Latest news with #TomHarrison
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Inside a brilliantly brutal England scrum session
'Stay in the abyss!' screams Tom Harrison, as two of his England forward packs, having thundered into each other moments earlier, wrestle and heave for scrummaging supremacy. When Harrison finally, mercifully, calls for the two packs to break, all four props are spent, but there is no rest for the wicked; two more must go again while the other two are subbed out for the remaining pair. This is up close and personal with England's scrum, which performed so impressively in their first Test victory over Argentina in La Plata last Saturday. Telegraph Sport has been granted access to England's main training session ahead of their second Test against Los Pumas in San Juan this weekend, the first time the travelling media have been welcomed behind the scenes like this in at least a decade. England only hit five scrums over the course of the session – they will only do 10 all week – and, as Harrison explains later, scrum machines have been consigned to history. Each of England's five scrums here is interspersed with live line-out maul practice and each one is as taxing as the next. And, to make matters worse still, scrummaging comes as the final part of England's main training day – with the front-rowers even changing their boots to prepare for it – with the belief that the players have to be able to execute set-piece excellence while fatigued. 'Scrums have previously been at the start of the session so that the players have lactic build-up in their legs: 'Now, go and do the session and run.',' Harrison explains. 'But, now it's at the end of the session: 'You've run, you're fatigued, can you now execute with that?' 'Machines are really good for timing but they don't push back so you can't change the angle on it too much. And, [we have] limited time. On a Tuesday, we will do seven live scrums maximum; if we're doing that against a machine then I'm only working eight players [whereas live is 16].' Harrison is England's scrum guru and leads the session but head coach Steve Borthwick is never far from the action. Although Borthwick is responsible for overseeing all facets of England's game, as a former international second row himself it would feel remiss were he not to be involved in some guise. With Harrison taking a vantage point where a referee might traditionally stand, Borthwick views on his haunches from behind, clearly interested in the body positions and manoeuvring of the back five of England's pack. Fin Baxter and Asher Opoku-Fordjour have an almighty ding-dong; so, too, does the Harlequin with Afo Fasogbon. Fasogbon was a late call-up for Emmanuel Iyogun of Northampton Saints, which might explain why his shorts are on the smaller side. That said, there is probably no clothing manufacturer in existence who produce shorts for the size of Fasogbon's thighs. Harrison ensures that England scrummage in combinations. Baxter and Joe Heyes scrummage with Jamie George, as the starting front row; Theo Dan teams up with Opoku-Fordjour and Bevan Rodd, the latter of whom has a ferocious tussle with Heyes at one scrum in particular; while Curtis Langdon is pitted with club-mate Trevor Davison and Fasogbon. This is deliberate – and planned. 'Scrummaging, ultimately, is cohesion and timing of movement together,' Harrison says. 'If you can get seven guys doing the same thing at the same time then you're probably going to have a good scrum; eight and you'll probably have a dominant scrum. How they get their binds, their timing, their feel. 'OK, he does this, I know he does that.' There's a lot of work on that. Training-wise, we predominantly scrummage in combinations that we play but it might be that I suddenly change the hooker. I weight reps to the combinations that I think will play. 'It's the same with the back five. For example, Chandler [Cunningham-South], who covers six, eight and both sides of the second row. We'd normally have George Martin as a right-hand side second row, Ollie Chessum as a right-hand side second row; if they aren't around then it's Maro [Itoje] who is on the right-hand side. So we've been developing who scrummages on the right-hand side with [Alex] Colesey. Because he and [Charlie] Ewelsy have always been left, left, left. We want them both to play so therefore they need to get used to the different arms and the different movements. 