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South Wales Argus
08-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Head coach Jones delighted with Division 2 final win
Twelve months ago, Cheshire saw a big lead against Oxfordshire evaporate in losing 38-37, but this time held their nerve in another try fest to triumph 50-38 against a Devon side who refused to go quietly. This was despite Cheshire storming into a 31-7 lead after half an hour, through tries by Will Norris, Joe Sanders, Tom Akehurst and Ciaron Connolly, with their opponents fighting their way back to bring back memories of last year. However, another Akehurst try and the boot of Mark Williams proved to be the difference, with the fly-half, who serves in the Royal Air Force, converting all five tries and kicking five penalties for a haul of 25 points. Jones said: 'It was long overdue. We've been in this position quite a few times and we've had a good bunch of boys who have knitted well from quite early on. 'I'm pleased with that today, it's probably the biggest group of lads we've had in a long time – normally we're orientated around one club, like Macclesfield last year and Caldy the years before that, so it's good to have a good mix. 'We've not emphasised a lot what happened last year, but we ran away with it first half last year and lost by a point in the dying minutes. 'A big focus was making sure the bench was strong, so we could bring on experience, and we went from there.' Cheshire's campaign has seen them use the facilities at Chester RFC for their training sessions, where their hard work in bringing a team together from the county's clubs has brought silverware. Jones, who coaches at Championship club Caldy, hopes to compete in Division 1 of the County Championship in the coming years and loves the opportunity it gives players from Level 5 downwards in the rugby pyramid. He said: 'This level is something the RFU really needs to buy into. 'It's massive, it's an opportunity for some of the smaller clubs, and some of the bigger clubs, to showcase what they have available. 'Equally, players that play in this get to go back and share the experience [with their clubmates] and I think it's required for the RFU to invest heavily towards it because it's brilliant.'
The Herald Scotland
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Head coach Jones delighted with Division 2 final win
This was despite Cheshire storming into a 31-7 lead after half an hour, through tries by Will Norris, Joe Sanders, Tom Akehurst and Ciaron Connolly, with their opponents fighting their way back to bring back memories of last year. However, another Akehurst try and the boot of Mark Williams proved to be the difference, with the fly-half, who serves in the Royal Air Force, converting all five tries and kicking five penalties for a haul of 25 points. Jones said: 'It was long overdue. We've been in this position quite a few times and we've had a good bunch of boys who have knitted well from quite early on. 'I'm pleased with that today, it's probably the biggest group of lads we've had in a long time – normally we're orientated around one club, like Macclesfield last year and Caldy the years before that, so it's good to have a good mix. 'We've not emphasised a lot what happened last year, but we ran away with it first half last year and lost by a point in the dying minutes. 'A big focus was making sure the bench was strong, so we could bring on experience, and we went from there.' Cheshire's campaign has seen them use the facilities at Chester RFC for their training sessions, where their hard work in bringing a team together from the county's clubs has brought silverware. Jones, who coaches at Championship club Caldy, hopes to compete in Division 1 of the County Championship in the coming years and loves the opportunity it gives players from Level 5 downwards in the rugby pyramid. He said: 'This level is something the RFU really needs to buy into. 'It's massive, it's an opportunity for some of the smaller clubs, and some of the bigger clubs, to showcase what they have available. 'Equally, players that play in this get to go back and share the experience [with their clubmates] and I think it's required for the RFU to invest heavily towards it because it's brilliant.'
South Wales Argus
07-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Slade out of remainder of England's summer tours with fractured hand
Henry Slade has been ruled out of the remainder of England's tour of Argentina and the USA after suffering a fractured right hand. The Exeter Chiefs centre is believed to have suffered the injury relatively early in the 35-12 first Test victory over Los Pumas in La Plata. While he played 80 minutes, he was later seen with his hand strapped up and after undergoing a scan on Sunday, he has been ruled out of the second Test, as well as the clash with the USA in Washington DC. Steve Borthwick and his coaching staff have decided against calling up a replacement for Slade, with four centres still remaining in the squad. Gloucester's Seb Atkinson made his debut in La Plata, while the other three centres – Harlequins pair Luke Northmore and Oscar Beard, as well as Bath's Max Ojomoh – are all uncapped. It would suggest that the midfield combination for the second Test in San Juan will have an inexperienced feel to it, while Borthwick will also now need to make a call over fly-half cover for George Ford. Slade was next in line if anything had happened to England's newest centurion in the first Test, while 23-year-old Charlie Atkinson, who is also uncapped, is the only other specialist fly-half in the squad. Prior to the tour, Borthwick had also mentioned Bath scrum-half Ben Spencer as a player capable of filling in at fly-half if required. Henry Slade will miss the remainder of the tour to Argentina and the USA with a hand injury (Image: The RFU Collection via Getty Images) England will look to back up a fine first Test display when they head to San Juan, with a number of players putting their hands up for starting roles going forwards, even once the 13 players currently on Lions duty come back into the mix. Tom Roebuck, the Sale winger, was one such player to stake a claim, grabbing two tries and showing his aerial prowess and he wants the team to use the victory as a springboard to greater things. He said: 'We'll take confidence in that win, we want to keep building momentum. But we also know that Argentina are a very good side and you only have to look back to that Lions game to prove it. We're very aware of the threat they bring. That win makes us want to build on it. 'We spoke about playing smart rugby, tactical rugby, keeping them pinned back and in that cage if you want. You want to take that energy away from the crowd, they are giving them all that passion and energy to go and do it so if you can keep pushing them back, it takes the crowd out of it a bit. 'We played in this one, we've got the shirt as it is. But there is obviously a handful of players that are going to come back in over the next year, and they are going to want their shirts back. So, for us, it's about how well can we play, can we stake our claims to try to keep our shirt?' Argentina, meanwhile, have called for reinforcements following the first Test defeat, notably with the inclusion of future Harlequins lock or back row Guido Petti in their squad. A standout performer for Bordeaux-Begles as they won the Investec Champions Cup this season, he arrives after playing in the Top 14 final just over a week ago. Purchase your tickets to the Autumn Nations Series at Allianz Stadium
