Latest news with #PremiershipFinal
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Russell comments 'blown out of proportion'
Johnny Sexton says he is looking forward to working with Finn Russell on the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, claiming his comments about the Scotland fly-half were "blown out of proportion". Writing in his autobiography last year, Sexton suggested Russell's status as the "darling of the media" was a factor in head coach Warren Gatland picking the Scot over him for the 2021 Lions tour to South a subsequent newspaper interview while promoting his book in October, Sexton said he would select former England captain Owen Farrell ahead of the "flashy" Russell for this summer's tour. "There's a lot been made of the whole situation, primarily by you guys [the media]," said Sexton, who will work closely with Russell in his role as Lions kicking coach this summer. "I don't even think it's what I wrote in the book, it's more the comments I said when doing media for the book, but it's probably been blown out of proportion really. "I was talking about myself in 2021 and how I felt back then. It was more really what I thought [Warren] Gatland was thinking as opposed to what I was thinking. But look, you have to deal with these types of challenges and it won't be the last time." Sexton said he and Russell shared a "handshake" and a "brief chat" in Lions camp before the Bath out-half returned to his club for what Sexton called an "outstanding" performance in last week's Premiership final victory over Leicester."He was racing off obviously because those guys were in finals, they didn't stay around too long, they came in, got their kit, did a bit of media and were gone," added the former Ireland captain."I'm looking forward to catching up with him later. What the Lions demands of you is that if there is a rivalry, which there's not, you leave it at the door. I'm here to help him now, I'm, here to give him experiences, to answer questions, I'm not here to force myself or tell him what to do, it's not that relationship. I'm here to help."Sexton also believes his coaching inexperience will not hinder him given the wisdom he gained during the highs and lows of a 17-year professional career."I'm an inexperienced coach but I probably have seen it all in terms of rugby. I've been bad, I've been dropped, I've been not picked, I've been injured, my career has been like this. "Being here to help those guys when they have a tough game, being able to help them out and pick them up is something I'm quite passionate about and here to help." 'As a player, I always doubted myself' Having spent a year away from rugby following his retirement in 2023, Sexton is part of Andy Farrell's Lions backroom team despite having only started coaching Ireland on a part-time basis last autumn. He will take up a full-time role with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) after the Lions tour, but admits to being daunted by the challenges that come with rising quickly through the coaching ranks. "As a player, I always would have doubted myself throughout the years. Like when you come into the Irish set-up for the first time or become a Lion for the first time or Leinster, you always have those doubts."It's no different now. You're going in, you want to prove yourself, you want to show that you can bring value. "It was something I considered when Andy picked up the phone, you're going, 'wow, it's such an honour', how can you say no? "I didn't pick myself. He asked me to come, I considered it for about 30 seconds and ultimately how could you [not]? I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Premiership final heartache for Reading's Hassell-Collins as Bath edge out Leicester
Leicester Tigers' Ollie Hassell-Collins (right) breaks free from Bath Rugby's Max Ojomoh during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final at the Allianz Stadium, London. Picture date: Saturday June 14, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Adam Davy/PA (Image: Adam Davy) It was Premiership final heartache for Reading's Ollie Hassell-Collins as Leicester Tigers were defeated by treble winners Bath. 26-year-old Hassell-Collins started at Twickenham for the Tigers, who finished 11 points behind league leaders Bath, in the showpiece final. Advertisement A close-fought and cagey occasion played in blistering heat, Bath edged their rivals out 23-21 to win their first top-flight title for 29 years and complete a domestic and European treble after already lifting the Premiership Cup and European Challenge Cup. The Tigers twice had men sent to the sin bin – departing captain Julian Montoya late the first half, while it was not an ideal send-off for the retiring Dan Cole, who saw yellow late in the second. (Image: Mike Egerton) The former London Irish winger was facing fellow former Exile Joe Cokanasiga and was joined in the second half by Matt Rogerson, former London Irish captain before their expulsion in 2023. Advertisement He scored 19 tries across the 2024/25 campaign and has played for England since his move to the Midlands. Former teammate Henry Arundell, former Young Player of the Year with London Irish, is to join champions Bath ahead of the new season from Racing 92 in France. Irish, who played at Reading's Select Car Leasing Stadium between 2000 and 2020, were rescued by the late Eddie Jordan in February, with hopes that they will return to professional rugby in 2026.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Rugby players are suing over safety – that is why Dan Cole had to see yellow
