“Yes, 100 per cent” – England number 8 reveals he wants to swap nations - Ruck

“Yes, 100 per cent” – England number 8 reveals he wants to swap nations

Former England number 8 Nathan Hughes has declared himself available for Fiji.

When asked if he’d be open to swapping nations, he told Rugby Pass: “Yes, 100 per cent,”

He added: “I’m just focusing purely on Black Rams and just playing as well as I can and letting the selectors do their job.

“The coaches and their staff are all in Europe at the moment and I’m not sure when they will be coming to Japan. We’ll wait until the day comes.

“If he picks me, we will make the decision then, but we have got two more games to go (at Black Rams) and we are trying to finish as high as we can up the table and go from there.”

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“If in doubt, play on” – Wayne Barnes call for three changes to ‘improve rugby’

Retired rugby referee Wayne Barnes has spilled the beans on what he believes are three game-changing alterations that could elevate rugby union to unprecedented heights.

Notably, Barnes presided over 17 Six Nations tournaments, three European Champions Cup finals, and 10 Premiership finals.

Discover the three significant changes Barnes advocates for rugby union in the current landscape, aiming to enhance the game’s appeal and competitiveness.

Read his full column for The Telegraph by clicking here.

Change one: Referee reviewers must encourage the game to flow

He wrote in his column: “With the game crying out for less stoppages and for more attacking rugby, a general philosophy around allowing the game to flow should be the focus of what the selectors are feeding back to match officials.”

RUCK Judgment: Spot on – it just makes sense that referees are recognised for promoting gameplay rather than enforcing rules to the extent that the game halts more frequently than in American Football.

Referee, Wayne Barnes during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Match between Bristol Bears and Bath Rugby at Ashton Gate on 29 Jan. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK

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