'The players don't know that. I don't say to them: 'You need to develop this.' But I give them reps in that position and with certain combinations so that they can start to pick it up implicitly.' As the session continues, the most brutal is to come. Harrison wants to test his replacement front row to the max – Dan, Rodd and Opoku-Fordjour – so, for good measure, he tells Baxter and Heyes to go and act as auxiliary flankers alongside No 8 Tom Willis, pushing between flanker and lock. Ten versus eight; and the outnumbered front row, impressively, holds firm. 'If we're playing against a team which scrummages for penalties, and a heavy pack, then I'll go 10 versus eight and stick two extra No 8s on,' Harrison says. 'If we're scrummaging for penalties, then we'll have longer scrums. 'They'll do another three or four on a Thursday. Monday is set-ups; teaching the habits and principles I want. A front-row meeting, teaching pictures I want to see. Potentially, three versus three and five versus five. Tuesday is testing under fatigue; long scrums – test it, test it, test it. Thursday, we tweak it. Then we go into the Test again. It's teach, test, tweak; that's the framework I use. We might only get three scrums but every front-rower will know what the focus is for these scrums to get right. 'Is it hard? Yeah. Intense? Yeah. Brutal? Yeah. These guys do things that a normal human... imagine a back. They don't understand! It's something special that these guys put their bodies through. They do it on a Tuesday to be able to go and win on a Saturday and it's tough. Is it to the point of recklessness and stupidity? No. There's a thought-process behind it, but they will 100 per cent work hard.' Earlier in the day, England had been put through their paces in the gym before splitting into more specific, non-contact work. Calvin Harris blared from the pitchside boombox as Borthwick and Cunningham-South used tennis balls to rehearse the catching of restarts. After some breakdown work – with all coaches mucking in no matter their specialism – the two sides came together for game-scenario training – 15 on 15. As the fog cleared on the outskirts of La Plata, Borthwick sought selection clarity ahead of another monstrous Test against Argentina this Saturday in San Juan. To replace the injured Henry Slade at outside centre, Borthwick has a trio of uncapped options: Oscar Beard, Luke Northmore and Max Ojomoh. All three impressed in training; the former throwing his shoulder about defensively like a boxer's fist, the latter harrying scrum-halves at rucks, and Northmore running the line of the day off the crisp passing of George Ford. Among the replacements, Borthwick has another decision to make. Charlie Atkinson of Gloucester is the only other fly-half on tour but Slade was the preferred cover in last weekend's victory over the Pumas in La Plata, which allowed a six-two bench split. For Borthwick to continue with that replacement formation this weekend, scrum-half Ben Spencer would have to cover fly-half; should that occur, it would show the value that Borthwick places on a six-forward bench composition rather than an indictment of Atkinson's abilities. The Gloucester fly-half showed some incredibly silky touches in training on Tuesday. As the drones buzzed overhead, relaying live training footage to lead analyst Joe Lewis sitting in front of his laptop on the sidelines, Joe El-Abd, England's defence coach, yelled 'press square! press square!' at his defensive charges. Near-gobbledegook to those on the outside – the juniors of the Club San Luis are also granted viewing access to parts of the session – but the words compelled England's defence to up the ante and El-Abd seemed pleased by the response. Phil Morrow, England's newly-installed head of team performance, played a central role. Morrow spent over a decade with Saracens and co-captain George knows his influence. The hooker spoke of four-minute blocks: short, sharp, intense – and high quality. 'There is meticulous preparation,' George said, 'and the aim is to go above Test-match intensity.' At the heart of the meticulousness are Ford and stand-in attack coach Lee Blackett. As England run through their attacking shape, Ford is disgruntled at some of the passing of his forward pack as he wraps around a pod of three. They are passing the ball in front of him, the gold standard, but it seems as though, for the fly-half to transfer the ball away swiftly, he wants it a little bit behind him, so he can fling it across his body in one movement without resetting his arms. Blackett also remarks that England are a little slow to the breakdown, before normal service is resumed; there is attacking alchemy between forwards and backs, and Tom Roebuck crosses for a sleek score. 'That is how we win this weekend,' barks Borthwick, triumphantly. It was England, and Ford, in full flow; at their fast, fluid best, ready for another supreme challenge – both in the the tight and the loose – on Saturday.
Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Six Nations to start on Thursday for first time in 2026
Next year's Six Nations Championship will open with a Thursday night fixture between the reigning champions France and Ireland in Paris. The first midweek championship game in 78 years has been scheduled for February 5 in order to avoid a Friday night clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan. France TV is the host broadcaster for both the Olympics and Six Nations, pending confirmation of a contract renewal. A Saturday night game did not suit broadcasters in France, the UK or Ireland, and so a scheduling decision came down to either a Saturday afternoon slot or an opportunity to break new ground and launch the championship on a Thursday night. Tom Harrison, the Six Nations chief executive, has been anxious to
News.com.au
12-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Modernist Highton home scores $110k bonus, selling for the first time since 1964
Devotees of Mid-Century architecture are proving to be large in number and deep in pocket with a classic Highton home selling for more than $100,000 above price hopes. The three top bidders for a four-bedroom Mid-Century classic selling for the first time in Highton's Reigate Rd were in the industry, with the two underbidders both architects, McGrath, Geelong agent Tom Harrison said after Saturday's auction. The two-storey home at 66 Reigate Rd sold for $960,000 after five bidders raised a hand for the residence designed by Walter Hodgson, built by his family and selling for the first time since 1964. Mr Harrison said after a slow start, the competition for the home intensified at the auction called by McGrath Geelong director David Cortous. And once contracts were signed, the family and buyers continued chatting about what's next for the beautifully presented mid century residence. 'It was going to be popular just based on the rarity of it and we ended up having five groups put their hand up,' Mr Harrison said. The number one reason for the home's popularity was its mid-century architecture, he said. 'The best two of three auctions we've had have been mid-century homes. Both campaigns had 100-plus groups through. 'It's just that style, and with this one the facade was super-unique with floor to ceiling windows the whole way across, a triple garage underneath and a double carport at the back. And it was Reigate Rd.' Mr Harrison said the buyers first saw the property while it was featured on a mid century architecture Instagram page. 'That's where they first saw it, then they go on and just got all that exposure because it was super unique. The green carpet, the straw ceiling and the cool story behind it.' The untouched mid century was a true time capsule which the original owner's family pitched in to finish while he was away overseas is selling for the first time in Highton. The custom 1964 house was designed by local architect Walter Hodgson, who was also responsible for Belmont's Buena Vista motel. Mr Harrison said the buyers don't expect to change much. 'They just want to modernise what they need to and keep the rest,' he said. The beautifully preserved interior avoids artificial materials, instead showcasing natural materials such as the pressed straw ceiling, solid blackwood internal doors and alpine ash walls. The owner's son said the house was a labour of love for his engineer father who spent several months working in Mexico during the build but stayed intensively involved through long, detailed letters. He said his parents were attracted to the elevated site's panoramic views over Geelong and the opportunity to incorporate a large garage space where they could restore vintage cars. The original kitchen retains ceiling-mounted cabinetry and floor-to-ceiling windows across both the front and back of the house remain. The family member said a carport had been added for ease of access but nothing had changed inside apart from the hardwood floors now being carpeted.