The Herald Scotland
07-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Slade out of remainder of England's summer tours with fractured hand
Henry Slade has been ruled out of the remainder of England's tour of Argentina and the USA after suffering a fractured right hand. The Exeter Chiefs centre is believed to have suffered the injury relatively early in the 35-12 first Test victory over Los Pumas in La Plata. While he played 80 minutes, he was later seen with his hand strapped up and after undergoing a scan on Sunday, he has been ruled out of the second Test, as well as the clash with the USA in Washington DC. Steve Borthwick and his coaching staff have decided against calling up a replacement for Slade, with four centres still remaining in the squad. Gloucester's Seb Atkinson made his debut in La Plata, while the other three centres – Harlequins pair Luke Northmore and Oscar Beard, as well as Bath's Max Ojomoh – are all uncapped. It would suggest that the midfield combination for the second Test in San Juan will have an inexperienced feel to it, while Borthwick will also now need to make a call over fly-half cover for George Ford. Slade was next in line if anything had happened to England's newest centurion in the first Test, while 23-year-old Charlie Atkinson, who is also uncapped, is the only other specialist fly-half in the squad. Prior to the tour, Borthwick had also mentioned Bath scrum-half Ben Spencer as a player capable of filling in at fly-half if required. Henry Slade will miss the remainder of the tour to Argentina and the USA with a hand injury (Image: The RFU Collection via Getty Images) England will look to back up a fine first Test display when they head to San Juan, with a number of players putting their hands up for starting roles going forwards, even once the 13 players currently on Lions duty come back into the mix. Tom Roebuck, the Sale winger, was one such player to stake a claim, grabbing two tries and showing his aerial prowess and he wants the team to use the victory as a springboard to greater things. He said: 'We'll take confidence in that win, we want to keep building momentum. But we also know that Argentina are a very good side and you only have to look back to that Lions game to prove it. We're very aware of the threat they bring. That win makes us want to build on it. 'We spoke about playing smart rugby, tactical rugby, keeping them pinned back and in that cage if you want. You want to take that energy away from the crowd, they are giving them all that passion and energy to go and do it so if you can keep pushing them back, it takes the crowd out of it a bit. 'We played in this one, we've got the shirt as it is. But there is obviously a handful of players that are going to come back in over the next year, and they are going to want their shirts back. So, for us, it's about how well can we play, can we stake our claims to try to keep our shirt?' Argentina, meanwhile, have called for reinforcements following the first Test defeat, notably with the inclusion of future Harlequins lock or back row Guido Petti in their squad. A standout performer for Bordeaux-Begles as they won the Investec Champions Cup this season, he arrives after playing in the Top 14 final just over a week ago. Purchase your tickets to the Autumn Nations Series at Allianz Stadium
Telegraph
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Sir Bill Beaumont demands end to rugby infighting
'The results of the 2025 annual general meeting provided important clarity,' said Beaumont. 'Our members have once again spoken with consistency, rejecting the constitutional proposals advanced by the so-called Whole Game Union. 'This marks the third time in just over a year that their motions have been decisively defeated. Three times now, in open and democratic forums, the rugby community has made its view clear: the way forward lies through inclusive consultation, open dialogue, and carefully considered reform — not through unilateral or divisive constitutional change. 'As a membership organisation, the RFU values accountability and robust debate. But it is clear that this group lacks broad support, and, at times, their efforts appear driven by personal agendas rather than the best interests of rugby. These campaigns have risked deepening divisions when unity is needed most. 'One of the responsibilities the RFU has is to navigate the tensions between the professional and the community game, each bringing its own culture, expectations and definitions of success. This is not easy, but the union is making considerable progress at every level and it needs the game working together to help it continue down that path.' The Whole Game Union, fronted by Alistair Bow of Nottingham RFC and Paddy McAlpine of Chichester RFC and supported by a former RFU president in Jeff Blackett, believes that the RFU executive has put too much emphasis on the elite game and has criticised the decrease in funding to the Championship. Their proposals sought to grant more power to the RFU council and required a 66 per cent share of a members' vote to pass their reforms. However, all of the resolutions were roundly defeated, with none of them achieving more than 42 per cent and most achieving about 30 per cent. Sources indicated that almost 500 votes were cast at the AGM, including proxies, which was the highest in more than 20 years. At the AGM, the Whole Game Union challenged Sport England's stance that its proposed reforms would stop England from hosting international events such as World Cups. A motion was also passed to allow local refereeing societies to break away from the Rugby Football Referee Society, which coordinated attempts to remove Sweeney. The RFU believes that its ongoing governance and representation review will prove to be the best avenue towards modernising the union's governance structures. 'Differences of opinion are healthy but the tone and nature of recent debates, and the questionable motivation behind them, have risked deepening divisions in English rugby,' Beaumont added. 'It is time for that to end. The focus must return to the growth and sustainability of our sport at every level – from grass roots to elite – and to ensuring that every voice in the game is heard and respected. 'No one doubts that the game and its structures need modernising. We all want this to happen. The governance and representation review, now under way and already engaging hundreds across the rugby community, provides an excellent platform for that conversation. 'The group leading this will continue to work with anyone who wants to contribute constructively to that process so we can move forward together – not as factions or interest groups – but as one rugby family, committed to building a stronger, more united game for the future.'
