The Times - UK (2022-05-17)

58 2GM Tuesday May 17 2022 | the times

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5

Will Kelleher

Deputy Rugby Correspondent

London Irish’s 19-year-old full back

Henry Arundell is primed to receive his

first senior England call-up today

before the squad’s two-day training

camp next week.

A video clip of Arundell’s 95-metre

solo try against Toulon in the Chal-

lenge Cup a fortnight ago went viral

and Eddie Jones, the England head

coach, paid a visit to see the youngster

win the man-of-the-match award in

the 42-42 draw with Wasps on May 1

in the Gallagher Premiership.

Arundell also qualifies for

Cyprus, Scotland and Wales. The

Times understands the latter

two nations have enquired

about his availability for this

summer, but England are confi-

dent that he will opt for them.

The former Harrow school-

boy came through the London

Irish academy and has played

for England Under-18 and

Under-20.

Jones will gath-

er a squad of

players next

week in

London to prepare

them for a three-Test tour to Aus-

tralia this summer. Alongside Arundell

should be Leicester Tigers’ 21-year-old

scrum half Jack van Poortvliet, who

looks to be the next cab off the rank

after Raffi Quirke, of Sale Sharks, tore

his hamstring last month and was ruled

out of the tour.

Owen Farrell will return to the

England fold for the first time since Jan-

uary. He is available to train now that

Saracens are out of the Challenge Cup,

having lost 25-16 to Toulon on Saturday

in the semi-final.

Farrell was replaced as England

captain first by Tom Curry and

then Courtney Lawes in the Six

Nations as he missed the tour-

nament due to an ankle injury.

Jones has a big decision to make

in picking his leader for the

summer and the build-up to

the World Cup.

It is understood that Jack

Nowell and Jonny Hill, the

Exeter Chiefs pair, should

be fit for the tour after injury.

Nowell, the wing, had surgery

on a broken arm sustained

against France in the Six Nations

and should return next week,

with Hill, the lock, not far behind

after his foot stress fracture.

England have a Barbarians

fixture scheduled for June 19 —

the day after the Premiership

final — so will need players to

fill holes left by those playing

for their clubs in that showpiece

game. The Gloucester flanker

Jordy Reid, born in Australia,

is one player they have en-

Arundell could join the Australia tour quired about this season.

nes, the England head

isit to see the youngster

of-the-matchaward in

w with Wasps on May 1

her Premiership.

also qualifies for

and and Wales. The

stands the latter

have enquired

ailability for this

England are confi-

will opt for them.

r Harrow school-

ough the London

y and has played

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ee-Test tour to Aus-

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cester Tigers’ 21-year-old

ack van Poortvliet, who

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Jones has a big

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d join the Australia tour quired ab

Wimbledon

warm-ups to

retain points

Players at the Queen’s and Eastbourne

tournaments next month will be

allowed to keep their ranking points

even if Wimbledon is stripped of them

in response to the exclusion of players

from Russia and Belarus.

The ATP Board met yesterday and

decided that ranking points for the two

men’s grass-court tournaments orga-

nised by the LTA in the build-up to

Wimbledon would remain, but a deci-

sion over ranking points for the grand-

slam event itself is yet to be made.

The decision to ban players from

Russia and Belarus because of the inva-

sion of Ukraine has sparked criticism

from a number of players and, accord-

ing to the statement released last night,

is contrary to ATP rules. The WTA has

yet to reach a decision on the LTA

women’s events in Nottingham, Bir-

mingham and Eastbourne.

The ATP’s decision regarding

Queen’s and the Eastbourne men’s

event was made because there are other

tournaments taking place simultane-

ously in Germany that players from

Russia and Belarus could enter instead.

As no other tournaments are on during

the Wimbledon fortnight, there are no

other options for players to earn points.

Any action penalising Wimbledon

will be controversial. Last week,

Andrew Castle, Britain’s former No 1,

warned that tours will suffer “long-

term reputational damage” if they strip

Wimbledon of ranking points.

The four grand-slam events are

worth 2,000 ranking points to the win-

ner of the men’s and women’s singles,

making them twice as important as the

next-biggest category of events.

Tennis

Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter

B

owing to the

inevitable,

Laura Robson

announced her

retirement from

tennis yesterday, aged 28,

saying that a career

blighted by injuries will

always leave her “feeling

that I could have done

more” (John Westerby

writes).

Robson, the former

British No 1, reached the

fourth round at Wimbledon

and the third round at both

the Australian Open and

US Open in 2013 — peaking

at a world ranking of No 27

— but she suffered a wrist

injury the following year

and has since been troubled

by hip problems, which

have persisted despite

three operations. She has

been unable to compete

since 2019.

“I went through every

possibility of rehab and of

surgery,” Robson told the

BBC. “I went to all the best

specialists and had some

incredible people I was

working with to get me

back on court, and then

the second time I hit [in

practice], I just knew. It

feels weird to say out loud,

but I’m done, I’m retired.”

Born in Melbourne,

Australia, Robson moved to

the UK when she was six

and showed immense early

promise, winning the

Wimbledon girls’ singles

title aged 14 and becoming

the first British player to

triumph in the event since

Annabel Croft in 1984.

At 5ft 11in, the left

hander was blessed with

a powerful serve and a

potent forehand, and at

the age of 18 she reached

a WTA final at the

Guangzhou Open in 2012.

The same year she won a

silver medal at the London

Olympics, partnering Andy

Murray, when the pair were

beaten in the final of the

mixed doubles by Victoria

Azarenka and Max Mirnyi,

of Belarus.

She went on to enjoy

the best year of her career

in 2013, beating Petra

Kvitova on her way to

the third round of the

Australian Open and

reaching the round of 16 at

Wimbledon.

But Robson was already

being troubled by a wrist

injury and she would never

achieve the same heights

again. “I think I’m always

going to have the feeling

that I could have done

more,” she said. “I feel like

if I’d had another year or

two of being healthy, I don’t

know what I could have

achieved.

“But I’m really proud of

the Olympics, of playing [in

the] Fed Cup, Wimbledon

and the US Open the time

that I did well. I will have

those memories for ever.”

Her retirement comes

at a time when Emma

Raducanu, the present

British No 1, is experiencing

a range of injury problems

during her first full-time

season on the WTA Tour.

Raducanu has tried to

explain why she has split

from three coaches since

her victory at the US Open

last year. “It might not work

for anyone else and people

might look at me like I’m

crazy but I trust my own

decision-making and my

own beliefs of what I think

is right for myself,” she told

the Wall Street Journal

magazine.

Injuries force

former teen

star Robson

to retire at 28

DENNIS GROMBKOWSKI/GETTY IMAGES

Rugby union
Alex Lowe Rugby Correspondent

Rassie Erasmus will be barred from
operating as a water carrier under new
World Rugby rules designed to
prevent some of the inci-
dents that scarred the
British & Irish Lions
series. World Rugby
has acted to limit the
number of back-
room staff entering
the field and stop
them from interfer-
ing with play after
ruling that it was
“getting out of hand”
and causing “increased
disruption” to the game.
South Africa exploited a
loophole during the Lions tour by
using Erasmus as a water carrier so he
could deliver direct coaching instruct-
ions to the players, inset above.
The regulations at the time said that
only the head coach was prevented
from entering the field — and Erasmus
is South Africa’s director of rugby.
World Rugby will announce today
that it has expanded the wording to
include both roles — and limited the
number of water breaks to two per half
in an attempt to speed up the game; the

Erasmus’s water carrier

ruse ended by new rule

second Lions Test lasted 115 minutes.

South Africa’s policy of using their

physio to enter the field during play and

shout instructions will also be prohibit-

ed, as will backroom staff catching

kicks to prevent the opposition from

taking a quick lineout. The sanction for

both will be a penalty.

In a response to the

conduct of the England

Under-20 doctor and a

team physio during a

Six Nations game

against Italy this

year, any comments

to match officials on

matters not related

to the treatment of a

player will now result

in a penalty kick.

These regulations will

come into force in a global

trial on July 1 and will be

included in the women’s World Cup

later this year and the 2023 men’s tour-

nament in France.

World Rugby introduced the new

laws after an extensive review of elite

rugby revealed increasing disruption to

play caused by multiple water carriers

entering the field every time there was

a stoppage.

“We’re taking concrete action to im-

prove the flow of rugby matches. This

will be the first time teams on the field

of play could be sanctioned by the

actions of those not directly involved in

the contest,” Mark Harrington, World

Rugby’s chief player welfare and rugby

services officer, said.

“We’ve received feedback from

across the game that the number of

people who aren’t players interrupting

the flow of the game was getting out of

hand.”

Christian Day, head of player affairs

at the Rugby Players Association, said a

“common-sense position” had been

reached which “should not have a

negative impact on player welfare while

hopefully reducing unnecessary

stoppages and potential negative flash-

points during matches.”

Under the new regulations, teams

can nominate two water carriers who

will be permitted by the referee to enter

the field of play twice per half during

natural stoppages, such as for an injury

or after a try. Water will be available to

players throughout in the technical

area and behind the dead-ball line but

play will not stop for them to access it.

Erasmus is banned from all match-

day activities until September, which

includes South Africa’s July Test series

against Wales and the Rugby Champi-

onship, following his video attack on

Nic Berry, the referee from the first

Lions Test. He is expected to be part of

South Africa’s management team for

their November tour, which includes a

game against England at Twickenham.

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