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The Harlequins reaction to Nick Evans' England decision

By PA
(Photo by Alex Davidson/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

Harlequins have confirmed that Nick Evans will not be rejoining England’s coaching team for the Rugby World Cup. Steve Borthwick had hoped to retain Evans for this autumn’s tournament in France as well as its build-up, having appointed the former New Zealand fly-half to his staff on a short-term basis for the Six Nations.

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But his job share failed to work for Quins, whose form nosedived during their attack coach’s absence with England. “Ultimately we battled while people were away with England, so not only did we lose some of our best players but we also lost our best coach,” head coach Tabai Matson said after Saturday’s 48-20 Gallagher Premiership victory over Newcastle.

“It’s good he is staying with us. He is signed up and is going to be staying. If I had the same opportunity three months ago when they [England] asked, when we were travelling well in the league and all of those things, given what I know now would I have said no? Maybe not.

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“He has come back with a vast array of knowledge and experiences and that will make him a better coach. That experience has been phenomenal, but it cost us.”

Alex Dombrandt crossed twice in a superb individual performance with the second try a crucial score in breaking Newcastle’s resistance.

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England boss Borthwick was watching from the stands as his first-choice number eight was at his marauding best just days after rival Billy Vunipola was ruled out for the rest of the season by a knee injury. “Alex was exceptional in the second half. Ultimately, his physicality and some of those carries in the second half were huge,” Matson said.

“He runs lines not many loose forwards do. That is the way he fits into our system. We can put him in positions where he causes havoc. He has the captain’s armband and that gives him confidence. He has been a different beast this week.

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“He came back after an intense England campaign and you want to give them a mental rest even if they don’t get a physical one. But he got to recharge his game for a couple of weeks.”

The final scoreline was harsh on Newcastle, who suggested an upset was possible when Freddie Lockwood went over in the 66th minute before falling to a late flurry of tries.

“Our defensive effort in the first half was heroic. We came down with a gameplan to frustrate them and we did that for 37 minutes,” Falcons interim head coach Mark Laycock said.

“We managed the period when we were down to 14 men well, but the effort the boys had to put in took a toll on our bodies. Quins showed their class by scoring four tries in the last 10 minutes and we didn’t really have any answers for it. They are a great attacking side.”

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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