Former England forward Courtney Lawes believes the current side’s struggles in the Six Nations Championship are partly down to a younger generation that hasn’t experienced enough adversity. England are under intense pressure after three successive defeats in this year’s championship, losing to Scotland, Ireland and suffering a first-ever loss to Italy. The slump has left coach Steve Borthwick and his squad facing heavy scrutiny ahead of a crucial showdown with France in Paris. ITOJE: This team is going somewhere Writing in his Times column, Lawes suggested England’s younger players are facing the first real test of their careers. “England have no choice when they play France on Saturday. After three consecutive defeats, their attitude in Paris has to be: kill or be killed. Figuratively speaking, of course,” he wrote. “But I don’t know if enough of England’s young players really know what that means. How many of them have faced any true adversity in their rugby careers or even in their lives? “The defeat by Scotland really put a hole in the England ship. There is a clear age divide in the squad. The older, experienced boys are not performing at a world-class level. “The young boys are having their resilience tested for the first time. It is really difficult in those circumstances to get back on course.” AFRICA PICKS: Six Nations Super Saturday preview According to Lawes, many of the emerging players in the squad have previously enjoyed smooth international careers. “Up until now, those younger lads have known only sunshine and rainbows in their international careers. This Six Nations has been a massive wake-up call. “They are getting a real taste of what rugby is like when the sport that means so much to them is not going well. It can crush you and destroy your confidence.” FULL COLUMN Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images The post Lawes questions ‘sheltered’ England’s toughness appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Steve Borthwick must throw off the shackles in Paris to inject some attacking energy into his far-too predictable sideThe inquest into England’s Six Nations campaign has already started and when that is the case before the championship has even finished it is never a good sign. Everyone has their own opinions on what is wrong and I’m sure that is the same within the squad too. When you are on runs like England are, different players come up with different reasons for their problems and different fixes – and that makes the situation all the more difficult.If there is one thing holding England back it is their gameplan. I don’t say that as a reaction to these three defeats, I felt that they stagnated during the autumn and tightened things up despite chalking up four victories. The best illustration I can give is the 2024 tournament. England had lost to Scotland, went to York in the fallow week, contrived to throw off the shackles in attack and it paid immediate dividends. Continue reading...

Juarno Augustus played a key role as Ulster stormed back from behind to beat Edinburgh in a dramatic Vodacom URC clash in Scotland on Friday night. Augustus crossed for a crucial try as Ulster overturned a 19-14 halftime deficit before powering away with a dominant second-half display which ended 40-19 in favour of the Ulstermen. The visitors eventually ran in six tries through Charlie Irvine, Augustus, Jake Flannery, Scott Wilson, Conor McKee and Ben Carson, with Jack Murphy adding 10 points from the tee. ACKERS: Derby leveller awaits Ulster’s response after the break proved decisive as they piled on 26 unanswered points from the half-hour mark, turning the contest completely on its head. Edinburgh had made the early running with tries from Ross Thompson, Harry Paterson and Wes Goosen, but their bright start faded quickly as Ulster began to impose themselves physically. Augustus was central to that shift in momentum. The powerful former Junior Springbok brought his trademark ball-carrying punch to Ulster’s attack and helped the visitors grind their way back into the contest before finishing off a key score of his own. Big name, big plays Juarno Augustus finishes a scintillating @UlsterRugby move #BKTURC #URC | #EDIvULS pic.twitter.com/uXwux5jYMq — BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) March 13, 2026 The result provided a massive boost for Ulster after their defeat to the Ospreys last time out. The five-point haul lifts Ulster from sixth to second on the standings, level on points with Leinster and four behind leaders Glasgow Warriors. The result also displaces the Stormers from fifth on the log to sixth ahead of their local derby against the Bulls on Saturday. ALSO: Dawie backs Stormers experience It also underlines the progress made by the side under coach Richie Murphy, with Ulster already surpassing last season’s total points tally in the competition. For Edinburgh and coach Sean Everitt, the defeat deepens their struggles. It was their eighth loss in 12 league matches, leaving them languishing in 12th place. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images The post Trokkie shines for impressive Ulster appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

