Rassie: Marco move could backfire on Boks

Rassie Erasmus admits that picking Marco van Staden at No 8 – and as back-up hooker – for Saturday’s Test against Italy in Turin comes with plenty of risk. Erasmus has made 11 changes to the Springbok starting XV that beat France in Paris. The bench, meanwhile, could...

Rassie rolls squad, not dice, for Italy

Rassie Erasmus’ selection for Italy isn’t about risk, but reward for the Springboks’ growing depth, writes MARK KEOHANE. Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane says Erasmus’s match 23 reflects “reward and trust in the quality of squad players rather than risk.” Only four...

‘Blunt Ireland lack coherence’

Former Ireland fullback Hugo MacNeill says the Irish are”rather flat and lack a cutting edge” going into Saturday’s Test against the Wallabies in Dublin. The game represents a chance for former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt to get the better of his successor Andy Farrell,...

Itoje summons spirit of 2019

Maro Itoje believes England can emulate one of their best performances when they face the All Blacks at Twickenham on Saturday. In 2019, England beat New Zealand 19-7 in a World Cup semi-final to end the then two-time defending champions reign as the global kings of...