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The scrum half, who plays for the Castleford Tigers, posed with the Leader’s Shield for an Instagram snap, when fans noticed the two lines on the table to his left
SCRUM half Tom Holmes poses in the dressing room with a trophy — and sparks a drugs riddle.

His Castleford Tigers beat Wakefield 45-20 to win rugby league Leader’s Shield.

However, after further inspection it was revealed not to be drugged at all but actually two scratches in the surface.
As Tom, 21, posted this picture on Twitter, fans pointed out what looked like two white lines on a table next, with elmojo2 joking: “Congrats enjoy your coke!”

And Jordan Boon added: “Imagine not noticing that beak on your picture… Silly b***ard.”

But a Tigers spokeswoman said: “its scratches in the wood.”

The team is not the only ones who have fallen foul of innocent white lines being mistaken for something more sinister.

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian caused huge speculation after posing for a selfie with two lines apparently on a workshop behind her – which was actually the marble.
Yesterday Tom, 21, posed with a brush and paint tins, joking: “Better fill in this chip in the wood for when we win our next trophy.”

Former national rugby captain, Terrence Khoo is now the new president of the Singapore Rugby Union after an election saw him emerge.

Replacing Low Teo Ping, his predecessor who stepped down from the position after 11 years at the helm of affairs, Khoo began the latest phase of his lifelong relationship with rugby, his beloved sport on the night of Tuesday, June 20.

It was not an easy victory for him as the other candidate vying for the post was Cheo Chai Hong, SRU’s honorary secretary.

Khoo, the managing director of sports marketing agency, Enterprise Sports Group pulled through after garnering the majority of votes among the eight affiliates of the SRU.
The election took place at the Delta Swimming Complex and lasted for over two hours as it coincided with the annual general meeting (AGM) of the SRU.

Khoo was all smiles after the results emerged and speaking soon after, he thanked them noting that he were “humbled” to have emerged as the president.

The father of two teenage daughters noted that his first and immediate priority would be to get to gain a better understanding of the inner workings of the SRU.

He said: “I’m deeply humbled. I’ve campaigned very hard, and I’m glad that the rugby community has come together and given me the opportunity to lead.

“Before any big decisions get made, the first thing I’m going to do is to understand a bit more in detail (about the SRU).”

Speaking on, he noted that he would have to rely on the vast amounts of experience possessed by his learned colleagues, Mr Low and Mr Cheo to download more information about the SRU.

He also stated that as president, one of his long term aims would be to grow the talent pool of players from Singapore.

The game between Scotland and Italy ended with a score of 29-0.

This was also the game where Murrayfield saw the last game under coach Vern Cotter for Scotland. Hence a tribute was paid to the coach by the fans at the stadium as he handed over his charge to his successor. Finn Russell on the other hand scored in this game after 27 minutes into the game. This was probably a pressure that he has been feeling from his team mates which finally helped him to perform.

The game had a lot of drama that kept the fans engaged. John Barclay as Scotland’s captain was put back from the field as Italy protested. The game was probably the best goodbye Vern Cotter could have expected as it was his final game as their coach. The visiting team was denied any chance of scoring at the Murrayfield game venue. This was probably a first in the history of matches of Six Nations. Cotter has definitely made a mark as showcased by his team’s performance in this field.

The team won comfortably as well as gaining bonus points. There were tries by Matt Scott, Finn Russell, Tommy Seymour and Tim Visser. The Scots were able to triumph in every game they played on home grounds which has been a first in eleven years. The final tally is a high one as well, which comprises of 14 points and 14 tries. After the final whistle was blown, it was time for celebrations. Hoggs led the way. With a bonus point victory the farewell for the coach was a sweet one indeed. Cotter had been coaching for Scotland for three years and he was emotional when it was time for him to leave. The match day was a truly eventful one for the players, the coach and the fans.

Alun Wyn Jones is the new captain of Wales Rugby, on his advice to the team he said, “If the team wants to win the Six Nations championship that they won four years back, then the team had to grow more leaders.”

Jones has led his country on five different tournaments and has 105 caps, after being announced as captain of the team, he said, “I was able to take a decision in team earlier as well and have taken it at various occasions in the past, and the captaincy is only the label.” “We have strong players in the team and if they groomed to become a leader then achieving any type of goal will not be difficult for the team. If the team will reach to the level where everyone things in the same way and make similar decisions without consulting each other, the half of our work will get complete.” he added.

