The 2022 thread to discuss all things rugby related such as matches, players, debates and news anything to with the world of rugby and of both codes, union and league.

Should be a fairly exciting year for rugby I think - there's the Rugby League World Cup and the Women's Rugby World Cup at the end of the year (both postponed from last year), I imagine the first thing of note this year will be the Six Nations in Feb/March.

England's Six Nations squad

Forwards

 

Alfie Barbeary, Jamie Blamire, Ollie Chessum, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tom Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Charlie Ewels, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, Joe Marler, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler, Will Stuart

 

Backs

 

Mark Atkinson, Orlando Bailey, Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Jonny May, Luke Northmore, Jack Nowell, Raffi Quirke, Harry Randall, Henry Slade, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Ben Youngs.

 

 

International Rugby Union Calendar:

 

https://www.sportstourismnews.com/internati...-calendar-2022/

 

Rugby Union Fixtures:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/scores-fixtures

 

 

Rugby League Calendar:

 

https://www.fixturecalendar.com/sport-rugby-league

 

IRB Men's Rankings (Rugby Union)

 

1st South Africa

2nd New Zealand

3rd England

4th Ireland

5th France

6th Australia

7th Scotland

8th Wales

9th Argentina

10th Japan

11th Fiji

12th Georgia

13th Samoa

14th Italy

15th Romania

16th Tonga

17th USA

18th Uruguay

19th Spain

20th Portugal

 

IRL Men's Rankings (Rugby League)

 

1st New Zealand

2nd England

3rd Tonga

4th Australia

5th Papua New Guinea

6th Fiji

7th France

8th Samoa

9th Serbia

10th Greece

11th Scotland

12th Ireland

13th Lebanon

14th Netherlands

15th Malta

16th Italy

17th Czech Republic

18th Jamaica

19th Turkey

20th Norway

IRL Women's Rankings (Rugby League)

 

1st Australia

2nd New Zealand

3rd England

4th Papua New Guinea

5th France

6th Canada

7th Serbia

8th Italy

9th Fiji

10th Turkey

11th Samoa

12th Cook Islands

13th Wales

14th Ireland

15th Brazil

16th Greece

17th Lebanon

George Ford has been handed the chance to revive his international career after the fly-half was called up to England's Six Nations squad.

 

The 28-year-old fly-half has helped steer Leicester to the Premiership summit, but has not played for England since the defeat by Ireland last March.

 

But head coach Eddie Jones has turned to Ford to replace injured captain Owen Farrell.

 

In a squad update on Monday, Jonny May withdrew due to a knee injury.

Farrell's injury must be quite the loss to the team, Ford will want to make the most of the chance he's been given though!

 

Elliot Daly has also been recalled after an injury for Jonny May.

ITV will show 7 live games of the Gallagher Premiership including the Final in 22/23 and 23/24:

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunio...e-new-deal.html

 

Six Nations begin on Saturday! Most of the news articles so far seem to be focusing on the fact the bar at Wales' stadium will close during the second half of the games - if that's what people are most interested in then fair enough! :lol:

Dave Cherry has been called up to the Scotland squad for the Six Nations match with Wales in Cardiff.

 

Jamie Ritchie and Josh Bayliss are unable to meet up with the group through injury.

 

Hooker Cherry, 31, has won five caps for Scotland, and scored his third international try in the 27-23 win over France in Paris last year.

Joe Launchbury is set to make his first England appearance in over a year after being called up to the squad in place of the injured Lewis Ludlam.

 

Flanker Ludlam will miss Sunday's Six Nations match against Italy in Rome after suffering rib cartilage damage in the Calcutta Cup defeat by Scotland.

 

Head coach Eddie Jones expects Ludlam to recover in time for the visit of Wales to Twickenham on 26 February.

England prop Ellis Genge said he knew something "horrible" had happened to Italy's Sebastian Negri when he "heard him choking" during Sunday's game.

 

Replacement Negri had been on the pitch for 16 minutes in the second half when he was knocked out in a collision.

 

"I gave him a slap to see if he reacted," Genge said.

 

"He just carried on choking so I didn't know if he had swallowed his tongue - that's why I tried to roll him on to his side."

