Month: January 2020

Six Nations Preview: England

Friday 31st January 2020
Shôn Douglas previews England Rugby ahead the 2020 Guinness Six Nations Championship for Sport Talk. We Love Sport have teamed up with tournament sponsors Guinness to bring you complimentary pints during the championship – to redeem simply download the We Love Sport app.

ENGLAND

The World Cup runners up England come into the 2020 campaign with a settled squad but with an elephant in the room the size of Saracens’ wage bill!

Eddie Jones will be hoping the Six Nations provides the Saracens players in the squad with a welcome distraction from their club’s off field problems, however there will need to be some frank exchanges to clear the air before kick-off against France in Paris on Sunday 2 February.

At the press launch it was hardly surprising that captain and Saracen Owen Farrell was asked about the impact of the domestic situation, but England have dealt with media scrutiny before not least after the 2015 World Cup and again over Eddie Jones’ position prior to Japan 2019.

8 debuts at the Championship

Jones has brought eight uncapped players into the squad which, compared to other teams, is largely settled – with 22 of the players having featured in the World Cup and a settled backroom staff. The loss of Billy Vunipola to a broken arm just before the tournament is a huge blow for the team, and with no out and out number eight in the squad to replace him, it will be interesting to see what Jones does. Breaking up the Tom Curry/Sam Underhill dynamic would be madness considering their telepathic partnership and the inexperience of Lewis Ludlam, Ted Hill and Ben Earl may see a late phone call to Mark Wilson or Nathan Hughes.

Front rowers Mako Vunipola, Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler proved that they are more than just excellent players in the loose during the World Cup, standing up to all comers and getting the right side of the referees in most of the games. It’ll be important for Sinckler to keep his cool in the face of likely wind ups from Irish and Welsh opposite numbers, but if he lets his ability do the talking then he will be a massive part of England’s game plan.

In the backs England are blessed with strength in depth, even with Jack Nowell and Henry Slade absent through injury. A fully fit Manu Tuilagi and Anthony Watson will give opponents a torrid time, but uncapped Gloucester wing Ollie Thorley might be the man to make the biggest impact if given the chance.

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Summary:

Last year’s opener against favourites Ireland in Dublin set the stall out early doors for England and a similar performance against France will be needed to get the focus back on the pitch. The historic semi-final victory over the All Blacks in Japan was another one of those all or nothing performances that paid off, but ultimately led to them coming unstuck in the final.

If England can hit the ground running and maintain that momentum throughout then they have the personnel to win the Six Nations, if not the Grand Slam – but you wouldn’t rule out a clean sweep with games against Ireland and Wales at Twickenham and three “easier” away fixtures.

England Rugby predictions

How to watch the Six Nations Championship

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Six Nations Preview: Wales

Thursday 30th January 2020
Shôn Douglas previews the 2020 Guinness Six Nations Championship for Sport Talk. We Love Sport have teamed up with tournament sponsors Guinness to bring you complimentary pints during the championship – to redeem simply download the We Love Sport app.

WALES

In 2019 Wales were crowned Grand Slam champions for the first time since 2012, securing the title against a lackluster Ireland in Cardiff on the final day of the competition.

That was to be the last Six Nations of Warren Gatland’s reign and he will surely go down as one of the most successful coaches in the tournament’s history and a Welsh Rugby legend to boot. But what next for the Welsh?

Considering some of the questionable performances and narrow margins of victory accumulated along the way, the Rugby World Cup will have been considered a success for the Welsh, losing to eventual World Cup winners South Africa in the semi-final. However, Wales are entering a new era and the future is anything but certain.

New boys on the block

New head coach Wayne Pivac took over from his fellow Kiwi in November and knows he has big boots to fill, but he has carved himself a reputation as a winner in his time with Scarlets. He led the Llanelli based side to the Pro12 title in 2017 and came runners up to Leinster in 2018, with an impressive style of play earning plaudits and admirers in the WRU.

His first Six Nations squad selection is boosted by the return of Taulupe Faletau from injury and scrum half Rhys Webb, who is returning to Ospreys after a spell at Toulon. Having two seasoned campaigners back in the fold can only be a good thing for a squad lacking in depth but with a huge amount of experience.

Five uncapped players have been selected, including this season’s Premiership Rugby breakthrough Gloucester’s Louis Rees-Zammit, show a willingness to experiment that maybe wasn’t there under Gatland. Stealing Saracens centre Nick Tompkins from under the nose of Eddie Jones is a coup too, not least because of injuries sustained to other midfield options, but the form of the 24 year old gives reasons to be cheerful too.

