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Wallabies captain Harry Wilson (R) has hit back(Image: AFP or licensors)
Here are your rugby evening headlines for Friday, October 31.
Australia hit back after England accusations
By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent
Australia captain Harry Wilson has rejected a claim made on the eve of their clash with England that the Wallabies use illegal breakdown tactics.
A report states that England head coach Steve Borthwick highlighted Australia’s alleged ploy of deliberately entering rucks from the side when he met referee Nika Amashukeli ahead of Saturday’s Allianz Stadium showdown.
Play welfare concerns were also raised over the tourists’ approach to clear-outs.
“Firstly, I’d like to question how many are illegal. And to say that they are dangerous – they are definitely not,” Wilson said.
“There’s no way (Australia head coach) Joe Schmidt would coach a team to be illegal at the breakdown.
“I think we’ve had over 2,000 rucks this year and for them to cherry-pick a couple is quite amusing.
“When a team is playing 10 or 11 Tests, any team would have some from the side. We think we are quite good at our attacking breakdown.
“We are pretty excited for the opportunity to go out there and have a fair game.”
England are odds-on favourites to make a winning start to their autumn series but Wilson insists Australia are accustomed to being written off.
The Wallabies may be missing James O’Connor, Len Ikitau, Tom Hooper and Will Skelton due to the match falling outside the international window, but they have a recent history of registering comeback wins against the odds, including at Twickenham 12 months ago.
“There haven’t been many games since I’ve been captain where we have been the favourites,” Wilson said.
“We are always the outsiders and not many people back us. As a group, we enjoy that.
“We’re so internally focused on improving and making sure preparation is right so that we believe in ourselves and believe in each other to do the job.
“Last year this game was a big turning point for us as a group, which really made us believe that on our day we can beat anybody in the world.”
Wales star speaks out over vile abuse
Wales international Georgia Evans says she “won’t apologise for being herself” after receiving a wave of online abuse during the Women’s Rugby World Cup — and turning it into a message of empowerment that resonated across the game.
The back-rower spoke out after facing sexist comments about her appearance in the aftermath of Wales’ heavy defeat to Canada, describing how players came together in a “safe space” to support each other through the backlash.
“I clocked the first comment on my appearance, and then realised there were two, three, four, a pile of them,” said Evans, who wore a bow in her hair during the match, in an interview with RugbyPass.
“People telling me I looked like a man in drag, or that I should concentrate more on my rugby than my eyelashes.”
The abuse echoed similar treatment faced by her partner, England prop Hannah Botterman, just a week earlier.
“There I am getting heat for wearing a pink bow – whilst she’s getting it for looking too masculine,” she added. “In some people’s eyes, we just can’t win.”
Evans said she decided to speak publicly rather than stay silent, hoping to show young girls they don’t need to change to fit in.
“I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of young girls seeing me get rubbish like that and just accepting it,” she said. “They needed to know I wasn’t going to change. I’m me, without apology or filter, all the time.”
Her message sparked a wave of support from fans and players around the world. “My phone just exploded – but this time with positivity,” Evans said. “It made all the bad days worth it. I’d take them all again for that one show of humanity.”
Ahead of Wales’ next match, Evans was greeted by a young fan wearing a pink bow who had waited three hours to give her a drawing. “I was so overwhelmed I could hardly get my words out,” she said.
By the weekend, the stands were filled with fans wearing pink bows in solidarity — a powerful symbol of unity and individuality.
“It was a really dark, hard World Cup – I struggled a lot,” Evans said. “But that made it all worth it. The love drowned out the bile.”
Evans says she’s since taken time to respond to every message of support. “As women, we work so hard to put our personalities out there,” she said. “Our fans follow us as people as much as athletes – and it really matters that they feel empowered to be themselves too.”
Marler has not revealed Traitors result to England camp
By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent
Joe Marler has stayed tight-lipped over who has won The Traitors despite being grilled for clues by his former team-mates in the England camp.
Former prop Marler has reached Thursday’s final of the BBC reality TV programme that sees ‘faithfuls’ and ‘traitors’ compete in a game of deceit and betrayal played out in a castle.
Marler, whose 15-year professional career ended in 2024, has emerged as the star of the celebrity edition of the show, which has gripped England players and management in the build-up to Saturday’s Allianz Stadium appointment with Australia.
The 35-year-old’s role as performance director for Team England Rugby, a group that represents players’ interests, meant he spent time with Steve Borthwick’s squad at their Surrey base during the week.
“I don’t think he has told anyone. He told Danny Care he has gone quite far,” said Fin Baxter, who was Marler’s understudy for Harlequins and the national team.
“I have been quite impressed because he’s been himself and he even said ‘I don’t think everyone quite understood me’ and were not quite sure how to deal with him.
“It is brilliant to see him just being himself. Groups of us have been watching it and it has been great entertainment. He’s smashing it. He’s got it and it’s about whether people follow him or not.
“It is quite cool to see rugby players transitioning into mainstream TV shows. We talk about characters and personalities in rugby and seeing him make the mainstream is pretty cool.”
Baxter’s more pressing concern than rooting for his mentor in The Traitors is nullifying the threat posed by the player known as ‘Tongan Thor’.
Giant prop Taniela Tupou weighs almost 24 stones and has been restored to Australia’s front row after being rested for their last two matches.
“Tupou’s a brilliant player and, looking over the last year, I’ve come up against some of the best tightheads in the world. It’s a real privilege to play another brilliant player,” Baxter said.
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