Ever since I started writing this column it seems that I have had to remind people of the position that Bath rugby club used to have in the English domestic game. Their near total hegemony for more than a decade is the legacy their current players must be sick of hearing about. Last Saturday, in the Premiership final at the Allianz Stadium, was the day from which they should be judged going forward. There is nothing wrong with looking back on a proud history, but it is time to consign Bath's past to its proper place and for new heroes to write their own chapters. In the days of mooted franchises, it is time to give credit to Bruce Craig as an owner who has supported the club without making a return and in the face of planning objections to his proposals to develop the Recreation Ground in situ, rather than taking the easier option of finding a completely new venue. The training facilities he established are first class and in finally stabilising his coaching team he has given the Bath squad the certainty they needed to make the necessary incremental changes to become champions. When asked to contribute a couple of prediction paragraphs for the final, it was not difficult to highlight the contributions that would be made by the two outstanding No 10s on show, Finn Russell and Handre Pollard. I don't take much credit for stating what to me is obvious, that Russell has more to his game than the eye-catching sleights of hand with which he is usually linked. Yet that was one of the telling factors in Bath's win. When Bath came under pressure in the Tigers' second-half fightback, there was Russell calmly doing what was required to keep Bath that bit out in front. I have some sympathy for the frustration shown by Michael Cheika, the Leicester coach, at the officiating. They were on the wrong end of the penalty count and had to play 20 minutes with a man short because of two yellow cards, both of which were down to clumsy rather than deliberate acts. However, they did escape a yellow for a cynical handling penalty from Nicky Smith that probably stopped Bath scoring. The truth is that Tigers went close owing to their famous obduracy, but Bath have been the standout team for most of this campaign and deserved their win for that and because they just shaded a compelling, if uneven, final. Nobody wants games to rest on marginal errors, but fans must appreciate the context in which the relevant laws are created and interpreted. When considering sanctions, the law, rightly, decides on risk not outcome. A flying 19st-plus Dan Cole, colliding late with Russell, poses a risk of injury that would have been avoided had the challenge not been made. It is all arguable, but what do players expect when their colleagues are suing for alleged lack of player safety? This is an area over which there will never be complete agreement and it is one of the things valued by rugby aficionados, but which perplexes casual watchers. 'Common sense' is what the proponents of discretion always say. The problem with giving officials discretion, which is fundamental to rugby flowing as a game at all, is that you can never get absolute consistency. The only way to do that is for there to be strict liability, as there is in the NFL – get caught and you are liable, however trivial the incident. Is that what fans want? I doubt it. Of greater significance to Bath going forward is that three of their most influential players in the victory were Max Ojomoh, Tom de Glanville and Guy Pepper, who are the respective sons of Steve, Phil and Martin. Two sets of elite players, from two distinct eras, that are now marked by success. Where Bath move on to from here remains to be seen. I do not think it is a coincidence that the fostering of the local and English talent has helped Bath's success. After years of buying the last notable player available, Bath have stabilised both their player recruitment and coaching appointments. The manner in which this has been achieved says much about what has finally been forged by Craig, and their coaching team headed by Johann van Graan. It also shows the wisdom of Craig's decision to step down from the chairman's role in 2022. Is 'the sky the limit', as claimed by their captain, Ben Spencer, after the game or will it be a little more complicated than that? I suspect the latter because six different champions in the last six years shows that, on the pitch, the Premiership is in reasonable shape, whatever the outside criticisms.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Finn Russell savours Bath win as he looks forward to Lions Test
