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owenslotTheTimes

@owenslot

2 years

Wiegman’s press conference…

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4 years

Just want to show support for Gloucester Rugby tonight. No names on the backs of the shirts, just the words: "Be kind." Part of a major mental health awareness initiative. £5 of every ticket going to the Samaritans. Congratulations. It's brilliant

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3 years

Just to reiterate: Ollie Lawrence - 3 starts, 10 touches of the ball. Is this a lesson in how not to develop a player: pick him, don't use him, drop him.

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@owenslot

3 years

But he picks Elliot Daly at 13 for the injured Slade with Ollie Lawrence and Joe Marchant on the bench. Makes you wonder what Paolo Odogwu has been doing this past 2 months

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@owenslot

5 years

Breaking: Saracens salary cap inquiry complete. I am told 35 point deduction and £5million fine. Official announcement shortly.

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@owenslot

1 year

Interview with Gavin Henson who is now running the pub over the road from where he grew up and playing for the village Sunday league football team. Really enjoyed meeting him; not what I expected.

Gavin Henson: I got to the top of the mountain but now I pull pints in my pub

Gavin Henson never meant to have a pub. He doesn’t really drink and, when he has drunk, it has too often got him into trouble. So he explains why it is that he

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

4 years

You've lost two finals against a team who had an illegal advantage. Question: do you have a legal case against them? That is what Exeter are considering with their lawyers today

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@owenslot

5 years

Not sure I can buy into the Welsh defiance narrative... France gave them a gift and they nearly failed to take it

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@owenslot

5 years

This is very strong. 97-times capped England grand slam-winning says plastic pitches ended his World Cup, probably his Test career. Plastic pitches - an increasingly uncomfortable topic for the Premiership

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@owenslot

3 years

Lions confirm Alun Wyn Jones is fit, recovered from his shoulder injury, and on a plane tonight to South Africa

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@owenslot

4 years

One increasingly nagging issue. Why wouldn't they open their books for a forensic audit? That's obviously a rhetorical question.

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@owenslot

4 years

New update on Saracens. They were given the demand to reduce their wage bill by £2million, by the end of the month, in order to be compliant this season. That's like losing four Elliot Dalys

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@owenslot

3 years

Ford for Lawrence. I think Ford for Farrell was the call

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@owenslot

4 years

Premier Rugby has just released a statement saying it will now prepare the judgement for release. Bloody hell

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@owenslot

4 years

Major development in the Saracens story: Premier Rugby asking the club to open its books for an extra, unprecedented mid-season audit. Exclusive by @AlexMLowe

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@owenslot

4 years

Eddie Jones: "At half-time, if it was a cricket game, we could have declared."

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@owenslot

5 years

Maybe never have I heard an athlete share such a brutally honest and heart-breaking story. Thankyou @DafyddJames13 and my deepest best wishes to you. Stay strong. Don't fight this on your own.

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@owenslot

8 years

Brilliant from Becky James. Mark that down as another Shane Sutton triumph. He, above all, believed in her when all others started to doubt

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@owenslot

7 years

4 Wales back rowers. Double the number of entire Scots representation. Memory jog: Scotland beat Wales in 6Nations

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@owenslot

2 years

A celebration of Courtney Lawes, 12 years into his international career and still getting better

Meet the new Courtney Lawes: trusted leader and better than ever

In this new international season when Eddie Jones has been launching the “New England”, there has been much comment, understandably, on the new, potentially daz

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

3 years

I just can't see Jamie George, George Ford, Vunipola x 2 not forcing their way back in at some stage. This squad, however, seems to be curtains for Dan Robson which is an extraordinary (if unsurprising) oversight.

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@owenslot

3 years

England's best 40 since the World Cup. Up against the best team they've met since the World Cup. Breathless

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@owenslot

3 years

Sonja is one of the outstanding professionals in our business. End of story. Agree or disagree but, above all, be kind and respectful

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@owenslot

6 years

This is cool: Sara Cox will make history this weekend when she becomes the first woman to referee a Premiership Rugby Cup game. Cox will take charge of Wasps’ Sunday clash with Northampton Saints in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

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@owenslot

3 years

Eddie Jones, his management style and six years of roadkill

Eddie Jones: Blazing rows, brutal texts and airport firings – why it’s so hard to work for England...

