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The Telegraph Rugby Podcast
What is going wrong for England?
Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on the penultimate round of Six Nations action where England suffered a record home defeat to France in a major reality check for head coach Steve Borthwick.
We discuss England's problem areas following a difficult afternoon at Twickenham and who should play at fly-half against Ireland next weekend. Owen Farrell was forced to settle for a spot on the bench against France with Marcus Smith preferred while there's also the possibility of a return for George Ford, who is yet to make an appearance this campaign.
The Irish Grand Slam remains on after they picked up their latest win away to Scotland. Despite a string of injuries to their pack in the first half, Andy Farrell's men overcame adversity to deliver what he called 'the best win of his career'. We discuss Ireland's relentless form and what chance, if any, England have against them this coming weekend.
Plus, Wales are praised for picking up a bonus-point win away in Italy and we answer your questions too!
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England finish strong as Ireland clinch back-to-back titles
01:02:32|Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on the final round of the 2024 Six Nations as Ireland retain their title in Dublin and Wales finish bottom, picking up their first wooden spoon in 21 years.England finished their campaign with a thrilling match in Lyon, losing out to France by just two points. Despite the defeat, there are plenty of reasons for England fans to be optimistic. We discuss how new life was sparked into their attack and how it could develop even further this summer away in New Zealand.We also talk about the future of Wales boss Warren Gatland, who admitted that his attempt to resign was rejected by the WRU and also ask if Italy finally arrived as legitimate Six Nations challengers after their history-making campaign.England's statement win over Ireland and Louis Rees-Zammit on life in the NFL
01:13:41|Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on the penultimate round of Six Nations action which saw seismic shocks at Twickenham and in Rome.England defied the odds to produce their best performance since the 2019 World Cup to defeat Ireland and end the visitors hopes of becoming the first Six Nations side to win back-to-back Grand Slams.Elsewhere, Italy produced a shock of their own by coming from behind to beat Scotland 31-29. Harlequins' Louis Lynagh had a debut to remember and he tells us what it was like to pull on the Italy shirt for the first time.And, as Wales lose their fourth game on the spin, we speak to their former winger Louis Rees-Zammit who tells us all about his preparations to make it in the NFL after leaving rugby.England's Irish showdown with Will Carling
57:27|Ben, Charlie and Charles look ahead to the penultimate round of the Six Nations and in particular England's showdown with Ireland at Twickenham.Former England captain Will Carling joins us to offer us his thoughts on England, arguing a 'data straitjacket' is holding them back while revealing he had to argue with Eddie Jones to get current captain Jamie George into the leadership group back when he was a team mentor.The big selection question mark this week surrounds fly-half with Marcus Smith back in contention. Should he be fast-tracked into the starting line-up, or is George Ford or Fin Smith the better option? The guys make cases for each of the three starting on Saturday. Plus, we ask if Wales can turn their good performances into a win against struggling France this weekend, and whether Italy can replicate their heroics from round three when they host Scotland in Rome.Duhan destroys England again
01:01:20|Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on Scotland's win over England in the Calcutta Cup, their fourth in a row, and where the defeat leaves Steve Borthwick's side heading into the final two rounds of the Six Nations.We ask if it is time for the England coach to roll the dice with some of the emerging talent, like Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, and if it is time to say goodbye to some of the squad's elder statesmen. Whether changes are needed to England's coaching ticket moving forward to accelerate Borthwick's rebuild is also discussed.Elsewhere, we hear from Italy defence coach Marius Goosen who tells us that Paolo Garbisi's last-gasp penalty against France should have been retaken after the fly-half was forced to rush the potential match-winning kick.Ben gives us his verdict from the Aviva as Ireland's unbeaten start continued against Wales.Calcutta Cup clash with Ben White
01:08:23|Ben, Charlie and Charles build up to the return of the Six Nations this weekend and discuss the crucial Calcutta Cup clash in detail.Scotland scrum-half Ben White joins the show to discuss his successful memories of the fixture and as well as his transition from England youth player to Scotland international.We also discuss if Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence could feature this weekend after the pair were recalled, and who will replace Alex Mitchell at scrum-half for England.Plus, we cast our eyes over the rest of the weekend and ask if either Wales or Italy can cause a major shock when they face Ireland and France respectively.England squeeze past Wales and Murrayfield controversy
55:15|Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on round two of the 2024 Six Nations where England secured back-to-back wins, coming from behind to see off Wales at Twickenham.There were yet more questions for England's new look defence and, with harder tests to come, we ask if new defence coach Felix Jones will make any amendments for the remainder of the tournament.As for Wales, they could have two victories under their belt but their young team remained winless. How can Warren Gatland turn his sides' near misses into wins?The big talking point of the weekend came from Murrayfield as Scotland were denied a win over France with a last-gasp TMO review not awarding a try that would have won them the game. There is agreement amongst the panel that although a try was probably scored, the right decision was ultimately reached.And can anyone stop Ireland making it successive Grand Slams after Andy Farrell's side put 36 unanswered points on Italy in Dublin.England a work in progress, Ireland lay down a marker
56:34|The 2024 Six Nations is underway and it was defending champions Ireland who sent a message to the rest of the competition by recording their biggest win away in France, securing a bonus-point along the way in Marseille.Ben, Charlie and Charles look back on the opening weekend, including that win for Ireland and a nervy victory for England away in Rome. However, Charlie is feeling optimistic about the work being done behind the scenes by head coach Steve Borthwick and Felix Jones. There's praise also for Ethan Roots, who impressed on debut.Plus, we discuss a chaotic game in Cardiff as Scotland almost blew a 27-point lead against Wales.Six Nations preview with Eddie Jones
01:16:22|The 2024 Six Nations is just around the corner and the Telegraph Rugby podcast is back ahead of the tournament's opening fixture on Friday.Ben, Charlie and Charles get stuck into how the England squad will cope in the absence of Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes, with Jamie George to skipper the side for the competition.We also hear from Italy forward Sebastian Negri ahead of Italy's clash with England, and he opens up to us about his starring role in the recent Netflix series.Former England coach Eddie Jones joins the show for the first time since becoming head coach of Japan. We hear about his new role, the upcoming Six Nations, and his strong views on Owen Farrell's decision to step away from international rugby.Plus, we cast our eyes over the best of the weekend's action, including a potential classic in Marseille between France and Ireland on Friday night.South Africa retain the World Cup and Jack van Poortvliet on England's future
01:09:21|Ben, Charlie and Charles reflect on the final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup which saw South Africa retain the Webb Ellis Cup and register a record fourth win.The game could have been different had New Zealand not lost their captain Sam Cane to a red card early on. The guys discuss the impact of that decision and also if South Africa skipper Siya Kolisi was lucky not to see red.We also discuss where this Springboks side rank amongst the best teams in rugby history and if it is possible they make it three in a row in 2027.England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet joins the show to discuss his rehab from an ankle injury that ruled him out of the World Cup and also what he has made of their progress under Steve Borthwick.Plus, we discuss Eddie Jones' resignation from Australia and take a look at the World Rugby Awards too.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.