Cardiff Blues wing Josh Adams finished the World Cup in Japan as top try scorer with seven tries and has carried that form into the 2019/20 season with his club, scoring five so far including a hat trick on his debut against Pau. If he can maintain that form into the Six Nations he will be a sure fire pick for most fantasy team managers!Win Six Nations Tickets

Summary:

Three home games is always a bonus for the Welsh, with the partisan Cardiff crowd cheering them on against Italy, France and Scotland – but difficult trips to Dublin and Twickenham will be a real test for Pivac’s men.

Captain Alun Wyn Jones has warned of a “bumpy road” ahead, but don’t be surprised if that isn’t the start of mind games before the tournament kicks off. Wales always thrive on the underdog status and with bookies having them behind both England and Ireland, that will suit them to the ground. Beating England on their home turf will be a big ask for the Welsh and the outcome of that game could well determine the outright winner.

Wales Rugby Key Stats

How to watch the Six Nations Championship

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Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury: What date is the fight and how can I watch it?

Wednesday 29th January 2020

 

What is it?

Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury take part in a rematch after their previous bout in December 2018 with the WBC heavyweight title on the line. The previous fight ended in a split decision after 12 rounds.

When is it?

The fight will take place on Saturday 22nd February 2020.

Where is it?

After the first fight in Los Angeles failed to sell out the 21,000 tickets this fight will take place at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Where is it being broadcast?

The fight will be a pay per view broadcast via BT Sport Box Office which will be available for one off fee or alternatively watch it in one of our sport bars.

What time will the fight take place?

Due to the fight being in Las Vegas we are expecting the main event to start around 4am GMT.

How can I watch the fight?

We have over 100 We Love Sport venues showing the fight live and loud. Simply download the We Love Sport App to book the best seats in the house to guarantee your spot.

What happened last time they met?

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Jimmy Garoppolo vs Patrick Mahomes who's the better quarterback?

Wednesday 29th January 2020

When Were They Drafted?

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was drafted at the end of the 2nd round in 2014 by the New England Patriots and was seen as a potential long-term replacement for the ageing Tom Brady. As Brady decided he wanted to play into his 40s, Jimmy G sought a trade and the 49ers duly obliged by trading a 2nd round pick to get their new franchise quarterback.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was taken with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 draft and sat behind then starting quarterback Alex Smith for his rookie season before taking the reins for the 2018 season.

How Have Their Careers Compared To Date?

Jimmy Garoppolo currently holds the record for the best winning percentage by any active quarterback in the NFL, having lost only 5 of his 28 NFL starts if you combine regular season and post-season games. 2019 was the first season in which Jimmy G was able to complete all 16 regular season games, having sat behind Tom Brady on the Patriots for 3 years and then tearing his ACL which caused him to miss a full season in 2018. On his return from injury, Jimmy Garoppolo led the San Francisco 49ers to a 13-3 season and threw for 27 touchdowns.

In Patrick Mahomes’ first year as the starter in Kansas City, he was on an absolute tear and set out to break records almost every week. Finishing the year with 5097 passing yards and 50 touchdowns, Patrick Mahomes set records including youngest player to throw 6 touchdowns in a game and fastest player to reach the 3000, 4000 & 5000 passing yards thresholds. 2019 saw Patrick Mahomes return more to normality as he suffered a dislocated knee and finished the season with a little over 4000 passing yards and led Kansas City to 6 straight wins to finish the season strong with a 12-4 record.

Patrick Mahomes

How Did They Get To The Superbowl?

In this year’s playoffs, the San Francisco 49ers haven’t trailed for even 1 second, and have outscored their opponents by 17 points each time. Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t lit up the stat sheets but that’s because he hasn’t had to. The main thing that Garoppolo has done is that he’s not made any mistakes that would cost his team. One interception over those two games was good enough for Garoppolo and the 49ers to not be seriously tested, thanks in large part to Garoppolo’s understanding that his team’s defense is elite.

It’s been a totally different story for Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs so far. After being behind by 24 points against the Houston Texans and then down by 10 points in the first half against the Tennessee Titans, Mahomes led the Chiefs to big wins in both of those contests. Nine touchdowns in those two games from Patrick Mahomes has shown that he has recaptured his 2018 form. No matter how far behind the Chiefs get, there is belief that Patrick Mahomes can bring his team back due to his ability to score touchdowns from literally anywhere on the field.

So Who’s Going To Win?

For decades it has been said that ‘defense wins championships’ but yet almost all the greatest quarterbacks of all time have won superbowls. Jimmy Garoppolo certainly plays the style of quarterback that is more traditionally linked with winning playoff football games. His ability to not turn the ball over and rely on the strength of his running backs and defense to put the game over the line is the way that superbowl teams have been built from the early days right through to recent superbowls.

