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BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Orr aims to honour family legacy at World Cup
To say Emma Orr is steeped in rugby tradition is a massive fact, if she hadn't opted for a career chasing the oval ball it might have shaken the family tree, and perhaps the population of Biggar, quite considerably."Both my mum and dad played when they were younger," said the 21 year-old Scotland and Bristol Bears centre."I've also got three older siblings who have played rugby. I grew up watching them play at Biggar Rugby Club and that's how I fell into the sport. It's definitely a family affair at Biggar. "My sister still plays there, one of my brothers is retired and one is playing at Ayr, so we've definitely carried on the rugby."Now Orr, who represented Scotland as a 17-year-old at the 2021 Rugby World Cup, has the chance to make an even bigger footprint on the 2025 edition in England when it starts in trusts it will show all those who have encouraged her along the way that the effort has been worth it."Hopefully it will give them a reward because I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for my family and Biggar Rugby Club," said Orr."It would be really special for all that hard work they invested in me to hopefully be representing my country at a World Cup. "It would be amazing and testament to how they've brought me up and what they've taught me."Canada, ranked second in the world, as well as Wales and Fiji make up Scotland's pool, and it's the clash with the other home nation that makes Orr's mouth water the most."Wales first up will certainly be a huge match," she said. "It's always a battle with Wales. There's very often very few points between us."So we're hoping to hit the ground running with that game and carry on the momentum through the pool."We fell short at the last World Cup and I think we're a totally different squad from them in terms of experience. So we're hopefully aiming to get out of that pool, if not further."Much has been made of the uncertainty over the long-term contracts of the Scotland team, with SRU chief executive Alex Williamson saying on Wednesday he hopes to have the situation resolved before the World Cup. Orr also hopes that can be the case, saying: "We're trying to stay very tight, but fingers crossed that will all take care of itself."
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Farrell rejoins Saracens on two-year deal
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Premiership - Saracens v Bristol Bears - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - March 26, 2022 Saracens' Owen Farrell Action Images/John Sibley/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) -Former England captain Owen Farrell will return to Saracens after spending one season with French club Racing 92, the English Premiership club said on Monday. The 33-year-old flyhalf, who spent 16 years at Saracens, has signed a two-year contract with the London club starting from next season. Farrell, who helped Saracens win six Premiership titles and three European Champions Cups, stood down from England duty after the 2023 World Cup saying he needed to do so for his mental health. "Saracens is my home and the opportunity to come back is one that excites me enormously," Farrell said in club statement. "Having watched from afar this season, it is clear to see that the club has incredible potential, and I can't wait to get back in the mix for the 2025-26 season." Farrell has made 256 appearances for Saracens, earned 112 England caps and played six tests for the British and Irish Lions. The former Saracens captain joined Racing last year on a two-year deal but form and injuries restricted him to 17 appearances for them. He was omitted from the Lions squad, coached by his father Andy Farrell, for this year's tour of Australia. "Owen has Saracens in his DNA; his competitive spirit is woven into the fabric of this club, and we are delighted he has chosen to come home," Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said. (Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gabriel Ibitoye is the most divisive player in English rugby
Whether you are staring at his entrancing footwork or examining his mind-bending statistics, you can quickly start to feel dizzy around Gabriel Ibitoye. At the end of the regular season, the Bristol Bears winger finished as the Gallagher's Premiership joint top try scorer with Ollie Hassell-Collins, having played fewer games. Advertisement Among English wings, he finished top for carries (152), break assists (11), metres gained (1179), offloads (25) and passes (117) – the latter three categories by massive margins. Extrapolate that across the United Rugby Championship and Top 14 and no other wing in Europe scores more tries, gains more metres, passes more frequently or carries more on a per-80 minute basis than Ibitoye, according to statistics provided by Opta. Even Bordeaux sensation Louis Bielle-Biarrey does not match his strike rate of more than a try a game. And yet the 27-year-old remains uncapped by England and did not even feature in head coach Steve Borthwick's most recent training squad, which did not include any Lions, Bath or Northampton players. Advertisement Certainly with the likes of Tommy Freeman, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tom Roebuck, England are well stocked in the wing department, but Ibitoye's combination of devastating footwork and freakish handling skills seem born from a different planet. It is hard to escape the feeling that there's a peculiar English mistrust of those who possess a startling point of difference over more well-rounded alternatives, a sentiment shared by Pat Lam, the Bears director of rugby. 'I honestly believe he would be an All Black if he was born there, I really do,' Lam told Telegraph Sport. 'I know Scott Robertson well and if he was a Kiwi he would be an All Black and thriving at that.' Beyond reference to the 'competitive arena' in the wide positions, Borthwick has not directly referenced why he has overlooked Ibitoye. Others have taken up that mantle on his behalf, referencing Ibitoye's defence, high-ball work and perceived work-rate. There are few more divisive players in the Premiership on social media. Advertisement Lam is keen to address what he calls some 'lazy narratives' that have sprung up around Ibitoye, authorising Bristol's strength and conditioning team to release the metrics they keep on players' work-rate in games. On average, Ibitoye will record up to 1,200 metres of high speed running, which is defined as 19km/h in an average game – more than a Bronco Test and more than 400m of very high-speed running, defined as 25.2 km/h; this would be the equivalent of running a 5km race in 11min 54sec. Ibitoye will also record 23 repeat-effort bouts which consist of three individual efforts separated by 20 seconds or less. 