It was one day last summer that settled it for John Mitchell and led to him becoming the latest coach to leave Eddie Jones’s England.Mitchell was with the other

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

4 years

Premier Rugby is killing itself with this lack of transparency

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@owenslot

5 years

Amongst many winners, this was another triumph for Eddie Jones. All selections worked. Ford: a masterpiece in how to run a game

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@owenslot

5 years

On reflection, why would England worry about aerial bombardments when it turns out Jonny May is king of the high ball

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@owenslot

6 years

Sam Jones, the sad end of a career. My column

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@owenslot

3 years

This isn't a bad group of players. It is just too, too often a bad team

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@owenslot

7 years

Lions call-ups of convenience devalue the shirt. By @BenKay5

Lions call-ups of convenience devalue the shirt

Selecting players for the British & Irish Lions squad because they happen to be on the doorstep, rather than because they have earned their promotion, devalues

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

5 years

Today's matchguide in Kobe. Yes, that's Sam Burgess there, and a game England would rather forget

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@owenslot

5 years

On a more serious note, Eddie Jones namechecked The Talent Lab in his post-match comments. He didn't say it was a must-read but that seemed the implication. The Talent Lab is a book by, well, me

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@owenslot

5 years

Eddie Jones claims England were better in the second half than the first. Straight face and everything

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@owenslot

9 years

Joubert runs off the pitch... and out the stadium? Huge controversy in Scotland's elimination. When does a ref run off and not shake hands?

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@owenslot

4 years

Really enjoyed meeting Sam Jones for this piece. And thoroughly recommend a visit to his restaurant

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@owenslot

4 years

A very poor day for rugby's disciplinary system. Eddie Jones claims a referee was biased: no penalty. Is this offence not worse than Marler's?

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@owenslot

4 years

The latest on Saracens here. For all the statements - "we didn't mean to" etc - the fact is they have had an unfair advantage over the rest of the league for three seasons and won it twice and yet never once say "sorry".

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@owenslot

6 years

Fair play to Finn Russell. Probably the most pressurised game in his life? And he was majestic

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@owenslot

5 years

Phenomenal from Underhill and Curry. Breakneck rise from kids to world-beaters. Startling today

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@owenslot

4 years

This is a proper shift in position, an acknowledgement that they got it wrong and need to change. It is welcome. And looks at last like the beginning of the end of the salary cap scandal story

Times Sport

@TimesSport

4 years

Griffiths has acknowledged unequivocally that Saracens are over the salary cap this season — yes, right now, this season — and that he needs to bring them into line immediately, writes @owenslot

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@owenslot

3 years

That's a half of rugby that lasted over an hour. That's the product of the build-up. Notably brief glance at Faf's tackle on Murray, no?

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@owenslot

3 years

Springboks worried. How do you do you homework on a hologram?

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@owenslot

6 years

Personally, I have no taste for a public school system where the wealthy buy success through imports/scholarships. Semi-professional rugby at 13-year-old level.

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@owenslot

9 years

Wales. Even in defeat, refuse to point to their injury toll. Warburton so impressive

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@owenslot

4 years

My view at this stage is that it is a deeply horrid leak. The released report by PRL would have redacted /protected all the names. By giving this leak, Maro Itoje and others have had their business dealings exposed to the world.

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@owenslot

6 years

Did Jamie George have a stinker at the lineout? No. The officials did. Really good analysis here by a bloke who knows about this kind of thing @BenKay5

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@owenslot

5 years

My story on the team from Pakistan at the Rosslyn Parks Sevens yesterday. The worst team in the tournament, and yet one of the best.

Beaten up, tryless – but the worst team at Rosslyn Park were still winners

There were 160 schools entered in the under-16 event at the Rosslyn Park Sevens yesterday. Let me tell you about the worst and the best of them because, in some ways, they were one and the same...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

4 years

Something on a great rugby man. You probably won't have heard of him but you will certainly recognise him. @barnesrugbyclub

Remembering Garry Garrett, an everyday rugby hero

You may not have met Garry Garrett, but you will almost certainly know him. A lot of people near where I live have been talking about him recently, and many of us never actually met him either. Here...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

6 years

Bloody hell

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@owenslot

3 years

RFU to trial waist-height tackle limit next season. A genuinely exciting proactive move in a bid to make the game safe

Tackle law trial aims to reduce concussion and reassure parents

The RFU will trial a law change next season to bring the legal height of a tackle down to waist level — a move that could be of huge significance to the long-te

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

7 years

The reason for Ben Youngs' withdrawal from the Lions squad is desperately sad. All thoughts and best wishes remain with the Youngs family

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@owenslot

1 year

re Laporte... ever since France brilliantly overturned World Rugby's recommendation to award the 2023 World Cup to South Africa, people have wondered: how?

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@owenslot

3 years

There should also be a journalism award for @sam_sportsnews who was writing this stuff and warning us what would happen nearly a decade ago

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@owenslot

3 years

This squad is so Eddie. Exciting new talent, yes. But the exciting new talent in whom he invested time and caps last year - Ben Earl, Ollie Lawrence - are gone. How to not build confidence and experience...

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@owenslot

3 years

If you had thought that Paolo Odogwu might finally get an England cap this summer... News is he has a torn ACL, season over. Very very tough

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@owenslot

4 years

It only suggests there is still a lot to hide. Which makes you think that we won't ever get to the bottom of this. Which is appalling.

