Here are your rugby evening headlines for Saturday, 6 August.
Eddie Jones wants England to emulate Sir Alex's Manchester United
England coach Eddie Jones is hoping his players can imitate Sir Alex Ferguson's dominant Manchester United side by running the team themselves.
Jones' tenure with England has largely been a success, having won three Six Nations titles and reached a World Cup final. But there have been setbacks, with fifth-place finishes in the Six Nations in 2018 and 2021.
And with the 2023 World Cup in France on the horizon, Jones suggested that some of the players who have been to fee-playing schools might struggle to deal with adversity, adding that he wishes to emulate Ferguson's Manchester United team of the 90s and 00s that won multiple trophies.
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“If you have only been in a system where you get to 15, you have a bit of rugby ability and then go to Harrow. Then for two years you do nothing but play rugby, everything’s done for you. That’s the reality. You have this closeted life,” Jones told inews.
“When things go to crap on the field who’s going to lead because these blokes have never had experience of it? I see that as a big thing. When we are on the front foot we are the best in the world.
“When we are not on the front foot our ability to find a way to win, our resolve, is not as it should be… There is this desire to be polite and so winning is seen as a bit uncouth. ‘We have to play the game properly, old chap.’
“I felt that culture was working against us when I arrived, 100 per cent. It’s never one thing, it’s the whole structure. Players are taught to be compliant. The best teams are run by the players and the coach facilitates that. That’s the key.
“Look at United. At some stage they had (Paul) Scholes, (Roy) Keane, (Gary) Neville, all those guys. The players ran the team and (Alex) Ferguson had iron-clad discipline that kept them all in line.”
England star praises ex-players for speaking up about brain damage
England winger Anthony Watson has praised the group of former rugby players suffering from brain damage for speaking truthfully about their experiences.
Two-time Lions tourist Watson, who has joined Gallagher Premiership Leicester Tigers, admitted in an interview with the Guardian that he had perhaps taken risks previously when it came to head injuries, even if recent revelations didn't make him want to give up the sport. However, he was full of praise for the likes of former Wales internationals Ryan Jones and Alix Popham, who have spoken candidly about their diagnoses of permanent injuries relating to brain damage, commending them for not sugar-coating matters.
The England winger told the Guardian : "It’s not nice to read about anyone going through something like that, particularly someone who took the same risks you do. But it makes you take it 100% seriously.”
“Probably," he added when asked about playing on after taking a knock to the head. "But that’s not on anyone else apart from myself. I’ve matured and realised how vital it is looking after your brain. It sounds weird but yeah, I definitely would have done stuff like that five years ago. I definitely wouldn’t do it now because the risks are way too extreme.
"My missus doesn’t like me playing rough with anything let alone if she saw me get a concussion. It probably does worry her.
“I do (think about the threat of brain damage) but it’s a really tough one to manage because I love what I do so much. I wouldn’t swap it for the world. So it’s just a balancing act of making sure you’re extremely sensible but not taking away your love and approach to rugby. The most important thing is that when Ryan and Carl Hayman spoke out they didn’t sugar-coat anything. Awareness is going to be the number one thing going forward.”
Women's Premiership side facing expulsion
DMP Durham Sharks face getting kicked out of the Allianz Premier 15s in England due to a cash shortfall ahead of the upcoming season.
The club are trying to raise £50,000 by Monday through an online crowdfunding page in order to stay in the league. So far, around £10,000 has been raised.
A letter, penned by a Sharks player, addressed supporters of rugby and women’s sport about the issues facing the club. “We are in the extremely unfortunate position of being forced to withdraw from the Allianz Premier 15s due to a lack of funding to support our 2022/23 season," read the letter.
“We are reaching out to ask for your financial support to help us bridge the gap in the shortfall of the basic running costs required to complete in the league this year and supplement what has been provided by the Rugby Football Union. It is roughly estimated that we need to raise a minimum of £50,000 in order to be able to stay afloat in the league and feel our only option is to reach out to the public and ask for assistance.
“We have opted to try Crowdfunding in order to raise money. However, the bottom line is that we need a consortium of individuals or businesses to commit to underwriting any shortfall in running costs over the season. As this is a time-sensitive issue, unfortunately this agreement must be in place by Monday, August 8.
“Sharks have supported and developed over 50 England international level players over the last 15 years. There is a raft of talent in the region that will go unnurtured and undeveloped if the team does not have the opportunity to play.
An RFU statement on the situation read: “DMP Durham Sharks are currently not in a position to secure the level of funding required to compete in the 2022/23 Allianz Premier 15s. The RFU and DMP Durham are working together to attain a suitable outcome given the circumstances. We understand this is a difficult and uncertain time for all involved and will update as and when we can.”
DMP Durham finished in last place in the ten-team league last season, losing all 18 of their matches - including a 104-0 defeat to Saracens in January.
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