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Rowntree named Lions assistant coach
By Peter Hanson
Graham Rowntree has been appointed assistant to British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
The 45-year-old spent eight years as assistant coach for England until he lost his job as part of a reshuffle following the embarrassing Rugby World Cup group-stage exit on home turf in 2015.
Rowntree was appointed as forwards coach at Harlequins last year and, having been part of the coaching teams for the Lions in 2009 and 2013, will link up again with Gatland.
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Latest Comments
I’m looking forward to attending the Twickenham match, I don’t think it will have a bearing on the outcome of the grand prize itself but it will tell us more about each teams’ preparation and game plan. It’s hard to look past one of the big four (I’m including Canada) lifting the trophy in 2025 but sport is a curious thing, there will still be twists and turns in road ahead.
Go to commentsThe better side seems to be the losing side a lot these days. As far as narrative goes. Must be the big emergent culture of “participation awards” that have emerged in nanny states. ”It looked like New Zealand would take the game from there but lapses in execution let South Africa get back into the game. New Zealand’s goal kickers left five points out there, including a very make-able penalty on the stroke of half”. Sounds like a chronic problem… I wonder how the better team has lapses in concentration and execution? Or are those not important factors in the grand scheme of total performances? In 2023, the ABs at least didn’t give up a lead to lose. They just couldn’t execute to get the points and take the lead. This Baby AB result points to a choke - letting the game slip through your fingers. In the words of the great Ricky Bobby’s dad - “If you’re not 1st you’re last!” Loosely translated - if you didn’t win, you’re a loser.
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