WRW FRIDAY: HIGH NOON (PLUS 30) FOR TIGERS
A place in the Challenge Cup last four is a distinct possibility
TEAMS ARE IN
This is one game I am looking forward to seeing, possibly more than any other game this season.
The refereeing authorities have seen fit to bring in two international referees in Poite, Barnes and last year’s Premiership Final ref Maxwell-Keys for this one…so after the events of two weeks ago, they’re not travelling light-handed.
Newcastle are unchanged from their decent win at Ospreys and may well be rather motivated for their second trip to Welford Road in a fortnight. With similar opportunities to their first visit and a little more confidence, a different result is far from impossible.
Not so for Leicester who make half a dozen changes from the win over Connacht. Youngs gets their second week’s rest in line with RFU commitments, Ford and Genge still have one to rest up for. However, the ambition of this selection is again hugely encouraging.
Heyes, Henderson and Martin return with Reffell restored (half the Leicester pack will be aged 21 or below) and then comes a bench so heavyweight they need to add extra girders in support. 5 internationals there with potentially three more of the future in Wiese, Van Poortvliet and Kelly….and wouldn’t suggest Newcastle’s bench is weak either. Keep your eyes peeled in the last 20.
(If you’re wondering, that’s 290 caps on the Tigers bench for tomorrow.)
If you missed any of last week’s action by the way, can I recommend EPCR’s Challenge Cup Show, which in a handy 12 minute bite-size chunk, includes all of the tries from last weekend plus player interviews.
CHAMPIONSHIP IS BACK
The Championship is back after an Easter break…and there’s quite a game on at the Mennaye on Saturday.
Ealing, who sailed through their first four games scoring an average of nearly 60 points, won’t be doing that this weekend at Cornish Pirates (1.30pm) where of course Saracens came unstuck on opening day.
The other unbeaten side Doncaster make the flight to putative Lions training base Jersey Reds, for a Saturday kick-off (2.30pm) - one week before they host Saracens.
As for everyone’s favourite team in black, (see below) expect some impact now that the men’s Six Nations is over.
Saracens host Bedford at Sunday lunchtime, with only the 9 internationals in the team. (1pm)
HUNTER’S BACK TOO
(C) Six Nations
Welcome back Sarah Hunter, the Loughborough Lightning backrower and England captain, returns for her 124th cap against Italy in Parma (2pm, BBC iPlayer). This is after a thumping start against Scotland.
It is an extraordinary comeback for Hunter from an injury that would flummox any of us.
“It was probably the hardest injury I’ve ever had because nobody knew what it was,” said Hunter, who was excluded from the 54-0 win over Italy that sealed the England Grand Slam last November due to hamstring strain.
“I went to different specialists, I had a lot of MRI’s, a lot of tests, electrical tests, all kinds of different things. You were going on a date hoping to get an answer and there was no answer.
“I lost the power in my hand and it affected everyday things like tying my shoelaces, holding things, eating. They start having conversations with you about your long-term day-to-day life, which is very true, but obviously as a rugby player it gets pretty worrying because then you think, ‘What’s going on? What if you don’t play rugby?'”
Wales play Ireland in Saturday’s other game (5pm).
NADOLO JUNIOR
Northampton Saints can also today confirm that English-qualified back row Duane Ratu Willemsen, 20, has signed a Senior Academy contract.
The 6’6”, 128kg forward – cousin of Fiji international Nemani Nadolo – grew up Down Under and holds an Australian passport. He represented New South Wales at age-group level in both rugby union and basketball, and most recently enjoyed a stint in rugby league with the NRL’s St George Illawarra Dragons.
Willemsen landed in Northampton last week, and has now begun training with the first-team squad after observing a quarantine period upon his arrival in the UK.
One other bit of news - Tigers U18 are due to play a friendly versus Gloucester on May 1st at Loughborough under the modified rules brought in under Covid-19. More fixture announcements to come in due course, no doubt.
QUICK HITS
I imagine most of us would be happy to use one of these, but what if you’re pregnant or can’t wear a mask….would you feel discriminated? I’m not sure how it could NOT be discriminatory, personally…..views welcome. Remember to leave a comment, there’s a button further below.
Look out for at least one familiar face making his full debut for London Irish in tonight’s Challenge Cup Quarter-Final:
Keep some room free in your diary just in case at around 5pm on Sunday:
🚨The draws for the semi-finals of the #HeinekenChampionsCup and the #ChallengeCupRugby will take place on Sunday (April 11) after the quarter-finals. Everything you need to know 🔽 epcrugby.com/2021/04/07/hei…
RUNNING FROM DEEP
Rugby is great at mining its usual sources for rugby talent, aka the big public schools and other sports, but to see Delon Armitage setting up his own academy in one of the more built-up areas of South West London, is very encouraging. This, from the Daily Mail, is what he encountered coming through for state FE college, Richmond College:
For years, Castlecroft — near Wolverhampton — was the RFU’s base for youth and schools rugby. Armitage was invited after impressing for Richmond College in the Daily Mail Schools Trophy. The best of England’s other regions were there too.
‘Bring a gumshield, shoulder pads, boots,’ the letter read. ‘And for after the game, your school uniform.’ The snag? Richmond College didn’t wear one. So he packed jeans and a college hoodie made by his teacher.
‘Everyone was obviously wearing a school uniform and it was kind of awkward,’ he remembers. ‘Everyone was giggling and making fun.’
…..
Rugby has made huge efforts to remove its elitist shackles — 22 of England’s 2019 World Cup squad went to state secondary schools between 11 and 15; Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler have been held up as examples of this more inclusive, diverse era. ‘Two guys in how many million kids who want to play rugby, who want that opportunity? It’s brilliant that those boys are getting chances but I’m more about the other kids,’ he says. ‘I’d like to think it’s changed and that a lot more in my situation have come through. But what I’ve seen is they’ve mainly got scholarships. So the others who didn’t... I’m guessing they quit rugby. Before Covid we were losing a lot anyway.’
World Rugby statistics suggest participation in England fell by nearly 30,000 from 2016 to 2018. Scotland shed more than a quarter of its players. Armitage, who spent part of his youth in France, almost quit rugby after failing to make an academy there. ‘I don’t want them to give up,’ he says. ‘I’m not here to change the world, to make every kid get a scholarship — you can’t.’
For record, every sport is struggling for participation right now. But…
Don’t go believing in QAnon please and clearly, some stories are more important than others but here’s another example of how sometimes, what is claimed in otherwise anodyne media statements isn’t always strictly true.
This new information from Guernsey's government contradicts an earlier statement from the Director of Public Health, which was sent to media, detailing the arrangements which had been put in place.
Gatland, who visited to view the island's sports facilities, was not required to isolate unlike the majority of other arrivals to Guernsey.
Enjoy the weekend. See you on Monday..
Chris