Jones got the captaincy replacing Sam Warburton and the decision to stand down Warburton was taken by interim coach Rob Howley. According to Howley, the decision to remove Warburton is taken in the favor of the player. After moving from the responsibility of captaincy, Sam will be able to focus more on his game and will improve his form for coming tournaments.

Jones had some captaincy opportunity in the past at different occasion, he got the opportunity in 2013 Irish Lions and British in their series-clinching 3rd test victory opposite Australia. In the match, Warburton got injured and he was replaced by Jones.

Speaking about his past performances as a captain, Jones Said, “It is not the time to discuss the things that happened in the past. Instead, we all should forget what happened then and ,a href=”http://www.ilovenorthamptonrugby.info”>focus on improving and evolving the team.”

Despite a wonderful time so far on the field, and an exciting game against Argentina where they emerged victors, thus putting them on course to cement their No 2 position in the rankings ahead of the tournament draw next may, England may face being put in another “pool of death” ahead of the Rugby World Cup holding in Japan.

With the victory of the England Rugby team over Argentina and the defeat of Australia by Ireland last week Saturday, the position of the Eddie Jones led side at No 2 in the rankings was strengthened.

The World Rugby rankings which was announced on Monday saw England trailing behind the top ranked New Zealand by 4.94 points. New Zealand has 94.78 points. At third place sits Australia after their loss to Ireland widened the gap between them and 2nd placed England from 1.7 to 2.87 points.

At fourth place is Ireland who with a win over Australia, has been able to reduce the deficit from 4.68 points to about 2.35 points.

The World Cup pool draw will take place at the Kyoto’s State Guest house, and the top four ranked teams at the time of the draw, will be handed top seed status, which ensures that they would avoid each other.

There would be four pools of five teams each, and each team with top seed status will be drawn with a side ranked fifth to eighth and then to another from ninth to twelfth. The eight remaining teams would then have to be drawn from two further bands.

The Jones led side risk being drawn in a pool with two other tier-one nations, this partly because in the rankings, South Africa had dropped to sixth. The Springboks are more likely to remain in the second band for the team draws for the World Cup unless both Ireland and Wales can endure a poor Six Nations.

The Australian Men’s Sevens team is all set to welcome aboard the new signing Conor Mitchell.

This Queensland forward will be part of the sevens team that will be taking part in the 2016-17 World Rugby Sevens Series. Mitchell has already had the experience of playing the Sevens World Series in Vancouver earlier in the year. He was included in the squad from outside the contracted squad. Now, he is available for the Australian Sevens squad on a full time basis.

The head coach of the Australia Sevens rugby team, Andy Friend, is very happy to have Mitchell up his sleeves and he can call upon him anytime he needs. He said that Conor has impressed everyone by doing the Australian colors by captain the Australian University Sevens Team during the 2016 World University games. The side had claimed the gold medal at the World University Games.

Andy said that the World Sevens is a very crucial tournament for the Australian team. He is looking to build this team into a regular top four team in the world. The team is ready for the challenge ahead and he feels that he has the players to perform well on the World Rugby Sevens Series stage. Mitchell has been very impressive of late and is all set to move to the Sydney Sevens squad. He has been very good this season in the Buildcorp NRC.

The head coach of Queensland Country, Toutai Kefu, said that the remarkable development of Mitchell as a major rugby player is an example of what the NRC can do with budding talent. NRC is created with the sole purpose of developing layers and to provide them with chances to play at the highest level. Conor has been coming out with consistent performances for some time and he certainly deserves a place in the National side.

Among all the news that rugby games are generating right now, there is nothing bigger than the England’s tour of Australia that includes three Test series.

the first having ended in victory for England, all eyes are turned to the country and its rugby players and what Eddie Jones has lined up in terms of strategies and players to ensure a win the second time.

Among the several developments it is interesting to note that a trio of players from Bath Rugby would be starting off for the country in the second Test. The names are familiar to most – George Ford, Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson. They have been regulars for the England team for a while now, being favorites of Eddie. Hence, it should not come as a surprise to see them getting ready to offer the first and opening shots on the field.

