All articles tagged with #rugby union
France opened their Six Nations title defence with a 36-14 bonus-point victory over Ireland in Paris, led by a returning Antoine Dupont. Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored twice, with Jalibert, Ollivon and Attissogbe also crossing as France dominated the first half. Ireland rallied in the second half through Timoney and Milne but couldn’t avert a heavy defeat as France showcased their attacking flair and searing pace.
England name a bench-heavy starting XV for their Six Nations opener against Wales, with captain Maro Itoje starting on the bench after his mother’s funeral and Jamie George captaining the side. Northampton duo Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman win midfield spots (Freeman moving from wing to outside centre), Henry Arundell starts on the left wing and Freddie Steward is at full-back as England plan to counter Wales’ kicking game. The pack is led by Genge and Heyes, with a forward-heavy bench including Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl; Alex Mitchell and Ford continue the half-back pairing. The match at Twickenham will test England’s evolving cohesion under Steve Borthwick.
US President Joe Biden has wished the Ireland rugby union team luck in their Grand Slam game against England in Dublin on Saturday. Biden, who has English ancestors, introduced former Ireland and Lions full-back Rob Kearney, among a group of distant Biden cousins, at an official celebration with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The Irish are ranked No 1 in the world and are prohibitive favourites to beat England and win the Six Nations championship with a clean sweep of five wins from five games. Biden has made no secret of his love for rugby union, which he has said he played for a year at law school in Syracuse, New York, in the late 1960s.