Why Swedish football WON'T use VAR as FA chief puts fan experience over technology
Swedish chief Mats Enquist says his country will never use VAR until it stops ruining games for fans.
Rugby Sport News
Twickenham fixture shows growth of women's game, says Harrison
ENGLAND fly-half Zoe Harrison can't quite believe how far the women's game has come ahead of a potential sell-out at Twickenham stadium in the 2023 TikTok Women's Six Nations. Harrison spent much of her youth career playing with boys and wearing kit far too big for her but is now part of the England side that has spearheaded the exponential growth of the sport in recent times. Ad Last year saw record attendances at the TikTok Women's Six Nations and Rugby World Cup matches, with England likely to break the world record against France in the final game of this year's Championship on 29 April.
Canadian men face fight to avoid relegation at World Rugby Sevens Series stop in Hong Kong
Facing a fight to avoid relegation, the Canadian men need to deliver on the pitch in the next three events on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, starting next week in Hong Kong.
Monye backs Borthwick to make England a threat for World Cup
UGO Monye has backed Steve Borthwick's stuttering England side to bounce back from their underwhelming Six Nations campaign and pose a genuine threat at this year's World Cup. Borthwick's team finished fourth after winning just two of their five games in the Championship, with a humbling 53-10 defeat against France at Twickenham setting alarm bells ringing with less than six months to go until their World Cup opener against Argentina in Marseille. Ad But Monye, who played 14 times for England between 2008 and 2012, believes there is still plenty of time for new boss Borthwick to get things right after being encouraged by what he saw in England's 29-16 defeat to Grand Slam champions Ireland.
Twickenham can become women's fortress, believes Botterman
Hannah Botterman is backing Twickenham to become a fortress ahead of the Red Roses' hotly-anticipated showdown with France at the end of the 2023 TikTok Women's Six Nations. The Red Roses are set to clash with Les Bleues at the home of English rugby in a potential Championship decider on 29 April, with over 40,000 tickets already sold for what is hoped to be a world record crowd for a women's game. Ad It will be the first time England's women have played standalone fixture at the 82,000-seater stadium, and former Welwyn RFC player Botterman hopes playing at HQ will become the norm ahead of the 2025 Rugby World Cup on home soil.
Ward can help drive England to fifth consecutive Six Nations, says Cleall
Abbie Ward's newfound influence away from the pitch can steer England to a fifth consecutive TikTok Women's Six Nations title, according to Red Roses teammate Poppy Cleall. The 29-year-old Bristol Bears lock revealed she would not be in contention for the 2023 TikTok Women's Six Nations after falling pregnant in late January, and has instead been named as part of Simon Middleton's coaching set up for the Championship in a bid to get more women within backroom staff.
Stormers thinning in backline personnel but not potency ahead of Leinster clash
Stormers head coach John Dobson admitted his team is looking thinner than they’d like in the backline after Ruhan Nel’s absence for family reasons and injuries to Angelo Davids and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Despite England's woes, Premiership Rugby chief says ban on picking overseas players will stay
England's policy of refusing to select overseas-based players for international duty is set to remain, according to Premiership Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor.