The Joe Marler Debacle

Usually I start these posts with a brief overview of whatever it is I'm going to talking about, but in this situation I feel like everyone is aware of the fact Joe Marler was not banned for his 'gypsy boy' slur. So instead, I want to start off with the fact that I do believe he should have been banned for his comment to Samson Lee, and I think it is important for you all to know that and keep it in mind as I discuss today's events and provide my opinion on what has happened. 

I believe Marler should have been banned because, plain and simple, what he said was racist and, not only is there no room for this in sport, but there is no room for it anywhere. But I think the ease with which everyone climbed on their high horse this evening meant they missed what the real issues were that come out of World Rugby's decision. One of those is that people are completely disregarding Samson Lee's own thoughts on what went down. Plenty of people were perfectly willing to jump on the bandwagon when it came to sharing their disgust, but completely forgot that, in the end, it is the victim's voice that matters the most here, not yours. 

Which players will prove vital if England are to record a much needed win over Ireland?

After a brief week away, the Six Nations returns this weekend and we see England take on Ireland at 16:50 on Saturday - a match that should be the toughest one yet for Eddie Jones and his team. With both teams having now been announced, it is time for another R&M review into the selection of the 23-man squad. The focus of this week's piece will be on those players who will be important for the men in white's chances of grabbing a victory against an under-performing Ireland in the wake of their injury woe's.

Italy 9 - 40 England: was the score a true reflection of the match?

The short answer is: kind of. If you look at the first half, the answer would be no, but the second half was a different story altogether. With the second round of the Six Nations now coming to a close, how did England perform against what is the weakest team in the tournament? R&M discusses this below.

It's safe to say that, despite the huge winning margin, England were fairly poor today - they did nothing special, and there are vast improvements to be made should they wish to beat the likes of Ireland and Wales. There were a few problem areas evident during the match for the men in white, in particular the line-out, which did not function anywhere close to 100 per cent, as well as George Ford in the 10 shirt. However, the subs from the bench did make the impact that Eddie Jones wanted to see, Danny Care in particular who changed the whole outlook for the visitors.

Jones tweaks the line-up to face the Azzurri

Last week, Ruck Me Gently took a look at Eddie Jones' England squad from the angle of those who may have earned their first cap. This week, we take a specific look at the changes from the game against Scotland to England's second match against Italy, taking place on Sunday at 14:00 (GMT). At Murrayfield, the men in white recorded a solid victory over the home side, but the performance was lacklustre at times and far from convincing if England want to win the title. So, what do we make of the four changes the Head Coach has made in response to last week's efforts?

Has Eddie Jones picked wisely for the Calcutta Cup?

It's that time of year again where we indulge our true love for Valentine's - Six Nations rugby. With England's first match taking place at 16:50 tomorrow against Scotland, Ruck Me Gently previews Eddie Jones' first squad as Head Coach. There are some fresh faces along with familiar ones, and we even have some surprise selections. So, what do we make of the chosen 23?

The Roses were burned by a Dragon and trampled by a Wallaby

It is with a heavy sigh and a lot of disappointment that England have exited the World Cup in the pool stages, after losing back-to-back games against Wales and Australia. The home nation's tournament got off to a good start against Fiji, but it just was not to be against the more difficult opponents in what was termed the 'pool of death'. The question is, what did England do wrong and what did our opponents do right? 

Our first game against Fiji was by no means perfect - there were plenty of mistakes and we started the second half very slowly - but we eventually came out on top and got, what was at that time, a very important bonus point. Neither Australia nor Wales managed to achieve this and considering the fact that Fiji have talent in abundance, it seemed to put us in a good position for the other fixtures. George Ford had a very controlled game, managing to get us in the right places on the pitch and stop the opposition from getting any good position themselves. He has certainly come on leaps and bounds in the past couple of years, giving England so much more attacking flair in the process. Mike Brown also had a great game considering that he came up against Nemani Nadolo - probably Fiji's best player on the day. A huge guy, any player would need some serious balls to take him on. Brown is probably the one England player who would fit this description to a T - he never shies away from the high ball, and will give the contest everything that he's got.