Had Handré Pollard done his homework he might have known what was coming. For Finn Russell has previous with intercepts when attacking Twickenham's south stand. It was playing that way that he picked off Owen Farrell's pass before streaking clear in the madcap 38-38 draw between England and Scotland in 2019. And he was at it again on Saturday, coming up with the decisive moment in Bath's dogged Premiership final victory over Leicester. On this occasion he did not finish off the try himself – you suspect he probably could have – instead flinging a nonchalant pass inside to the onrushing Max Ojomoh. In a final short on champagne moments, it put the fizz in Bath's performance, extending their lead to 20-7 before a second penalty of the match proved pivotal in ensuring the 29-year wait for a Premiership title was over. Advertisement Listen to him explain his decision to make the pass to Ojomoh – whose father, Steve, was part of the Bath side that last won the title, in 1996 – and you get a pretty good idea of how the coach, Johann van Graan, has been able to end that wait, three years after taking charge of a club that was full of high-quality individuals, less so an emphasis on the collective. Related: Bath's treble win blends yesteryear charm with the recently unthinkable | Michael Aylwin 'He is a young player from Bath, who has only ever been at Bath, he is character and a brilliant player and I think for him scoring that in the final, I would like to think it is a big thing for him,' Russell said. 'He said his dad never scored in the final so he has got one over him there, he just needs to get an England cap now. 'The first time I met [Johann], I chatted to him as a man. He said: 'I know what you do on the pitch, I want to get to know you as a guy.' That is what he is, he wants a team full of good men. Whatever team you go to, you want to win stuff obviously, and I think with the recruitment he had, players and coaches, there was a real excitement from me to have the opportunity to come here.' Advertisement When the final whistle blew after Russell had thumped the ball into the crowd, there were the customary scenes of jubilation but the overriding emotion soon seemed to morph towards a blend of satisfaction and relief. For Bath have long since been favourites for the Premiership title: they had a home semi-final sewn up in mid-May and, having lifted the Premiership Cup and Challenge Cup, they were closing in on an historic treble. That brings expectation but, as Russell says, Bath have developed a winning knack this season. Russell himself has been key to that, relishing the extra dose of pragmatism that he has developed in his two seasons at Bath. He is a different player to the one who won the Pro12 title with Glasgow in 2015 – his last league triumph – and has reaped the rewards. As such he joins up with the British & Irish Lions in Dublin on Monday – after revelling in extended celebrations and a bus parade on Sunday – with a spring in his step. 'When you get to these moments and it is a knockout game it is very different, it is a one-off game so looking forward to the Lions there are three Tests at the end of it, and they are effectively knockout games. You want to win the series, if you don't, that's life. 'It was a tough game [against Leicester] and we weren't at our best but finding a way to win is really important. I am going to celebrate and enjoy this one. It is a special moment, this kind of stuff does not come around often. The last time I won a title like this was 10 years ago and I want to enjoy it, that is important as well.' Advertisement Russell has had to wait almost as long for a Test start with the Lions. In 2017 he was part of the much derided Geography Six, appearing for all of five minutes as a temporary replacement for Dan Biggar against the Hurricanes. Four years later Russell left everyone wondering what might have been, coming off the bench after 10 minutes in the final Test and helping the Lions finally spread their wings after two turgid matches against the Springboks. He has Fin Smith and Marcus Smith for competition this summer but the manner in which he has guided Bath to glory this season is evidence that Russell deserves his shot against Australia. 'When you get to the Lions it is another level of intensity, it is the best of the best from Britain and Ireland,' he said. 'I am looking forward to the challenge, everyone is fighting for Test spots but it is not just getting in the Tests, it is winning them as well. Every training session and every game you play before that counts. 'It is something that has been in the back of my mind since being named in the squad but you have got games to win at Bath, titles to win at Bath, which we have gone on and done. The focus will go on to the Lions and how do I get myself ready for what is coming. When you get there it is the best of the best and you have got to be on it every day training wise and take your chance when it comes.'
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Finn Russell savours Bath win as he looks forward to Lions test
Had Handré Pollard done his homework he might have known what was coming. For Finn Russell has previous with intercepts when attacking Twickenham's south stand. It was playing that way that he picked off Owen Farrell's pass before streaking clear in the madcap 38-38 draw between England and Scotland in 2019. And he was at it again on Saturday, coming up with the decisive moment in Bath's dogged Premiership final victory over Leicester. On this occasion he did not finish off the try himself – you suspect he probably could have – instead flinging a nonchalant pass inside to the onrushing Max Ojomoh. In a final short on champagne moments, it put the fizz in Bath's performance, extending their lead to 20-7 before a second penalty of the match proved pivotal in ensuring the 29-year wait for a Premiership title was over. Listen to him explain his decision to make the pass to Ojomoh – whose father, Steve, was part of the Bath side that last won the title, in 1996 – and you get a pretty good idea of how the coach, Johann van Graan, has been able to end that wait, three years after taking charge of a club that was full of high-quality individuals, less so an emphasis on the collective. 'He is a young player from Bath, who has only ever been at Bath, he is character and a brilliant player and I think for him scoring that in the final, I would like to think it is a big thing for him,' Russell said. 'He said his dad never scored in the final so he has got one over him there, he just needs to get an England cap now. 'The first time I met [Johann], I chatted to him as a man. He said: 'I know what you do on the pitch, I want to get to know you as a guy.' That is what he is, he wants a team full of good men. Whatever team you go to, you want to win stuff obviously, and I think with the recruitment he had, players and coaches, there was a real excitement from me to have the opportunity to come here.' When the final whistle blew after Russell had thumped the ball into the crowd, there were the customary scenes of jubilation but the overriding emotion soon seemed to morph towards a blend of satisfaction and relief. For Bath have long since been favourites for the Premiership title: they had a home semi-final sewn up in mid-May and, having lifted the Premiership Cup and Challenge Cup, they were closing in on an historic treble. That brings expectation but, as Russell says, Bath have developed a winning knack this season. Russell himself has been key to that, relishing the extra dose of pragmatism that he has developed in his two seasons at Bath. He is a different player to the one who won the Pro12 title with Glasgow in 2015 – his last league triumph – and has reaped the rewards. As such he joins up with the British & Irish Lions in Dublin on Monday – after revelling in extended celebrations and a bus parade on Sunday – with a spring in his step. 'When you get to these moments and it is a knockout game it is very different, it is a one-off game so looking forward to the Lions there are three Tests at the end of it, and they are effectively knockout games. You want to win the series, if you don't, that's life. 'It was a tough game [against Leicester] and we weren't at our best but finding a way to win is really important. I am going to celebrate and enjoy this one. It is a special moment, this kind of stuff does not come around often. The last time I won a title like this was 10 years ago and I want to enjoy it, that is important as well.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Russell has had to wait almost as long for a Test start with the Lions. In 2017 he was part of the much derided Geography Six, appearing for all of five minutes as a temporary replacement for Dan Biggar against the Hurricanes. Four years later Russell left everyone wondering what might have been, coming off the bench after 10 minutes in the final Test and helping the Lions finally spread their wings after two turgid matches against the Springboks. He has Fin Smith and Marcus Smith for competition this summer but the manner in which he has guided Bath to glory this season is evidence that Russell deserves his shot against Australia. 'When you get to the Lions it is another level of intensity, it is the best of the best from Britain and Ireland,' he said. 'I am looking forward to the challenge, everyone is fighting for Test spots but it is not just getting in the Tests, it is winning them as well. Every training session and every game you play before that counts. 'It is something that has been in the back of my mind since being named in the squad but you have got games to win at Bath, titles to win at Bath, which we have gone on and done. The focus will go on to the Lions and how do I get myself ready for what is coming. When you get there it is the best of the best and you have got to be on it every day training wise and take your chance when it comes.'
