Here are the latest rugby evening headlines for Thursday, February 3, after a busy day of Six Nations team announcements.
England call for Six Nations law clarity
England have demanded clarity over the ruck law ahead of the Six Nations kicking off this weekend.
Eddie Jones' men take on Scotland in the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield and World Rugby have revealed they have been asked for guidance to avoid England and other teams being penalised.
England's request centres around understanding precisely when their players can dive on a ball emerging from a ruck to avoid having a penalty awarded against them.
Law 15 describes how a ruck finishes, but states a player cannot just fall onto the ball when it is emerging.
World Rugby have responded: "We determine that the player can only dive onto such a ball if it is more than one metre away from the ruck it has emerged from.
"If the ball has left the ruck, then the ruck is over, and the ball is out. Providing a player comes from an onside position and does not dive onto the ball if it is within one metre of the ruck, they may play the ball."
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Brian Moore to commentate on final men's Six Nations match this weekend
Former England hooker Brian Moore has revealed he will commentate on his final men's Six Nations match this weekend.
The ex-international has, alongside Eddie Butler, been synonymous with the BBC's coverage of the Six Nations for the past two decades.
Having started his commentary career at the BBC with a Calcutta Cup clash, it's fitting that he'll bow out after another Scotland v England clash on Saturday.
Moore isn't done completely with commentary however, as he intends to continue working on the Women's Six Nations coverage which kicks off in March, the weekend after the men's Super Saturday tournament finale. It is the second consecutive year that the Women's Six Nations has taken place in a standalone window.
"Thank you to all at BBC Sport, especially my mate, Eddie Butler," Moore said. "It's been a privilege to work on some unforgettable sporting occasions.
"I'm pleased to say I will be working on the Women's 6 Nations coverage. My commitment to women's rugby goes back as far as 1991, helping the England forwards. Women's rugby is the key to sustaining all rugby long term, and I'm proud to still be involved."
Stuart Barnes claims Ireland are best in the world
Stuart Barnes believes Wales will be playing the form team in world rugby when they face Ireland in the Six Nations opener in Dublin on Saturday.
The Irish are on a run of eight wins in a row, their victims including Scotland, England, New Zealand and Argentina, and Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht have qualified for the last 16 of the Heineken Champions Cup.
By contrast, Wales have awful injury problems and not one of the regions has progressed in the top-tier European competition.
Former England international Barnes joined Wednesday Night Rugby and reckoned it could be the best-standard Six Nations in 20 years.
He also sang the praises of Ireland, in particular, while holding back from saying they would win the tournament.
Assessing the performances of Andy Farrell’s team in the autumn, he said: “There’s still a massive reliance on ball retention.
“But the massive difference is in the dying eras of the Joe Schmidt era, it was ball-retention over everything, so it got very slow. You’re not going to get five or six decoy runners if you’re not playing at any pace. Ireland have transformed the pace of their game and that is the difference for me.”
Ireland are passing more and stretching defences. The change in style of play has coincided with new talents coming to the fore.
“I felt from the England game onwards, through to Argentina, I thought that was notable,” said Barnes. “Having beaten New Zealand and having quite a few different players, they went and thrashed an Argentina team who had given France a decent game. Latter part of 2021, Ireland were the best team in the world.
“Ireland, I think, are on current form the best team in the world.”
Even so, they have to visit Paris and Barnes believes the French will be a huge challenge for Andy Farrell’s team.
“On their day, France might just be a little bit better,” he added.
Eddie Jones questions Scotland's ability to deal with being favourites
Eddie Jones has questioned resurgent Scotland's ability to deal with expectation after installing the Calcutta Cup holders as "red-hot favourites" for Saturday's Murrayfield collision.
England open the Guinness Six Nations against a side they have beaten just once in the last four meetings and while bookmakers are backing them to win, it is a fixture full of pitfalls.
An injury crisis has rippled through Jones' squad, accounting for seasoned campaigners such as Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes, and resulting in the selection of a team where seven starters have no more than 10 caps.