'Sometimes with the guys who are different you find that they don't work but honestly his work-rate is so high,' Lam said. His other standout quality, according to Lam, is his game intelligence and being able to anticipate how play will develop. 'It is not an accident that he ends up in the right places,' Lam said. 'When you understand the game, you're one step ahead so then you can get to those positions really quickly.' Advertisement As an example, Lam highlights Ibitoye's try against Harlequins at the Stoop earlier this season (see 1m 33sec into video below). By his standards, it was a fairly routine affair, taking Kieran Marmion's pass and running 40 metres untouched, but the simplicity of the finish belies the anticipation of where the space would be. 'He came from the other wing on that score because he could see that the D was coming up on the edge and he started to wander down the front line and then he saw there was no one down the short side,' Lam said. 'We have a call for it and he said that to Kieran and then, bang, he was able to give the dummy. He knew that Gabs was there without looking. Gabs changed his angle as well to get the run-in. That's an example of his ability to know what is going to happen next and put himself in a position to do it.' Lam does not pretend that Ibitoye is the complete package. He would not match the high-ball work of either Freeman or Roebuck. Defensively, he can occasionally look vulnerable, but Lam believes that Ibitoye's failings are put under a greater microscope than his rivals. Advertisement 'He has made mistakes,' Lam said. 'I have seen all those England wingers miss tackles but when they miss tackles no one talks about it. When he misses a tackle, everyone focuses on that rather than the eight or nine that he makes. Same with his high-ball work. You can set the narrative to anything you want if you go searching for examples.' After being named in the Premiership's team of the season, Ibitoye will have a further opportunity to put his name in lights in Friday's Premiership semi-final against Bath at the Rec. Lam believes that should Ibitoye carry over his form into next season then Borthwick would have no choice but to pick him. 'There's no doubt when Steve came in with the England team a couple of years ago that he would have struggled in the way they were playing,' Lam said. 'But the England team now, with the way they have evolved, the generation that are coming through now and the desire to attack, he would really thrive with that. Advertisement 'There's so many good players, but Gabs is something that is slightly different to everyone else. Someone like Tommy Freeman is a class player, but you need a complement to him. Tommy does the basics really well. He might not have the skill-set that Gabs has but he has the basics of chase hard, get up quickly, he's strong, he's powerful, he's tall. If those two played together you would have a great complement.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bristol name ex-Scotland hooker Lawson head coach
Bristol Bears women have appointed Scott Lawson as their new head coach. The 43-year-old joins the Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) side from the Scottish Rugby Union where he has been a specialist skills coach for their women's squad, men's under-20s team and Glasgow Warriors' academy outfit. Advertisement Lawson's 16-year playing career saw him win 47 international caps for Scotland and make 250 appearances for clubs including Glasgow, Sale, Gloucester, London Irish and Newcastle, where he retired in 2018. The hooker, who has also worked as director of rugby at the University of St Andrews, will make the move to Bristol following the U20 World Championship in Italy, which is being held from 29 June to 19 July. The Scot comes in following the departure of Dave Ward in April, after four years as head coach. The Bears finished fourth last season to reach their fourth successive PWR semi-final, but were beaten by Gloucester-Hartpury in what proved to be Ward's final match. Advertisement He also took the team to their first final in 2024, where they were also beaten by Gloucester-Hartpury. Lawson said he planned to work hard and be relentless to aim to bring success to the club. "From the moment I spoke with Daisie Mayes [general manager] and Pat Lam [director of rugby] it was clear that the vision for the women's programme and the aligned approach across the whole club was something I really wanted to be a part of," Lawson said. "I've loved my time with Scottish Rugby and will always be grateful for the experiences and relationships I've built there, which I'll continue to value moving forward. Advertisement "But this was an exciting opportunity I simply couldn't resist." The club have not disclosed the length of Lawson's contract. "His vast coaching and playing experience across a range of different environments and levels, together with his passion for the role, understanding of the club vision and focus on player development and winning impressed us during the interview process," Lam said.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Bristol name ex-Scotland hooker Lawson head coach
Bristol Bears women have appointed Scott Lawson as their new head coach ahead of the 2025-26 Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) season. The 43-year-old joins from the Scottish Rugby Union where he has been a specialist skills coach for their women's squad, men's under-20s team and Glasgow Warriors' academy 16-year playing career saw him win 47 international caps for Scotland and make 250 appearances for clubs including Glasgow, Sale, Gloucester, London Irish and Newcastle, where he retired in hooker, who has also worked as director of rugby at the University of St Andrews, will make the move to Bristol following the U20 World Championship in Italy, which is being held from 29 June to 19 July. The Scot comes in following the departure of former head coach Dave Ward in April, after four years in the Bears finished fourth last season to reach their fourth successive PWR semi-final, but were beaten by Gloucester-Hartpury in what proved to be Ward's final match. He also took the team to their first final in 2024, where they were also beaten by said he planned to work hard and be relentless to aim to bring success to the club."From the moment I spoke with Daisie Mayes [general manager] and Pat Lam [director of rugby] it was clear that the vision for the women's programme and the aligned approach across the whole club was something I really wanted to be a part of," Lawson said."I've loved my time with Scottish Rugby and will always be grateful for the experiences and relationships I've built there, which I'll continue to value moving forward. "But this was an exciting opportunity I simply couldn't resist."The club have not disclosed the length of Lawson's contract. "His vast coaching and playing experience across a range of different environments and levels, together with his passion for the role, understanding of the club vision and focus on player development and winning impressed us during the interview process," Lam said.