However the more modern opinion is that with the game on the line, you want to have a quarterback who you trust to score the touchdown at the critical moment. Patrick Mahomes looks like the quarterback most likely to take control of the game and throw crucial touchdowns, however Jimmy Garoppolo has led his team to score touchdowns which won his team the game in the fourth quarter on four separate occasions this season.

Patrick Mahomes is the more explosive player and his receivers have frightening speed which makes them hard to recover. However Jimmy Garoppolo has been the expert at finding a way for his team to win so far in his career, so it’s hard to count him out. We won’t have to wait long to see which one of these young quarterbacks will get to win a Super Bowl title though, as they go head to head in the Superbowl this Sunday!

Jimmy Garropollo

How to watch Super Bowl 54?

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Six Nations Preview: Ireland

Wednesday 29th January 2020

Shôn Douglas previews the 2020 Guinness Six Nations Championship for Sport Talk. We Love Sport have teamed up with tournament sponsors Guinness to bring you complimentary pints during the championship – to redeem simply download the We Love Sport app.

IRELAND

Joe Schmidt’s reign as Ireland coach ended with a disappointment as the former world number one team had both a Six Nations and a World Cup to forget, but with Andy Farrell moving into the Head Coach position, the boys in green have the consistency that others are maybe missing.

Farrell knows the tournament inside out, having served on England’s staff before joining Schmidt at Ireland, and he will be making sure that the Irish turn up focussed and with every intention of winning the Six Nations.

Following the retirement of Ulsterman Rory Best, the mantle of captain has gone to Johnny Sexton over back row Peter O’Mahony and the 34 year old will be keen to impress in the new role – as well as stay injury free throughout the tournament.

Should Sexton not fully recover from the injury sustained during Leinster’s victory over Northampton in the Champions Cup, Ross Byrne and the uncapped Billy Burns will deputise, which would be a blow to Ireland’s style of play that has delivered so much success in recent years.

At scrum half there are no such concerns, as Ireland have one of the form players in the Northern Hemisphere right now in Ulster’s John Cooney. He has been in scintillating form of late, conjuring up tries from nothing while offering a dependable kicking option with the boot. He will be pressing Connor Murray for the starting berth, but it’s a selection headache that Andy Farrell will be grateful for.

In terms of selection, with Leinster leading the Pro14 in some style (ten wins from ten and a points difference of 227 owing to a stingy defence) and into the quarter-finals of the European Cup, it is a fair assumption that the boys in blue will dominate the boys in green’s first line up against Scotland at the Aviva. Ulster’s improvements this year have helped to reduce a bit of the overreliance on the Munster/Leinster axis, and will help to keep competition within the camp at a healthy level.

Jacob Stockdale may have some doubts over his defensive game, but he is still a lethal finisher and will bring a real threat to the Irish attacking line. Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw’s partnership for Leinster is likely to be the starting centre pairing, but Bundee Aki and the in-form Stuart McCloskey will be looking to break up the band. At full back, the ever-exciting Jordan Larmour will be looking to stake a claim to the 15 jersey now that Rob Kearney’s time seems to be done.

The loss of Rory Best has given the opportunity for a change at hooker and the relatively inexperienced Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher and Dave Heffernan are in the squad ahead of older heads Sean Cronin and Rory Scannell. For all the flair in the backs, if the Irish set piece doesn’t work then a lot of the game plan will fall flat. With excellent targets in the line out, such as James Ryan and the recalled Devin Toner, there’ll be few excuses if Ireland fail to secure their own ball and unleash the backs.

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Summary:

The confidence amongst the squad will be high with the domestic form of Leinster in particular and Ulster not far behind, so it will be interesting to see how much Andy Farrell sticks with tried and tested combinations in his first XV against Scotland – or whether he mixes things up.

On their day Ireland can be unplayable, scoring tries from all over the pitch with the likes of CJ Stander, Cian Healy and Keith Earls always sniffing around, but is there a plan B? Farrell is an inexperienced coach and this will be his first time making the big decisions himself. If he gets them wrong there will surely be an inquest, particular from the Dublin press, as to how such a talented group could come away without a trophy for yet another year. They will be up there at the end, but I fancy them to slip behind both England and Wales into third spot.

How to watch the Six Nations Championship

You can witness every tackle, try and penalty live in 500 We Love Sport venues across the UK. Download the We Love Sport App to find you local, book your table and enjoy our great offers with Guinness

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