The swirling wind and driving rain forecast for Saturday should also play into Scottish hands with Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg well versed in the nuances of kicking in difficult conditions at Murrayfield.
Jones insists the stage is set for Gregor Townsend's team, but also wonders if they can deliver.
"It's the first time I've had the experience of going up there when Scotland have been red-hot favourites. They're expected to win," Jones said.
"Every time their players look at the crowd at Murrayfield they'll feel that expectation. They're red hot favourites and they've got to cope with that.
"We can't wait to get up there. And the best thing about it is that we're going to play in Scottish weather.
"This is a special game, the Calcutta Cup. It's been going for 151 years. It means a lot to both countries and it's the first time I've gone there as the underdogs.
"There'll be 67,000 fans and they'll be thinking about all the fans watching the game on the BBC.
"They have to carry that burden. Every game for us is the same - we're expected to win, so it's no different for us.
"We're very equipped for it. We're a young but good side. We've had a really good preparation with a few obstacles thrown at us, but we've coped with that really well.
"The side has come together well - tactically, socially and emotionally."
England prepared for kicking onslaught against Scotland
Freddie Steward has been honing his aerial skills in anticipation of the kicking onslaught Scotland are expected to unleash in treacherous conditions at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Injury-ravaged England open their quest to wrestle the Guinness Six Nations from Wales with a banana skin fixture that is set to be played out in swirling winds and heavy rain.
Steward has excelled in his five caps as Eddie Jones' first choice full-back but the 21-year-old knows he has yet to experience a setting like a hostile Murrayfield where his ability under the high ball will be tested by the elements as well as the boots of Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg.
"It's been quite breezy in camp this week so we've been able to replicate the weather without even trying," Steward said.
"But we've also had a couple of buckets of water to dunk the balls in during training,
"The boys have been brilliant practising as a back three. We've been working on those high balls.
"The nines have been brilliant, testing us with all sorts of kicks and George Ford has been putting up his spiral bombs."
Having lost Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes, Sam Underhill, Jonny May and Anthony Watson to injury, England must confront a resurgent Scotland without several of their most experienced players.
Tributes paid to rugby journalist after sudden death
A memorable moment in the career of Robin Davey, the former South Wales Argus rugby writer who has passed away suddenly in his seventies, came after a match between Neath and Newport at The Gnoll.
“You’re a credit to Newport rugby club,” the Fijian international Simon Raiwalui told Davey.
The long-time reporter could not have been more proud. “Did you hear what he said?” he uttered repeatedly after the chat with Raiwalui had finished.
Davey was Newport and then the Dragons through and through, and made no attempt to hide it. At another Neath v Newport game, he cursed a home goalkicker as the chap attempted a late kick to win the match. “Miss, miss, miss,” the man from Gwent implored, all ideas of press-box neutrality seemingly for the birds.
But he would also criticise if he felt it was warranted.
His Davey Says column in the Argus became must-read, with the man himself rattling it out quickly, often expressing the views of supporters but lacing his pieces with an insider’s knowledge. His contacts were good as well. Back in 2005, he was exchanging texts with Mike Ruddock just hours after the coach’s Wales team had beaten Italy while en route to a Grand Slam. Hours were spent on the golf course chasing up story leads. Welsh Rugby Union committee men were courted at airports. Davey was old school and proud.
A snapshot of him isn’t complete without reference to his love of animals. In Paris for a France v Wales game, he stopped what he saw as two locals mistreating their dog. For a moment an international incident seemed possible as the pair mulled over whether to attack the stranger who was berating them, only to meekly walk away as Davey’s lecture became increasingly loud and angry.
He was conservative in a lot of his views and never shy of arguments.
But he could also be entertaining company.
And he enjoyed every minute of his time as a journalist.
Recently, he sent over a text bemoaning the media world as it is. “I’d hate the business now. I/we had the best of it.”
The opinions were still strong.
They were always going to be.
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