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@owenslot

6 years

Highly recommended: this interview with Aristide Barraud, the former France U20 fly half, shot three years ago in the Paris terror attacks, a survivor eloquently sharing his horrifying experience

How rugby saved life of Aristide Barraud who was shot three times in Paris attack

It’s one of those brilliantly clear autumn days when the sunlight comes like a bolt from a blank azure sky and bounces off the glass tabletops outside a Parisian café, reflecting back into the...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

5 years

Harlequins statement: sorry, we overspent on salary cap last season by £12,479. Due to a "systems error". They are fined: £6239.50. Reasonable to say, having finished 10th, the overspend didn't help much

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@owenslot

9 years

Gavin Hastings on Joubert: "He should be punished. Sent straight home."

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@owenslot

5 years

Jones has just said that Harry Randall (Bristol) has become a strong contender for one of the England no9 spots

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@owenslot

4 years

An intriguing twist on the genesis of the Saracens scandal

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@owenslot

5 years

Breaking: England team to play Australia on Saturday. George Ford, who is in a rich vein of form, has been dropped to the bench. Owen Farrell, struggling for form, starts at 10. History repeating itself.

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@owenslot

7 years

World Rugby raises the eligibility requirement on residency from 3 to 5 years. Well done.

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@owenslot

1 year

Is it all unravelling for Eddie Jones? Exclusive story, here, of a big name coach, hired in October, ready to quit with weeks. Plus other staff departures

One of Eddie Jones’s key England coaches ‘already considering quitting’ after six weeks

A coach hired by the RFU to improve the culture in the England dressing room is understood to be considering leaving the role only six weeks after taking it.Dan

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

6 years

Breaking: RFU to award 28 full-time contracts to England women XVs squad. At last, you could say. A real step forward

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@owenslot

6 years

Geordan Murphy v impressive today re the Spencer red card. Admits his response was emotional and wrong, says he hopes the incident could be a "watershed moment" and that players will learn from it. Class act

Geordan Murphy regrets ‘rugby’s gone too PC’ comments over Will Spencer tackle

The red card shown to Will Spencer, the Leicester lock forward, could be a “watershed moment” that could help change the game for the better, Geordan Murphy, the Leicester coach, has said.In the...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

1 year

Truly one of the greatest 6N games. During the week, we worry where this game is heading, and then on Saturdays we see this…

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@owenslot

6 years

Some fairly blunt stats about George Ford here

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@owenslot

3 years

Tyson Fury, fatalism and how fighting keeps him alive. My interview. Some may note that this piece comes with a new job title/byline - this is my debut following some impressive footsteps in the role of Times' chief sports writer

Tyson Fury: I’ll train until the day I die. It keeps me happy

On Sunday in Las Vegas, the day after his world heavyweight title defence against Deontay Wilder, when the work is complete and the fight is done, Tyson Fury wi

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

12 years

thought for the day. After the Games, don't let the volunteers go home, stick them forever on street corners keeping the world cheerful

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@owenslot

8 years

A column on retirement from rugby and the prevalence of depression when transitioning to the outside world

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@owenslot

5 years

Wonderful comeback from Scotland. Whatever happens, though, England go to World Cup as a team that is fallible, that can crack under pressure and struggles to respond when the game isn’t going their way

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@owenslot

7 years

A year ago today GB hockey women win gold in Rio. Since then 10,000 new kids playing hockey = proof role models can inspire participation...

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@owenslot

4 years

Laporte says that he and Beaumont have been working on this plan for four months. One thing they haven't done, though, is actually ask the clubs about it. Err, that might be a problem...

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@owenslot

5 years

Are Saracens cheating the salary cap? I've done the maths.

Find out if Saracens are guilty — then declare all salaries

Are Saracens breaking the salary cap or not? Straight question. It is fair to say that fans of 11 other clubs in the Gallagher Premiership are desperate for the answer to be yes. Many have long...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

4 years

Parkrun cancelled. That is the end, for now, of one of the great providers of joy. But it will be an almightily splendid day when it reopens

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@owenslot

5 years

The fine art of burying bad news... PRL statement that Saracens did not declare all co-investment arrangements...