The changes have been made with a lot of thought and strategies put in place. George was recalled to the lineup for the start and he would be taking opening shots on Saturday. He has been coming off the bench as he helped in an opening win earlier and he has impressed the crowd and relevant authorities with the precision that he has on his kicks as well as the passing capabilities that he possesses. Being 23 years of age, it is indeed an important tour for his rugby career. Owen Farrell would be moving to inside center a George Ford is ready to start. Jonathan Joseph has been able to score in the match last weekend. As a result he would be in as well as Jack Nowell. These are some of the changes that Eddie has envisioned. It remains to be seen how well these changes affect the game finally.

For gay men and all others who have shied away from rugby or any other team games that they have felt would not include their kind, can now be encouraged with a recent event that has occurred.

Africa has launched its first inclusive rugby club that includes gay men as well. It is definitely a bold initiative and would help the club to get more players.

Located in Johannesburg, it is the first of its kind, a bold initiative by an African rugby club. It is a campaign that is spearheaded by Head of Havas, PR South Africa. It is none other than Chris Verrijdt who has started this initiative. Players of a rugby team have been shot in a PR campaign with derogatory terms that showcase the common perception of the public of these people. He states that the campaign is meant to disrupt the general trend but be sensitive at the same time for the players. Many are still coming to terms with their family members or friends and hence, they needed to be involved in every part of the project. The bravery of each player involved in the campaign and initiative needs to be appreciated. The campaign will definitely start conversations and thoughts in different directions and would question all those who have shown their faces in support of the campaign. For a team like Jozi Cats, it is an initiative that has come at the right time. It definitely will open doors for recruiting players for the team which is often a challenge.

Jozi Cats has been started as a team that would enable many players to be openly gay as well as pursue their dream of playing rugby in South Africa. The club will allow these players to play competitive rugby and have a safe social platform for themselves. It would also attract others who feel that they cannot be open about their sexual orientation in this sport.

Rugby Football Union Championship club the Worcester Warriors hope to tie up a new deal to keep wing sensation Cooper Vuna at the club beyond the current season.

The hard running winger has already scored one try in three appearances for the RFU Championship side and has taken to the club like a duck to water. Even the fans have taken to him and want the club to keep hold of him for as long as possible. Carl Hogg, the club’s head coach recently revealed that they have been in discussions with the Australian international that has been capped twice by the Wallabies about staying at the club beyond the current campaign.

Vuna arrived at the club from Japanese side Toshiba Brave Lupus last month. Asked whether they plan to keep the player next season, Hogg stated that it is something that is under discussion at the moment and they are hopeful of it. He added that the player has been a great acquisition for the team and he has proved to be a great asset.

Hogg said that Vuna brings a lot of pace and power to the team and he makes their back line look menacing. He mentioned that the player has been marvellous over the short term and he hopes that will be case in the long run as well.

The Warriors are currently lying in second place and are looking good for a final assault during the playoff rounds and have already started to strengthen the team, bringing in New Zealand Sevens star Bryce Heem for the new season the Super Rugby side the Chiefs.

Hogg said that they have got some real power and pace now and keeping Vuna and the arrival of the Kiwi star will add the X-factor that the team has wanted.

Steve Hansen, the famous coach from All Blacks, has reportedly expressed concerns about rugby’s future, fearing that the sport is getting boring lately.

The coach is this worried that he is even calling up important personalities from the rugby community to alter the gameline to make the sport more interesting. He spent the previous weekend on Rugby Worlds fact-finding mission as he watched Wales winning over France in the French capital & Ireland emerging triumphant against England at the Irish capital in Six Nations championship. And the game that he saw in these two matches made him tensed about the future of this sport.

Hansen believes that at its highest level, rugby has become much concentrated on the defence part, it’s all about too much of kicking & there isn’t enough running or enough tries these days. According to the rugby veteran, the fans might get turned off by this sport soon.

“I have actually got huge concerns regarding about this game at this very moment as not sufficient tries are being scored & that’s turning our fans away. What I feel is that both coaches and players have some responsibility towards the game. We’re always getting defensive very quickly but what I feel is that we have most probably got extreme with it. We should be responsible towards the game & if we are not that conscious, then we won’t have running rugby any more”, remarked Hansen.

“There’re just 3 tries in 2 games that I went for a watch last weekend. Nobody is eager to go for the risk since they’re going to belted behind advantage line in case they went to move ball”, he continued.

“If we have to pull in our fans to watch our games, then we should look to score more tries as this is what which pleases the fans.”