News about Dan Biggar

I was a devoted Manchester United fan growing up, certainly a more avid fan than I am today, and this is the one I remember best, especially for the Ryan Giggs moment. When teams are successful, you always remember shirts, and I can remember Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke's banging in the goals.

THE WORLD OF RUGBY: Scotland will welcome the English with a measure of rivalry that is not equaled by the visitors from south of Hadrian's Wall. When the England coach arrives, they will be cramming onto the upper walkways at Murrayfield, leaning toward some chosen words and perhaps even the odd projectile for good measure. Steve Borthwick and his crew will know that they are clearly out of their comfort zone thanks to the yells, boos, and chants. As always, there will be a proper edge and a tense, which is exactly how it should be. During the warm-ups, there is every chance that the Red Rose raiders will be met by go-slow bagpipers, the infernal pillar in the middle of the away dressing-room, and severe overcrowding on their half of the field. This is all part of the fixture's rich tapestry.

ALEX BYWATER: Ioan Lloyd has been thrown in at the deep end to wear the iconic Wales No 10 jersey in this Six Nations series, but is determined to remain a part of Warren Gatland's journey through a challenging Ireland trip. Wales' Sam Costelow, the country's only specialist fly-half, started the 2024 Championship following Dan Biggar and Gareth Anscombe's departure to Japan. Costelow sustained a head injury in the first half of Wales' opening loss to Scotland, with his Scarlets teammate Lloyd stepping in.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: England's victory over Wales was a poor game between two teams that are discussing rebuilding. I don't like the plot. The two best teams both countries were able to defeat at Twickenham on Saturday night were the two best sides both countries were able to put out. It's not about rebuilding. It's about winning. At the end of the tale. To me, this kind of talk establishes a mentality in which you are barely making an excuse for losing. It's a cop out. That shouldn't be happening in the Six Nations, which is rugby's pinnacle.

An excruciating sponsors' commercial played on big screens, announcing rugby to be 'our game that we gave to the world.' When it was all over and some England Rugby staff waved four huge red rose flags to a stadium that was rapidly deserted, an excruciating sponsor banner played on the big screens, proclaimed rugby to be 'our game that we gave to the world.' It also summed up an air of entitlement surrounding a place that had promised brilliance but delivered nothing remotely similar. Twickenham was supposed to have been a stadium reborn on a sunny day in Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Dublin, with the marketing team assisting with the engendering of the kind of spirit we always see in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, and Dublin at this time of year.

NIK SIMON AT TWICKENHAM: If Barry John was watching from the heavens, he might have turned off with a few minutes to spare. This was hardly rugby from the Gods. It was scrappy and tense, with an English victory that will not be remembered as one of the generational classics. In the Jamie George period, George Ford architected a second-half comeback, kicking and squeezing England to two wins out of two. Fans of Welsh football were wishing that Dan Biggar would trade his pitch-side punditry suit for a pair of boots as the visitors' half-time lead was stalemate. Twickenham's 12-year wait for a Six Nations victory continues.

CHRIS FOY: As the hosts attempt to resurrect their Twickenham citadel and their rivals fight for a dozen years of Six Nations pain, England and Wales beckons. Despite a thrilling, logic-defying comeback, rugby's top players will revive hostilities this afternoon in the midst of an English mission to recover lost home advantage. Both hope and enthusiasm are on the line, and new-era optimism is shaky. Something has to give. England has won three, drawn one, and lost six in the last ten Tests at Twickenham, including a surprise loss to Fiji in late August last year. Five months ago, France was being put to the sword by France, who romped to a historic 53-10 triumph.

DAN BIGGAR: It was a little bit surreal to hear Jonny Wilkinson talk on yesterday. It brought back memories of my big trip to Australia with my mother in 2003, when she told the teachers that she would miss a few weeks of school so we could fly to Brisbane for the World Cup. It's been 21 years ago now, but I can recall the quarter finals between Wales and England. At halftime, we were leading into a hot dog, but only Jonny could kick 23 points and pinch it for the English. Wales versus England was always the most exciting fixture for me as both a player and a young supporter. My mother was on holiday in the Maldives in 1999 and it cost £6 a minute to call home. It didn't surprise me that the only time she phoned home was to find out the Wales England score!