A hat-trick from flanker Ntsika Fisanti powered the Pumas to a commanding 47-10 bonus-point win over Eastern Province in their SA Cup clash in Mbombela on Friday night. The Lowvelders ran in seven tries to secure their second straight victory of the campaign after opening their account with a win over South Western Districts in George last week. MORE: Bulls unleash heavy hitters for derby When the Pumas found their rhythm, they looked electric with ball in hand. Fisanti led the charge with three tries in a tireless display at openside flank, while fellow loose forward Ruwald van der Merwe and centre Sango Xamlashe also impressed in a lively attacking performance from the hosts. The Pumas started the match on the front foot and quickly turned pressure into points when Xamlashe crossed for the opening try. Eastern Province briefly threatened to stay in the fight when fullback Lwandile Mapuko sliced through for the visitors’ only try midway through the first half. But the home side took firm control before the break as Fisanti and Xamlashe – grabbing his second – both crossed for converted tries to stretch the lead. ALSO: Ruhan relishing Stormers return Despite moments of attacking brilliance, the Pumas were not flawless. Handling errors at key moments, uncertainty under the high ball and inconsistent kicking from hand allowed Eastern Province occasional opportunities to stay in the contest. However, any hopes of a comeback faded as the match wore on, with the Pumas finishing strongly to seal a convincing victory. Elsewhere in the competition, the Cheetahs hammered the Leopards 64-7 in Potchefstroom. Photo: Johan Orton/Gallo Images The post Fisanti bags hat-trick as Pumas run riot appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Five-try Connacht beat Scarlets in Galway to move within striking distance of the United Rugby Championship play-offs.

It is a decade since England beat France across the Channel in the Six Nations and with results spiralling downwards the pressure is on to avoid their worst-ever finish Plenty of water has flowed down the Seine since England were last at the Stade de France for the business end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Back then they came within a point of beating South Africa – the eventual champions – in the semi-final before winning the bronze final against Argentina the following Friday. Their gameplan may have been strictly limited but the outlook seemed rosy for Steve Borthwick’s side.Now, almost 29 months later, England find themselves back at base camp. The rigid gameplan that was supposed to evolve to suit the players available has been increasingly rumbled and results have spiralled downwards. As their hosts France prepare to try to clinch back-to-back Six Nations titles for the first time since 2007, England will do well to avoid finishing in the bottom two. Continue reading...

Ireland captain Caelan Doris says there is no "second chance" as his side prepare to host Scotland in Saturday's Six Nations Triple Crown decider.

After 11 straight defeats against Ireland, victory in Dublin would vindicate Gregor Townsend’s faith in his playersTrusting the process. It sounds like a fine idea in principle: although it really depends if your process was any good in the first place.Gregor Townsend faced down a familiar cacophony of criticism after Scotland’s opening defeat by Italy last month. The same old shortcomings had been exposed, it was said, and another year of disappointment beckoned. Townsend had insisted the embarrassing capitulation against Argentina in November, from 21-0 ahead, was a “line in the sand moment” – only to see that line swiftly washed away in the sheeting Roman rain. Continue reading...

Gonzalo Quesada says Wales "must win" when they face his Italy side in the Six Nations finale in Cardiff on Saturday.

Fabien Galthie has driven sky-high standards throughout his coaching career - but he has not always made friends on the way.

Wales captain Dewi Lake hopes to inspire a first Six Nations win in three years.

Sione Tuipulotu says Scotland have been "to hell and back" to turn themselves into Six Nations title contenders.

