revival under Joe Schmidt.

England newcomer Maddie Feaunati is standing on the shoulders of giants, inspired both by her father’s story and the pioneers of women’s rugby as she carves her own reputation with Red Roses.

England v Ireland at Twickenham. 2.15pm kick off.

thetimes.co.uk/article/6b6422…

England newcomer Maddie Feaunati is standing on the shoulders of giants, inspired both by her father’s story and the pioneers of women’s rugby as she carves her own reputation with Red Roses.

50k expected for Eng v Ire at Twickenham on Saturday.

1/3

thetimes.co.uk/article/6b6422…

Congratulations to The #PressAwards Daily Newspaper of the Year category winner The Times and The Sunday Times

Fascinated by these prediction models.

E.g. How do you groove in the Finn Factor for Bath? A 'significant' groin injury means his season is in the balance - and Orlando Bailey playing 10 v Exe & Sarries most likely.

Does that swing it again?!

More on Finn Times Sport later

🎙️ The Ruck podcast 🎙️

'If Faz wanted to take me, I'd bite his hand off.'

Will Kelleher talks to Adam Jones about his Lions coaching hopes and reviews the Champions Cup games with Alex Lowe 📰, Will Kelleher, Alan Dymock and Alfred Reynolds.

shows.acast.com/theruck/episod…

👀😬

Jordie Barrett will join Leinster in December on a six month deal.

Interesting one here in the Exeter game - each game they choose 2 non-playing players to watch the game and make notes on what they are seeing. They feed this into the attack coach before coaches meet with players. Great way to build team culture. Bernard Jackman

It’s not hard to see why Jack Willis is loving life in Toulouse. The fans chant his name and the team play some scintillating rugby.

🗣️“Before you know it he’s into it, shouting, the vein in his neck popping. Then we have a little laugh about it & he says, ‘Sorry, lads, I need to calm down a bit.’ ”

Jack Nowell takes Times Sport us into life with La ROGchelle, the Île de Ré & in 🇫🇷
thetimes.co.uk/article/6ef524…

Winning in Toulouse would be the most impressive Exeter result ever

One player is set to make Champions Cup history, Will Skelton has been an awfully-nice bloke, and which Fijian is storming the Challenge Cup?

Read my Times Sport hype piece ⬇️
thetimes.co.uk/article/64870c…

‘We’re not an after-school club. We’re there every week because what these young people don’t need are people who turn up just once then leave.

‘They’ve had that all their lives, which is why they are where they are’

I've fallen down a massive rabbit hole in the Rugby World archive, looking at covers – and there are some absolute crackers.

Here's a thread of a few starting with a flying Johnno in 97 (you can subscribe to the archive here themagazinearchive.com/rugby-world-di…)

Lift the bloody oversees ban! Get a “minimum cap rule” in place and let the boys play! 🤪