Maxime Machenaud kicked 17 points as France beat Italy 34-17 at the Velodrome in Marseille on Friday night. MARIETTE ADAMS reports. Coming into the game, France and Italy were winless in the tournament and occupied the two spots at the bottom of the log. Staying true to that form, this fixture failed to transfer into a high-quality clash and yet it… Read more →
England could overtake Ireland at the top of the Six Nations log if they score a big win against Scotland on Saturday, writes JON CARDINELLI. FRANCE vs ITALY (Marseille, Friday, 22:00) France will be desperate to bounce back after losing their first two matches against Ireland and Scotland. They will fancy their chances of securing a bonus-point victory against an… Read more →
France have made five changes to their starting XV for Friday night’s match against Italy in Marseille. Anthony Belleau, Alexandre Lapandry, Arthur Iturria, Felix Lambey, Jonathan Danty, Louis Picamoles, Remi Lamerat and Teddy Thomas were all not considered for selection after breaking a team curfew following France’s defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield. Mathieu Bastareaud returns from his ban for a homophobic… Read more →
France coach Jacques Brunel has dropped eight players from his squad as punishment for inappropriate behaviour during a night out in Edinburgh on Sunday. Fifteen of France’s squad members went out following their defeat to Scotland but the eight who were dropped broke the team curfew. On Tuesday, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) confirmed Brunel decided to axe Anthony Belleau,… Read more →
The Springboks have climbed to fifth in the World Rugby rankings following Wales’ commanding 34-7 win over Scotland in the Six Nations on Saturday. Scotland, South Africa and Wales finished the 2017 season ranked fifth, sixth and seventh. But Wales’ upset win over the Scots in the opening round of the Six Nations earned them a 1.35 rating points increase,… Read more →
Johnny Sexton kicked a drop goal in injury time to steer Ireland to a 15-13 win over France in Paris on Saturday. JON CARDINELLI reports. France are back. The spirited side that put Ireland under pressure at the set pieces and at the breakdowns on Saturday was a far cry from the mob that lost four games against the Springboks… Read more →
England will begin their campaign for a third successive Six Nations title with what should be a comfortable win over Italy on Sunday, writes CRAIG LEWIS. Italy vs England Wily England coach Eddie Jones has attempted to deflect pressure off his team by suggesting that Ireland will head into this season as title favourites, but the fact remains that all… Read more →
Before you make your Superbru picks for this weekend’s Six Nations games, take a look at the SA Rugby magazine team’s predictions. Wales vs Scotland Simon Borchardt: Scotland by 3 Jon Cardinelli: Scotland by 5 Craig Lewis: Scotland by 5 Mariette Adams: Scotland by 7 Juandre Joubert: Wales by 8 France vs Ireland Simon Borchardt: Ireland by 6 Jon Cardinelli: Ireland by 7 Craig Lewis: Ireland… Read more →
Police searched the French Rugby Federation offices on Tuesday as part of an investigation into its president, Bernard Laporte. Laporte is suspected of pressuring the FFR’s appeals committee to reduce a sanction against Montpellier. The French club is owned by businessman Mohed Altrad, who owns the Altrad Group. Laporte was accused of favouritism when it emerged that a company he owns… Read more →
Guy Novès has been sacked as France coach and replaced by Jacques Brunel. Novès was in charge for 21 Tests over the past two years, of which Les Bleus won just seven, lost 13 and drew one. Novès’ assistants, Yannick Bru (forwards) and Jean-Frederic Dubois (backs) have also lost their jobs. ‘I wish it had lasted all the way to [the… Read more →
