21 h. ago Ben Stokes says England have been ‘letting the pressure get to us’ in Ashes

Captain says his dressing room ‘isn’t a place for weak men’Coach McCullum says England ‘overprepared’ Ben Stokes has admitted that the way England have folded in key moments during the first two Ashes Tests has led him to question the character of his players, and insisted: “A dressing room that I am captain of isn’t a place for weak men.”After Australia won the second Test in Brisbane by the same eight-wicket margin with which they secured the first, Stokes suggested the telling difference was that the home side had been superior in the “moments in the game where the heat is on and the pressure is really, really cooking” whereas his players “have all been guilty at moments [of] letting the pressure, the occasion, the circumstances, get to us”. Continue reading...

Events

23 h. ago Ashley Cole says coaching Harry Kane and Cole Palmer gave him imposter syndrome

Cole is a full-time coach for England and has previously served as assistant coach under interim manager Lee Carsley

Politics

3 d. ago Emma Coates leaves England U23 role to become head coach at NSWL’s Bay FC

Coates ‘ready and excited’ to replace Albertin MontoyaU23 assistant Gemma Davies to join Coates in San JoseEmma Coates has left her position as the leader of England Women’s Under-23 national team to become the new head coach of the NWSL side Bay FC.Coates replaces Albertin Montoya, who was the coach of the expansion team when it entered the National Women’s Soccer League two years ago. Montoya announced in September that he would resign at the end of the 2025 season, with the San Jose side finishing 13th in the 14-team table. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Emma Coates leaves England U23 role to become head coach at NWSL’s Bay FC

Coates ‘ready and excited’ to replace Albertin MontoyaU23 assistant Gemma Davies to join Coates in San JoseEmma Coates has left her position as the leader of England Women’s Under-23 national team to become the new head coach of the NWSL side Bay FC.Coates replaces Albertin Montoya, who was the coach of the expansion team when it entered the National Women’s Soccer League two years ago. Montoya announced in September that he would resign at the end of the 2025 season, with the San Jose side finishing 13th in the 14-team table. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago RFU reveals stance on Steve Borthwick contract after England’s long winning run

Borthwick’s England have won their last 11 games with their head coach contracted through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup

Politics

1 week ago Chelsea vs Barcelona: Estevao out to upstage Lamine Yamal in battle of wonderkids

Teenage prodigies tipped as future Ballon d’Or winners set to Champions League showdown at Stamford Bridge

Events

1 week ago Graham Thorpe’s widow believes he would be alive if ECB had offered more support

Graham Thorpe, one of the best batsmen of his generation and England's assistant coach until 2021, took his own life in August 2024 after 'spiralling into depression' after losing his job as a batting coach in 2022

Politics

1 week ago Estêvão ready to rival Lamine Yamal in battle of the teenage prodigies

When Chelsea host Barcelona, fans can assess two 18-year-olds who are equally tipped as future Ballon d’Or winnersComparisons mean little to Estêvão Willian. The Brazil winger did not even take kindly to being nicknamed Messinho – “Little Messi” – earlier in his career. He called the nickname “disruptive” and made clear that he had no interest in trying to be someone else. “I don’t like comparisons,” the 18-year-old told ESPN Brasil last year. “For those who don’t know how to deal with it, it’s quite disruptive. Me being Estêvão is very good.”Chelsea no doubt agree. After all, opposition defenders aside, who could possibly complain about Estêvão just being Estêvão? Not for nothing is he widely tipped to win the Ballon d’Or one day. The teenager’s talent is outrageous, his start to life in England has been better than expected and, although the obvious risk with heaping too much praise on a young prospect is that it makes them take their eye off the ball, it is telling that those who...

Events

1 week ago Argentina demand investigation into ‘bully’ Tom Curry after alleged tunnel shove

The Pumas have made an official complaint after accusing England flanker Curry of forcefully pushing their coach Felipe Contepomi in the tunnel following an on-field scuffle

Events

1 week ago Argentina lodge complaint and urge investigation into Tom Curry over alleged tunnel scuffle

Felipe Contepomi called England flanker a ‘bully’Post-match incident follows anger over Curry tackleArgentina have lodged a complaint and called for an investigation into the alleged tunnel scuffle involving the England flanker Tom Curry and their head coach, Felipe Contepomi, after Sunday’s game at Twickenham.In an extraordinary press conference after England’s 27-23 victory, Contepomi described Curry as a “bully” and accused the flanker of shoving him in the tunnel and telling him to “fuck off”. Contepomi also claimed Curry had “broken” the knee of the Argentina full-back Juan Cruz Mallía with a “reckless” tackle – an incident that seemed to spark the bad blood after the final whistle. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago England star slams 'load of b*****s' Argentina accusation as ugly row deepens

Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi accused England's Tom Curry of 'bullying' after their defeat in the autumn international

