Premiership rugby 2021-22: complete club-by-club guide to the season theguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Last man standing: Can Tate McDermott seize his day against the French? A Set the default text size A Set large text size
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Unavailability and injuries have already settled like a swarm of locusts over the summer rugby tours.
The British and Irish Lions have lost their captain, the redoubtable Alun Wyn Jones, for a large portion of their trip to South Africa before he even stepped on the plane. They may even lose him for the Test series itself.
The French, meanwhile, are sending a youthful if dangerous ‘B’ team to Australia, shorn of the players from the two Top 14 finalists – Toulouse and La Rochelle – whose quarantine period would have eaten into the middle part of the tour.
Last man standing: Can Tate McDermott seize his day against the French? theroar.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theroar.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The refereeing in the Trans-Tasman comp was seriously skewed, but perhaps not how you think A Set the default text size A Set large text size
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I recall a response from then Manchester United Manager Alex Ferguson when questioned about potential favouritism given the number of penalties his side were awarded during the season, when he pointed out that his side were simply in the opposition penalty area more than anyone else.
And so it generally works in rugby union, South Africa’s win column in the run up to the last Rugby World Cup was only challenged when forced into penalty deficit by the All Blacks.