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@owenslot

5 years

some thoughts on James Haskell, who announced his retirement this morning

James Haskell’s desire to make the best of himself should be celebrated

The announcement, this morning, that James Haskell is being forced to retire from rugby is no great surprise given the fact that he is 34 and has been struggling with injury all season. He has only...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

5 years

Jamie Ritchie. Best lying-down turnover merchant in the game

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@owenslot

4 years

Every time the rumour circulates that London Irish are running out of cash, they go and sign another big-name international. Last week Rob Simmons, today, Agustin Creevy

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@owenslot

4 years

Francis Kean, the chairman of Fiji Rugby Union, has stood down from World Rugby council following reports in the Sunday Times

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@owenslot

5 years

Exclusive: CVC on verge of 2nd major rugby acquisition. Has agreed structure and terms for £120m deal for 27-30 per cent share of Pro14. Pro14/Premiership have already discussed and end-of-season grand final between their two winners

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@owenslot

3 years

The saddest thing about this serially underperforming England team is we know how good they can be. They showed us that only a week ago

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@owenslot

1 year

Good discussion of the tackle height issue on Rugby Tonight running currently. Ross Tucker excellent

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@owenslot

3 years

A jaw-dropper this, that passed everyone by at the time. England chased the game for 25 mins v Ireland with Dan Robson at 10 when they could have brought Ford back - and insist this was a tactical decision, not an error

We knew George Ford could come on, but wanted Dan Robson at fly half, England claim

England insist they knew that George Ford could have been sent back onto the field against Ireland when Owen Farrell was removed for a head injury assessment —

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

6 years

A column on Ealing Trailfinders, an extraordinary story of minnows seeking to swim with the sharks. The club that is putting the philosophies of English club rugby to the test.

Ealing’s bonkers project scaring the top flight

The biggest game of the opening weekend of the Gallagher Premiership was the one that had no Premiership players and no Premiership crowd.Five minutes’ drive from Ealing Broadway, past The Duke of...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

5 years

A victory of real authority. Ben Youngs' best game for how long?. More to come from this team. BillyV still got a gear to go.

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@owenslot

4 years

Saracens on the brink of relegation. Players in for an 8.30am meeting to discuss. Big issues for discussion: who will still be there next season. And what division will they be playing in?

Times Sport

@TimesSport

4 years

Saracens have been threatened with enforced relegation unless they can prove that they will not break the salary cap again this season | @owenslot @AlexMLowe

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@owenslot

2 years

97 years ago, Jack Leslie was selected for England, then dropped before the game because he was black. Today, the FA are awarding him its first ever posthumous honorary cap. Quite some story

Almost 100 years on . . . Jack Leslie, the first black player to get England call-up, finally gets...

Though it is a widely known fact that Viv Anderson was the first black player to win a full international cap for England, in 1978, it is barely heard of that t

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

6 years

Big day for Cornish rugby today... hope they get the thumbs up

Times Sport

@TimesSport

6 years

The @Stadium4Cornwll project is steeped in good sense and modest thinking and has clear uplifting potential for @CornishPirates1 , writes @owenslot

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@owenslot

6 years

This is really interesting... England training yesterday was reffed by Marius van der Westhuizen - who is an assistant ref at Twickenham on Saturday. Nothing illegal in this but surprised this can happen

Six Nations: Eddie Jones brings in Saturday’s match official to referee training session

England invited one of the officials for their Six Nations match against Ireland on Saturday to referee a training session yesterday. Marius van der Westhuizen, who will be an assistant referee at...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

5 years

Wasps have just confirmed Elliot Daly will be leaving at the end of the season. The statement doesn't specify to Saracens who are presumably still taking a deep breath to squeeze him in under the salary cap

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@owenslot

8 years

Dismal Wales claimed today that, for the 1st Test of the season, it was hard to get up to pace. Really?

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@owenslot

1 year

My bit on England and Eddie. If the review is rigorous, he can’t stay.

Times Sport

@TimesSport

1 year

"If the RFU review panel does a proper, rigorous job, then there is no chance that Eddie Jones stays. When you watch England, you see an extremely gifted generation playing beneath themselves, shorn of confidence and lacking direction" | ✍️ @owenslot

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@owenslot

6 years

Brilliant Boks. In defeat have made the rugby world a more exciting place

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@owenslot

4 years

I loved pulling this column together. Four short stories about the best clubs in the country: @Rams_RFC @etonmanor @Horus7s @stocktonrugby

Humble rugby clubs offering inspiration to all

Some weeks ago, I wrote a column about the worst club in England. And maybe, as was pointed out, that wasn’t the brightest or cheeriest of topics. So I asked openly, afterwards, for a kind of...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

4 years

The Six Nations is about to get £370million from CVC. This doesn't mean it has to go to payTV; the very opposite: it gives the unions the financial security to stay away from it. My thoughts:

Six Nations doesn’t need pay-TV cash

Rugby union in Great Britain and Ireland has reached a crossroads and a lot of people who care deeply are concerned about which way it will decide to go.As reported here today, the next round of TV...

www.thetimes.co.uk

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@owenslot

6 years

World Rugby has announced today a trialing of a lower tackle height. To be trialed at the U20s World Champs starting next week. This is overdue but well done at last for doing it. Tackles above the nipple line will be illegal in the trial. Rugby needs to know if this will work.

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@owenslot

5 years

Piers Francis, really? Have you not been listening? And no TMO review request? Really?

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