James While

Streamlined competition would begin with a two-legged round of 16 leading into quarter-finals played over three successive weekends followed by semi-finals and a final both played at a neutral venue @danscho1 has more ⤵️ telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/20…

@A_Dan_Rainbow Apparently around 127kgs now.

George Martin looks even bigger and more violent. If he stays fit Sarries pack is going to be horrible to play against next year

@omgsidewalks Freda.

I'm looking for a ridiculously old-fashioned girl's name for our new born . Think great-grandma name. Very old and rare. Any suggestions asap pls?

How on earth does Rassie keep getting another cycle out of his older players? It is remarkable. Fourie, Steyn, Brits... planetrugby.com/news/rassies-r…

The best form scrum half in the world currently - the debate will be settled on Saturday in Bilbao And it'll be the bald guy. #LeiVUBB #investecchampionscup #lucu #jgp planetrugby.com/news/maxime-lu…

Rugby’s at war. The Rebels’ case against Rugby Australia is on NOW. It’s being streamed. It’s ugly. It puts rugby in a position it shouldn’t be. Ex-ARU CEO Gary Flowers - a former managing director at a law firm - said RA needed to settle. They haven’t, yet. His comment 👇🏼

So grateful to wake up this morning to the news that my photograph from the Bordeaux Toulouse game has won the Investec Champions Cup “Out of the Ordinary” Photograph of the Year. 📸🏉

Max Ojomoh being left out of Borthwick’s latest England training squad feels a strange one. How do you go from man of the match v Argentina six months ago to not making a large England squad? England’s biggest issue in the Six Nations, apart from defence, wasn’t getting into the opposition 22, it was finishing once they got there. Four defeats, plenty of pressure, not enough points. So leaving out a player who creates tries, scores tries and passes the eye test feels odd. Clearly Steve Borthwick is measuring players against very specific metrics and standards behind the scenes, and whatever they are, Ojomoh hasn’t ticked enough boxes. But from the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand. Sometimes rugby people overcomplicate what’s in front of them. Ojomoh looks good enough. More than good enough, actually.

We are saddened to learn that Scotland Rugby great Scott Hastings has passed away. Hastings earned 65 caps for his country and toured twice with the British & Irish Lions in 1989 and 1993. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time, as well as everyone connected to Scotland Rugby.

My toughest day as a professional. No excuses from our side; we know how much work there is to be done. Thank you to our loyal supporters 🐻

@RucksSake Have you taken into consideration prem final demands for SA game?

So this is my thoughts on what Borthwick should do in July. They should split the squad a little so they don't lose all 3 whilst also blooding some others. Martin, Curry and Pepper kept home for one test. They won't have to take a huge squad abroad for two tests.

Mad dash to see Sarries today Itoje, Willis, Earl & McFarland huge Another perfectly timed run in from McCall’s men planetrugby.com/news/saracens-…

I’m sorry but that’s appalling Itoje almost decapitated- clear & obvious no card, no penalty Then ironically Itoje goes marginally offside and gets a yellow. Disgraceful.

Val Rapava-Ruskin is the Don Felder of English rugby. A talent the people in the building always recognise, a talent the men with the keys never quite let near the main stage. Some players play arenas, some play their brilliance to bar staff. The Kingsholm bar staff, at least tonight, knew exactly what they were watching.

Super Rugby round 12 teams: Waratahs double down on Suaalii position ahead of do-or-die clash, key Wallabies back nine.com.au/sport/rugby/su…

@Rugby_Scoop @WorldRugby @ChampionsCup @URCOfficial_RSA @URCOfficial @SuperRugbyNZ What on earth has this got to do with World Rugby?

#RugbyScoop | TRUST, RUGBY IS LOSING ITS TRUST (longish read) The game is losing its trust and honesty at all levels. @WorldRugby has allowed this circus to continue for far too long. Fans are losing trust in the system's transparency. I can go back to the Rugby World Cup Final 2023, where the main topics were Savea’s penalty (which Wayne Barnes apologised for mid-game without reversing it, gifting the Boks an easy 3 points BUT were willing to go back to a knock on from a Line Out which NZ scored after multiple phases) and the high shots by Siya and Cane judged differently. Yes, I am familiar with officiating having Low degree and High degree impact in varying situations when it comes to high shots Last night's game between UBB and Bath has created the same if not similar controversy. Instead of admiring and applauding a good game of rugby, we are discussing referee decisions. This has become the trend in rugby since the Lions Tour to South Africa in 2021, inspired by a lack of trust in the system by Rassie “In Your Head” Erasmus 😉 Seeing that the mandate is to have less TMO involvement in the game, I’ve said this before and will say again, the referees and their on-field team of 3 needs to be super sharp & accurate on decisions. Not so long ago, the French were awarded a penalty in the Six Nations over a high tackle - on field referee had missed this but TMO quickly chimed in after two phases & we saw Mika stick his arm out for advantage in over time, France ended up winning the Six Nations. Fans want to see consistency in the game.

Investec Champions Cup Team of the Week: 'Most influential individual' of the semi-finals as Bordeaux dominate with monumental 'behemoth' #Echobox=1777896612" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">planetrugby.com/news/investec-…

🗣️ "It’s becoming a bit of a joke with French [TV] directors." 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ex-England captain claims Bath can feel ‘hard done by’ as French TV labelled a ‘joke’ following semi-final controversy ✍️ by @alexspinksport planetrugby.com/news/ex-englan…

Dreamy!