The Independent
15-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
How bonus points work in the Six Nations
The Six Nations reaches its finale today with the bonus point system taking centre stage. Introduced in 2017, the point system helps reward attacking rugby and could prove decisive in the final standings in 2025. A bonus point can be earned in two ways - if teams score four tries, or if they lose by seven or fewer points. However, the competition format necessitates an extra rule to avoid the potential for a team to win all five games and still lose out on the title to a team that won just four games. Three more points will be awarded if a team can win every single match in a championship. A grand slam winner would therefore have at least 23 points, an insurmountable total against any other team. Six Nations points system Four points are awarded for a win. Two points are awarded for a draw. A try bonus point is awarded for scoring four or more tries in a match. A losing bonus point is awarded for losing by seven or fewer points. If a team scored four tries in a match and loses by seven points or fewer, they are awarded both bonus points. Three points are awarded to a team that wins all five of their matches, i.e. a Grand Slam. This prevents a scenario in which a team wins every fixture but misses out on the title due to bonus points. The bonus points system attracted criticism ahead of the final weekend of last year's men's tournament when a scenario could have panned out that saw Ireland win fewer games than England but take the title. As it happened, Ireland won and England lost on Super Saturday, rendering the conversation moot, but Tom Harrison, the chief executive of the Six Nations, has insisted that bonus points are here to stay. 'Remember why bonus points are there — bonus points are there to promote positive rugby. It's about fan engagement,' Harrison said. 'Also, the players know. It's not as though we're saying 'you've played so well, we're going to award you an extra point afterwards'. 'There were some brilliantly unpredictable results. That's one of the features of the Six Nations - you genuinely don't know what's going to happen. We've still got jeopardy. No, I don't think it will change.'
The Guardian
14-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Six Nations to remain on free-to-air TV until 2029 after new ITV and BBC deal
The Six Nations will remain on free-to-air TV until 2029 after striking a new deal which will see ITV broadcast all England matches. Despite fears that the championship would disappear behind a paywall, ITV and the BBC have brokered an arrangement to keep the annual tournament on terrestrial TV for the next four years. As part of the new arrangement, ITV will have the rights to all five of England men's matches and will show 10 fixtures per year. Under the current deal which ends after this year's championship, the BBC shows all Wales and Scotland home fixtures, meaning they will screen Saturday's clash between Wales and England. Sources have indicated that the new deal is worth around £63m a year, representing a modest uplift on the previous arrangement with ITV paying a slightly greater proportion than previously. It is understood that despite showing interest, TNT Sports did not bid. The BBC will broadcast five matches a year and will continue to show Wales and Scotland home fixtures, provided England are not involved. Saturday's match at the Principality Stadium will therefore be the last involving England to be shown on the BBC until 2030 at the earliest. 'The significance of these new and innovative free to air partnerships for the Six Nations cannot be overstated,' said the Six Nations chief executive, Tom Harrison. 'By strengthening rugby's relationships with ITV and BBC, the sport can continue to give as many fans as possible in the UK access to enjoy live coverage of the Six Nations.' Ultimately, the fact the tournament is staying on free-to-air TV will be a popular decision. The Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said he was 'really pleased' that 'maximum visibility of our sport' had been retained while earlier in the competition the England captain Maro Itoje issued an impassioned plea to organisers, urging them not to move behind a paywall. 'I think the Six Nations should be viewed by as many people as possible,' said Itoje. 'I grew up watching the Six Nations on the BBC and on ITV. The fact that it's been on free-to-air, for so many people – I think rugby needs more eyes on it, not less. Obviously, I am not involved in the finances of the deals but I think, even though international rugby is massive, the sport should be looking at ways to be more accessible to more people, as opposed to the opposite.' It is understood that TNT Sports gave long consideration to bidding for the tournament, having won the rights to show the autumn internationals, but in January suggested they would not be following through on their interest. Sky showed no interest in bidding. A TNT Sports spokesperson said: 'While we think the Six Nations is the best international rugby competition in the world, its important partnership with free-to-air television across the UK and Ireland, but particularly in markets like Wales and Ireland, would make our involvement very challenging.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion A subscription broadcaster is likely to pay more for the rights to the championship but would not have the reach of the BBC and ITV. England's victory over Ireland last year attracted a peak audience of 6.6 million viewers while some fixtures can approach 10 million. An arrangement that would see some of the tournament remain on free-to-air and some of it go to a subscription broadcaster was considered a genuine possibility but ultimately the BBC and ITV have stumped up to continue their arrangement up to and including the 2029 tournament. As part of the new deal, the women's Six Nations will remain on the BBC until 2029, as well as the under-20s competition.