Politics

2 w. ago Felipe Contepomi accuses Tom Curry of being 'bully' and shoving him in sweary tunnel bust

Argentina head coach also claims England star told him to ‘f**k off’ during heated clash that followed late tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia at Twickenham

Politics

2 w. ago England vs Argentina live: Tom Curry accused of shoving Pumas coach after hosts win

Steve Borthwick’s side survived a late scare in Twickenham to down the Pumas and extend their win streak to 11 matches

Politics

2 w. ago Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi accuses Tom Curry of shove in tunnel after England win

Curry was involved at a scrap at the end after Argentina were incensed by a late hit on Juan Cruz Mallia

Politics

2 w. ago Slade edges England over line for autumn clean sweep despite Argentina scare

England 27-23 ArgentinaHosts hold on to secure 11th successive victory England rounded off their first four-Test autumn Twickenham clean sweep since 2016 with their 11th successive win of a highly satisfying calendar year. Argentina made them sweat in the second half but 12 points from the boot of George Ford and a productive first home start by Max Ojomoh enabled Steve Borthwick’s side to edge an increasingly tense contest.Ojomoh, on his first home start, scored a sharp early try and also provided assists for further scores by the Exeter duo of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Henry Slade. In the closing moments, though, it was England who were left hanging on before an injury-time lineout fumble thwarted another potentially extraordinary Pumas comeback. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘America is British’. Heaven is ‘a socialist state’. David Attenborough is ‘anti

He was a Conservative party big-hitter who wrote speeches for David Cameron and worked with Boris Johnson before he suddenly jumped ship. He talks family, flags and why Nigel Farage is ‘top dog’What I struggle to understand, I say to Danny Kruger in his office at Reform UK HQ, is why a serious Conservative, with a glittering future like yours, would defect to a party led by Nigel Farage? Indeed, the defection of Kruger, a heavy-weight on the Conservative right who served on the front bench and been tipped as a possible future leader, was seen as a major coup for Reform, catching commentators off-guard. Unlike previous deserters – Andrea Jenkyns, Jake Berry, Nadine Dorries – he was a sitting MP in a safe Tory seat. Plus, he was untarnished by the boisterous excesses of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.But we’ve been around the houses a few times on this. He’s talked about his philosophy (Burkean), his Christianity (evangelical), thrown out words like “family”, “community”, “nation”. ...

Politics

2 w. ago Tom Curry reveals how George Ford regained favour as England’s first

Tom Curry reveals how George Ford regained favour as England’s first-choice fly-half

Politics

2 w. ago Bazball faces its ultimate test as England eye golden Ashes chance

Tourists have a clearly defined identity and optimism, but still need to compete in a manner that earns Australia’s respectWhen Rob Key named Brendon McCullum as England’s head coach in 2022, his quote in the official press release told supporters to “buckle up and get ready for the ride”. Now, with this hot-ticket Ashes series a few days from setting off in sun‑drenched Perth, the mix of fear and excitement among them has arguably never been greater.The difference being that rollercoasters tend to stay on the rails, whereas England tours of Australia often career off them. No one is quite certain which way this one will play out, other than a broad agreement that Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood missing the first Test (at least) presents Ben Stokes and his tourists a golden opportunity. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Mind guru Gilbert Enoka: ‘England are about to go to war, and I want to be in the trench with them’

The mental skills coach famous for the ‘no dickheads’ policy coined during 21 years with the All Blacks now faces his and Brendon McCullum’s acid test in the Ashes“We’ve got a smooth lake at the moment,” Gilbert Enoka says, relaxing in the bar of England’s team hotel in Perth a few days before the battle for the Ashes gets under way. “But the series is going to start and then there’s going to be really, really choppy water in terms of what we actually have to sail. All I want is to help the guys develop structures that can help them be reliable when those waves come.”Enoka is the mental skills coach most famous for instigating a “no dickheads” policy during his 21 years in the All Blacks dressing room, and a man whose path to the pinnacle of team sport is as remarkable as the impact he has had since getting there. He spent much of his childhood in an orphanage before moving back in with his mother, who had settled with a new partner Enoka describes as “alcoholic, dysfunctional”. At ...

Events

3 w. ago England win every group game without conceding after Kane’s double sinks Albania

For Thomas Tuchel, there was an unmistakable circularity, a pleasingness to the narrative arc. The England head coach began his tenure with a World Cup qualifying victory against Albania at Wembley last March. And he finished the first phase of the mission to add a second star to the shirt with another one – by the same scoreline in Tirana.It is surely worth taking a moment to digest the headline numbers. This was England’s eighth qualifying win out of eight and an eighth clean sheet. Never before has a European team gone through World Cup qualification – playing at least six ties – without letting in a goal. It is a record to fire hope, which has sent out a message. Continue reading...

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