England head coach Steve Borthwick is in a fortunate position with the options of Marcus Smith and Fin Smith to replace Owen Farrell at fly-half, according to TNT Sports expert Lawrence Dallaglio. Both players have been performing exceptionally well at club level for Harlequins and Northampton Saints, respectively. The two teams, currently at the top of the Gallagher Premiership table, faced off in a highly anticipated match, with Dallaglio describing it as a potential precursor to a semi-final or final. Both players have been included in Borthwick’s recent Six Nations squad, showcasing their skills and game awareness on the field. Dallaglio believes that having both Smiths, along with George Ford, is a great position for England moving forward.
Dallaglio recently completed his seventh ‘Cycle Slam’ for his charity Dallaglio RugbyWorks, which aims to help individuals who have been excluded from schools. The 1500km bike ride began in Rome and ended in Nice, with Dallaglio joined by notable figures such as Andrew Ridgeley and Alan Lamb. The event featured 30 riders who tackled parts of the Giro D’Italia and Tour de France courses, covering an average of 150km and 2km worth of ascent daily. Dallaglio shared that the charity’s focus is on providing support and guidance to troubled young people through a specially designed rugby programme that aims to improve their employability and overall life skills.
The charity works with young individuals who have faced exclusion from schools, often due to difficult circumstances in their personal lives. Dallaglio emphasized that these individuals are not inherently bad but may lack the necessary support structures. By implementing a three-year programme that offers mentorship, employability training, and building confidence, Dallaglio RugbyWorks has achieved an impressive 85% success rate in getting these individuals into full-time employment or education. Dallaglio stressed the importance of intervening early to prevent a cycle of exclusion leading to criminal activities, as a significant percentage of individuals in the UK prison system have been expelled from school.
TNT Sports, which now holds the rights to broadcast premium live sports previously covered by BT Sport in the UK, offers a variety of sports content including the Premier League, UEFA competitions, rugby, MotoGP, cricket, UFC, boxing, and WWE. The streaming platform for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can access a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport, and entertainment content. Furthermore, Dallaglio highlighted the rewarding nature of working with troubled youth through RugbyWorks, emphasizing the impact it has on transforming their lives. Despite the positive outcomes achieved thus far, Dallaglio stressed the need to reach a larger number of young people who face exclusion and related challenges, highlighting the urgency of addressing this issue on a broader scale.