 

Once Genge called attention to Negri's condition, the 27-year-old received immediate medical attention and was driven from the pitch on a stretcher during England's 33-0 Six Nations win in Rome.

 

England and Newcastle Falcons back row Mark Wilson has retired from rugby union at the age of 32.

 

Wilson won 23 caps for England, including playing at the 2019 World Cup, and made his last Test appearance against Ireland in the 2021 Six Nations competition.

 

He featured in 237 games for Falcons, but an ongoing knee problem contributed to his decision to retire.

 

"My injury has made me re-assess where I'm at," Wilson said.

 

"That has been in the background and been in my thoughts quite a lot, and whilst it hasn't been the case that the injury has physically ended my career in its own right, it's certainly been one of the main things which has added to my decision."

 

He made one appearance from the bench this season following surgery on his knee in September.

Taulupe Faletau has been called into Wales' Six Nations squad for Saturday's game against England at Twickenham after recovering from injury.

 

The British and Irish Lions back rower played 80 minutes on Saturday in his second game back for Bath after seven months out injured.

Ireland's Squad for their match against Italy:

 

 

Forwards: Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Jack Conan (Leinster), Gavin Coombes (Munster), Caelan Doris (Leinster), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Dave Heffernan (Connacht), Iain Henderson (Ulster) Rob Herring (Ulster), Dave Kilcoyne (Munster), Peter O'Mahony (Munster), Tom O'Toole (Ulster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), James Ryan (Leinster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Nick Timoney (Ulster), Kieran Treadwell (Ulster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster).

 

Backs: Bundee Aki (Connacht), Robert Baloucoune (Ulster), Joey Carbery (Munster), Jack Carty (Connacht), Craig Casey (Munster), Andrew Conway (Munster), Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster), Mack Hansen (Connacht), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), James Hume (Ulster), Hugo Keenan (Leinster), Jordan Larmour (Leinster), James Lowe (Leinster), Michael Lowry (Ulster), Conor Murray (Munster), Jimmy O'Brien (Leinster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Johnny Sexton.

England prop Ellis Genge said he knew something "horrible" had happened to Italy's Sebastian Negri when he "heard him choking" during Sunday's game.

 

Replacement Negri had been on the pitch for 16 minutes in the second half when he was knocked out in a collision.

 

"I gave him a slap to see if he reacted," Genge said.

 

"He just carried on choking so I didn't know if he had swallowed his tongue - that's why I tried to roll him on to his side."

 

Once Genge called attention to Negri's condition, the 27-year-old received immediate medical attention and was driven from the pitch on a stretcher during England's 33-0 Six Nations win in Rome.

I don't think I'd seen this - very concerning, really hope he was able to recover quickly.

Hull FC half-back Luke Gale has been banned for three matches and could face an additional five-match suspension.

 

The 31-year-old was sent off in Saturday's defeat by St Helens for catching Jonny Lomax with a high boot.

 

He has been charged with a Grade C other contrary behaviour offence and a Grade D charge will go to a tribunal.

 

Toulouse's Joseph Paolo and Huddersfield's Danny Levi have both been given two-match bans following the weekend's Super League action.

Harry Randall will start at scrum-half in England's Six Nations match against Wales at Twickenham, with the returning Courtney Lawes named as captain.

 

Ben Youngs must wait to win a record 115th cap from the bench as he is Randall's replacement for the second successive game.

 

Manu Tuilagi returns from injury to partner Henry Slade in the midfield.

 

Alex Dombrandt starts at number eight, with Sam Simmonds once again on the bench.

 

 

England team to face Wales: Steward; Malins, Slade, Tuilagi, Nowell; Smith, Randall; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Sinckler, Ewels, Itoje, Lawes (Capt), Curry, Dombrandt.

 

Replacements: George, Marler, Stuart, Isiekwe, Simmonds, Youngs, Ford, Daly.

Wales: L Williams; Cuthbert, Watkin, Tompkins, Adams; Biggar (capt), T Williams; W Jones, Elias, Francis, Rowlands, Beard, Moriarty, Basham, Faletau.

 

Replacements: Lake, G Thomas, Brown, S Davies, Morgan, Hardy, Anscombe, J Davies.