The Rugby Thread

[Chris]

Damn, that's ****ing awful. Know he still needed treatment every other day or so but he's looked really well recently! Even did a tour here I think!

**** news, he got me interested in Rugby. Liverpool fan too!

[Buzzo]

Yeah, that ****ing sucks

Will always remember him with half the England team hanging off him in 1995. He was a phenomenan.

RIP big fella.

[Maxiedge]

R.I.P. big man

[Assassin]

Jonah Lomu. Absolute legend. RIP Big fella

[Yozza]

Unbelievable - @ 40 FFS

RIP

[RichC]

What a player he was, 40 is no age

RIP Jonah

[Exiled_red]

RIP Jonah

[Scratch]

Rip Jonah. I'm not a fan of Union, but I sure did enjoy watching him batter through defenses like they were non-existent. Thoughts and prayers to the family he leaves behind.

[Vermilion]

Shame. He had kidney problems at a young age iirc.

rip.

[Chazza]

[ame]https://twitter.com/oliverbrown_tel/status/666888715457941504[/ame]

[Doc_Piptorious]

Some athletes transcended the sport they played, making them a rare breed. Jonah Lomu was certainly one of those.


Think his passing is made that bit more shocking and unexpected due to how well he looked and sounded during the promo work he did at the World cup.

[tanner]

The World of rugby has lost a legend. Humble, kind hearted and extremely courageous, I don't think anyone attending his world cup promo's realized just how ill he obviously was.
RIP

[Chazza]

Exclusive: Eddie Jones to be England's new head coach and axe captain Chris Robshaw

EDDIE JONES will be unveiled as England's first overseas head coach within the next week - a game-changing appointment which is set to lead to Chris Robshaw being axed as captain.

The workaholic Australian is understood to have been offered the post and accepted it, subject to a final settlement between the RFU and his current employers, the Stormers in South Africa.

When concluded, the compensation deal will see the 55-year-old installed in time to lead England into the Six Nations as successor to Stuart Lancaster.

Jones's arrival is likely to spell the end for Robshaw as captain after leading England in 42 of their last 46 Tests. After England's early elimination from the World Cup, Jones publicly questioned whether he was even worth his place in the side.

"I just don't think he's an open-side flanker. He's more a 6 and a half," Jones told Radio 4. "He's an excellent player but the first thing you have to do for the captain is to make sure he's going to be in the team.

"Can he find his place as blind-side flanker? I haven't been looking at England's players in depth so I'm really not privy to information on that."

Jones will also be given a blank sheet of paper as far as his coaching team goes which should be a source of concern to Lancaster's assistants Graham Rowntree, Mike Catt and Andy Farrell.

Jones is understood to be amenable to an English flavour to his back room but he will want to hand pick his own men and, of the trio, he has only worked with Farrell, before his spell at Saracens which ended in 2009.

While that link could offer Farrell a potential lifeline, there looks to be no future for either Rowntree, who has been part of the England set-up since 2007, or skills coach Catt, who was brought on board by Lancaster three years ago.

Bristol's Steve Borthwick, who helped Jones plot Japan's shock win over the Springboks at this year's World Cup, would be the favourite to replace Rowntree as forwards coach although Saracens' Alex Sanderson, who also worked with the Australian at the Queensland Reds, is a viable alternative.

The well-travelled Jones, who suffered a stroke two years ago, took the Wallabies to the 2003 World Cup final where they lost to England and was part of the South Africa coaching team that delivered the Webb Ellis Cup four years later.

The RFU fervently hope he will be the man to deliver the game's biggest prize in Japan in 2019.

In a parallel development the RFU also look set to create a new post of performance director, a position first floated in 2011 when Lancaster and Sir Clive Woodward were among those interviewed for the role.

While it was scrapped on that occasion before any appointment was made, another World Cup flop has helped to revive the concept.

Woodward would jump at the chance to take the job but has not worked in rugby management for eight years.

Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea would be much nearer the top of any potential shortlist with Newcastle's Dean Richards another alternative.

It is not impossible that Lancaster could even make a swift return to the RFU in the position.

While his departure as head coach was inevitable after the World Cup, it was a surprise that Twickenham did not choose to retain him in some capacity given his unparalleled knowledge of the English system and the players in the supply line.

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/620361/Exclusive-Eddie-Jones-England-coach-Chris-Robshaw-Rugby-Union-Six-Nations-news-gossip

[Buzzo]

A legend retires. Not surprising, leaves on a high - but he's been some player
Great words about Jonah.

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw has announced his retirement after a glittering career.

The 34-year-old flanker played a world record 148 Tests and led the All Blacks to two World Cup final victories, including last month's win over Australia.

McCaw is also a three-time winner of the World Player of the Year award.

The news, expected for some time, comes 24 hours after the death of iconic All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu.

"It's time to hang up the boots," said McCaw. "It has been a hell of a journey over the last 15 years.

"I've been privileged to do what I love for so long. Here's to new adventures."

Before the news conference to announce McCaw's retirement those present held a minute's silence in memory of Lomu, whose death at the age of 40 was described as "a big shock" by McCaw.

"My thoughts and condolences go to his wife and two boys," added McCaw, a former team-mate of the giant winger.

"When I became an All Black he was in the team. To play with him was amazing. I remember one of my first games, I climbed off the bus and the mob came towards me and I thought 'this is pretty cool, being an All Black' but they kept going because they only wanted to be near to Jonah.

"There a lot of people round the world hurting at the loss of a great man."

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/34864317

[Muddled]

I thought the Irish Examiner's front page was superb: