Hollie Shearer, the daughter of Alan Shearer, will be relocating to Paris with her boyfriend Joe Marchant, who is a rugby player, this summer.
Marchant, who has played in all back-line positions as well as hooker and openside flanker, is leaving Harlequins after nine years to join Stade Francais in the Top 14 league.
Commenting on his departure at the end of the season, Marchant also said to the Harlequins Official Club Website:
“I am very proud and grateful to have been part of Harlequins for the last 10 years. I’ve made some amazing memories on and off the field and made great friends along the way. This club has been a home to me and will always have a place in my heart.
“The time has come for me to depart the Club and I am excited for my next challenge ahead. I will make the most of every moment for the rest of this season proudly wearing my Quins shirt. Thank you for all the support!”
The 26-year-old back soon became a regular feature within the starting XV, earning over 130 appearances in the Famous Quarters to date and being an integral part of the 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership winning side.
Marchant went on to achieve international recognition with England as well as working with Harlequins to develop a short-term loan spell with Super Rugby outfit the Auckland Blues in 2020 to develop his experience and skills.
He is still in contention to make Steve Borhtwick’s World Cup squad.
Hollie and Joe:
The 27-year-old singer has shared multiple photos on Instagram featuring the popular Harlequins centre. The two first appeared on her Instagram together during a trip to Dubai in March 2020.
Hollie’s most successful tune, Leave Right Now, has clocked up 775,000 listens on Spotify.
That’s helped her accumulate 77,000 monthly listeners on the digital music service.
She describes herself on Instagram as “just a girl who wishes she lives in Nashville”.
Main photo credit: Hollie Shearer – Instagram
Steve Borthwick’s likely England XV for World Cup has fans excited
Steve Borthwick has made it abundantly clear in a recent media session, that he is being up-front with his players regarding their chances of making the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Borthwick has left selection ambiguity behind in the Eddie Jones era, and is reportedly in constant communication with his players ahead of the trip to France. Borthwick is tasked with the challenge of cutting down his wider training squad to 33 players, and has been vocally clear-cut with his side at Pennyhill Park.
Borthwick told The Guardian: “I believe players want to know exactly where they stand.” “In week one and two, we had players come in and I sat with them straight away and said: ‘This is where you stand and this is what I think you need to do to move forward.’”
“That’s the first thing I do. Why? As a player, I always remember that I wanted to know what I needed to do. I didn’t want ambiguity. My job was to get on with rugby and train, not to be second-guessing anything.”
On Saturday August 5th, England will take on Wales in Cardiff, before Borthwick announces his 33-man squad on the following Monday, August 7th. Borthwick will then finalise his squad, and continue on with the Rugby World Cup warm-up preparations. England are booked in with a return fixture against Warren Gatland’s side at Twickenham, before facing Ireland in Dublin, and then Fiji back at ‘HQ’.
England then kick-off their Rugby World Cup in Marseille, in a hotly anticipated clash against Argentina on the 9th of September. Here are RUCK’s predictions for the positional hierarchy, for England’s Rugby World Cup squad pecking order.
Note – This 33-man squad is dependent on the fact that all of the named players in the 41-man wider training group are match fit and available for selection, currently injured players have an asterisk next to their name.
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FIRST CHOICE SQUAD
Front Row
1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
2. Jamie George (Saracens)
3. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears)
Locks
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens)
5. Ollie Chessum* (Leicester Tigers)
Back Row
6. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
7. Jack Willis (Toulouse)
8. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Halfbacks
9. Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)
10. Owen Farrell (Saracens)
Centres
12. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
13. Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks)
Back Three
11. Anthony Watson (Leicester Tigers)
14. Max Malins (Saracens)
15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)