Charlie Smith

Charlie Smith

Freelance football writer. Leeds United fan

38 articles

Eddie Jones admits ‘we let ourselves down’ following Wales defeat
England

Eddie Jones admits ‘we let ourselves down’ following Wales defeat

England head coach Eddie Jones admitted his side let themselves down in a couple of areas after Wales ended their Grand Slam hopes in Cardiff on Saturday night. The visitors built up a 10-3 lead at half-time after an impressive first-half display, however, second-half tries from Cory Hill and Josh Adams earnt Warren Gatland’s side […]

Shane Williams makes bold claim ahead of Wales-England clash
News

Shane Williams makes bold claim ahead of Wales-England clash

Former Wales wing Shane Williams believes that the current England side would beat New Zealand at this moment in time as a result of their strong form in recent weeks, the BBC report. Eddie Jones’ side are currently ranked third in the world, behind Ireland and the All Blacks, who they have failed to defeat […]

Andy Farrell ‘privileged’ to take over from Joe Schmidt
Ireland

Andy Farrell ‘privileged’ to take over from Joe Schmidt

Former England international Andy Farrell has expressed his delight at being offered the Ireland head coach position, but admitted it will be the biggest challenge of his career, Sky Sports report. Schmidt, who has led the Irish to one Grand Slam and three Six Nations titles since taking over in 2013, will step down from […]

Greig Laidlaw hits out at referee following Ireland defeat
News

Greig Laidlaw hits out at referee following Ireland defeat

Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw hit out at referee Romain Poite following their defeat to Ireland on Saturday, claiming the Frenchman “doesn’t seem to like” Scotland, the BBC report. Following their opening weekend victory over Italy, Scotland failed to make it two wins from two, with Ireland running out 22-13 winners at Murrayfield thanks to tries […]

‘Privileged’ Chris Ashton ready for England starting return
England

‘Privileged’ Chris Ashton ready for England starting return

Sale star Chris Ashton has revealed he feels “privileged” to be included in England’s Six Nations starting line-up against France, Sky Sports report. The 31-year-old is set to earn his 40th England cap on Sunday in what will be his first Six Nations start since 2013. Ashton has been named to start ahead of Jack […]

Round 1: Six Nations Team of the Week
Articles

Round 1: Six Nations Team of the Week

The Six Nations returned with a bang this weekend as Wales, Scotland and England all emerged victorious in the opening round of fixtures. Wales and France got things underway on Friday evening, with Warren Gatland’s side staging a remarkable second-half turn around to earn a 24-19 win at Stade de France. The remaining four teams […]

Ireland given ‘reality check’, according to Joe Schmidt
England

Ireland given ‘reality check’, according to Joe Schmidt

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt admitted his side were handed a ‘reality check’ in their Six Nations opener against England, the BBC report. Eddie Jones’ side got their campaign off to the perfect start with a 32-20 bonus-point win in Dublin, thanks to tries from Jonny May, Elliot Daly and two from centre Henry Slade. Cian Healy and John Cooney […]

Bundee Aki looking to make a ‘statement’ in Six Nations opener
England

Bundee Aki looking to make a ‘statement’ in Six Nations opener

Ireland centre Bundee Aki has revealed he is looking to ‘make a mark’ on England’s Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi in the Six Nations opener in Dublin, Sky Sports report. Tuilagi has been named in Eddie Jones’ starting line-up for the highly anticipated fixture, with Tuilagi set to make his first Six Nations appearance since […]

Joe Schmidt warns Ireland squad ahead of England opener
England

Joe Schmidt warns Ireland squad ahead of England opener

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has warned his side of England’s physical presence ahead of their Six Nations opener in Dublin. Since taking charge of Ireland, Schmidt has failed to lose a Championship match at home and led the Irish to a Grand Slam last year with a 24-15 victory at Twickenham. The 53-year-old has […]

England monitoring Brad Shields’ fitness ahead of Six Nations opener
England

England monitoring Brad Shields’ fitness ahead of Six Nations opener

England forwards coach Steve Borthwick has admitted that flanker Brad Shields is being monitored ahead of the Six Nations opener against Ireland next weekend. Shields picked up a side strain problem with Wasps and has been unable to train with his England team-mates so far at the warm weather training camp in Portugal. The 27-year-old, who has […]

Eddie Jones admits to spying on opponents prior to England job
Articles

Eddie Jones admits to spying on opponents prior to England job

Eddie Jones has admitted he used to spy on opponents prior to landing his current role as England head coach, the Mirror report. ‘Spygate’ has been the topic all around the sporting world over the past 10 days following Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa admitting to sending an official to opposition training sessions. Jones and England are […]

Warren Gatland in head coach talks over British and Irish Lions 2021 tour
News

Warren Gatland in head coach talks over British and Irish Lions 2021 tour

Wales coach Warren Gatland has reportedly held talks over the possibility of coaching the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa, the BBC report. Gatland, who is set to step down from his position as Wales’ head coach after the World Cup this year, has previously led the Lions in two tours. The 55-year-old […]