England have a “high ceiling” despite their Six Nations travails and captain Maro Itoje is determined to lead the team back to the top. Three straight defeats have left England coach Steve Borthwick’s job seemingly hanging by a thread while the team has come in for heavy criticism. But Itoje believes that despite his team slumping to a first-ever defeat to Italy on the back of thumping losses against Scotland and Ireland, the future remains bright. “Despite the losses, how I feel at the moment hasn’t actually changed since the start of the competition,” the 31-year-old said in Paris ahead of this Saturday’s final Six Nations match against France. “I think this team is going somewhere and I’m desperate to be a part of it, and I think this team can beat pretty much every team we play if we get ourselves right.” AFRICA PICKS: Six Nations Super Saturday preview Itoje made his debut in the 2016 Six Nations tournament as a substitute against Italy before starting in their final three matches – including the last time England won in Paris. In half of the 10 matches between the teams since then, the result has been decided by three points or fewer. “Our games against France are always tight,” said Itoje. “If anything, what this campaign has shown is that anyone can beat anyone on the day.” TEAM: Borthwick backs England losers Although several results in this year’s tournament have been lopsided, there has been a huge amount of unpredictability. Scotland lost to Italy and their narrow victory over rock-bottom Wales was a much tighter affair than their wins over France and England. “Just because we haven’t won the last game or the last couple of games, doesn’t mean we can’t win the next one,” said Itoje, whose team looks likely to finish this campaign in fifth. “I truly believe this team has a high ceiling,” he added. TEAM: France beef up for ‘Le Crunch’ England lost five matches in a row in 2024 but in 2025 they won 11 straight before this tournament began. Leading up to the 2023 World Cup, England were on a run of just six wins in 19 matches but ended up two minutes away from reaching the final. “We have been in similar situations before and that hasn’t held us back in terms of what we can then go on and do,” said Itoje. “There are lessons to be learned from the games and perhaps it was necessary for us to go through this to be the team we want to be in due course.” England’s forwards coach Joe El-Abd pointed to the team’s ability to get into the opposition 22 as evidence that some parts of their game are working. “It’s like in football, you have loads of shots but if you don’t score, obviously it puts you in danger of conceding at the other end,” said El-Abd, whose brother Adam was a professional footballer. “We’re getting into the 22, which shows that part of our game is working to create the opportunities. The next step is to finish them off.” – AFP Photo: Peter Cziborra/Reuters The post Itoje: This team is going somewhere appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Six Georgia national team players have been suspended for doping violations. This follows a joint investigation by World Rugby and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). Five of the six players have been found guilty of “sample substitution” while the sixth has been charged and suspended until the disciplinary process has run its course. Wada unearthed collusion between members of the Georgian Anti-Doping Agency (Gada) and a member of the Georgia team’s support personnel, who then forewarned the players of impending testing. “Six players and a member of team support personnel have been charged and sanctioned in relation to an orchestrated scheme involving recreational drugs and sample substitution,” World Rugby said in a statement. World Rugby sparked the investigation “when irregularities in urine samples were identified by World Rugby’s athlete passport management programme, covering an extended period of time prior to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France”. They also alerted Wada in August 2023. “The two bodies worked closely together throughout complex and extensive parallel investigations which featured targeted player testing and DNA analysis by World Rugby, including on historical samples held via World Rugby’s long-term storage programme,” World Rugby added in its statement. Georgia are attempting to break into the elite of world rugby and are currently 13th in the world, although they have a highest ever ranking of 11th. Wada’s investigative unit unearthed collusion between members of the Georgian Anti-Doping Agency (Gada) and an “Entourage Member” of the Georgian national team. “Six sample collection personnel of Gada were identified based on their documented presence at doping controls when sample substitution occurred,” Wada said in their report. The individuals were identified only as Manager One, Manager Two, DCO (Doping Control Officer) One, DCO Two and two chaperones. The investigation found evidence that Manager One, who was the only team member who received testing requests from World Rugby, “had established a practice of providing advance notice to the Entourage Member regarding scheduled testing missions,” Wada added. “This advance notice was typically delivered via text message prior to the testing mission. “Upon receipt of the advance notice from Gada, the Entourage Member was then sharing this information with the national team via text message in a group chat, which included athletes and staff members of the national team.” Wada said it had discovered further breaches of international testing rules in that “Gada does not monitor athletes after notification, nor does it witness the passing of urine”. “According to the athletes and the Entourage Member, this practice stood in contrast to the doping control procedure they were typically experiencing when tested abroad,” Wada said. ALSO: Saids hits back at UK media doping claims The two managers and one of the Doping Control Officers denied the allegations when they were confronted with them. However, Wada said they had also uncovered evidence that several of the officials were guilty of “tampering”. In two instances, testing missions were carried out a day earlier than the date requested by World Rugby and the date was falsified to match the date originally requested by World Rugby. “In one of these two instances, Manager One provided false documentation to World Rugby to justify why one of the athletes World Rugby had requested to test could not be tested.” Wada added that all these elements combined “raises serious concerns about the integrity of the anti-doping programme of Gada”. – AFP Photo: Matt Roberts/Getty Images The post Georgia rocked by doping scandal appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.