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The build-up to this Six Nations has not generated the usual buzz, and it is a genuine worry. Perhaps it's because it has happened so quickly on the back of the World Cup. Owen Farrell, Johnny Sexton, Antoine Dupont, and Dan Biggar are all unobtainable. However, it is a fact of life that players have resigned. No one can turn back time, so although Sexton and Biggar have been outstanding servants, they have not stopped moving forward. I can also accept Dupont's decision to miss this Six Nations to compete seven-a-side at the Paris Olympics.

The 2024 Six Nations heralded the dawn of a new age in international rugby and the beginning of a new four-year cycle, with a new World Cup in Australia in 2027. As they prepare for the future, all six nations are fielding novice Test players. And, for the first time in a long time, several of the names synonymous with the Championship in recent years will be out. Owen Farrell, Johnny Sexton, Antoine Dupont, and Dan Biggar will be among those waiting for various reasons, causing the next generation of talent to come through in the next two months. Here, MailSport's Alex Bywater looks at 10 young guns who could take this Six Nations by storm…

ALEX BYWATER: It is the jewel in European rugby's crown and one of the sporting calendar's highlights. But as the Six Nations gets ready for kick off in 2024, are the physical and mental demands being placed on those who take to the field now too great?And how does rugby's 'crazy' decision to play the tournament over a six-week period from 2026 sit alongside the claim made by the game's authorities that player welfare is their No 1 priority? These are all important concerns and may well make for uncomfortable reading for World Rugby, the Six Nations, and the Six Nations' stakeholder unions. However, they must be posed for the benefit of the players and rugby as a whole.

Fin Smith, the head boy and a straight-A student at Warwick School with a talent for tennis, may have pursued a variety of paths in life. But rugby was quickly understood that it was the right option for the 21-year-old, whose sporting career is likely to continue with his first senior England cap against Italy on Saturday. The Northampton fly-half has had a season to remember with the Saints, who are top of the Premiership and into the Champions Cup last 16 thanks to a 10-match winning streak.

PLAY WORLD OR RUGBY: Roll up, Roll up. We've arrived back to the office. The Six Nations will light up the winter gloom as never. The tribal rivalries will ignite native pride in soaring cities as hordes of supporters bring chaos and life. You know the drill. It's a good thing that it's working. We all love it. But the unfortunate truth is that the annual championship has been both a showcase of the sport and a barrier to its wider growth. Rugby must develop, and this widely circulated but private event is a pinnacle of the European game.

ALEX BYWATER: After braving a treacherous flight to Dublin by Storm Isha, Wales head coach Warren Gatland said on Monday that "you write us off at your peril" for this year's Six Nations. The start of 2024 marks the start of a new period of Welsh rugby. After a number of senior figures stepped away, Gatland's squad for the upcoming Championship has an average age of just 25. In the build-up to last year's World Cup, Gatland lost Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Ken Owens, and Rhys Webb, and Tim Bolton and Leigh Halfpenny have both retired.

Exeter's rookie wing has piqued the attention of Wales head coach Warren Gatland, who has praised their early-season form. Gatland has been looking forward to a call-up for the 2024 Six Nations, according to MailSport. And Gatland will certainly have to choose him sooner rather than later because it is also understood that Feyi-Waboso qualifiers for England are tracking him through family roots and the RFU. Exeter's Rob Baxter's Exeter began the 2023/24 campaign with a youthful spirit after losing a number of key figures and England internationals to move elsewhere.

Following Wales' quarter-final defeat at the hands of Argentina at the recent Rugby World Cup, Biggar retired from international service. On Saturday night, he was back in action for the first time in a Top-14 match against Persua. However, his recovery took just ten minutes after he suffered from the horrible-looking injury.

ALEX BYWATER: Warren Gatland pledged his future to Wales after the World Cup's dissolution, but Steve Borthwick's England in the semi-finals in France surprised South Africa. In the last-eight stage by Argentina last weekend, Gatland's team was defeated. Gatland signed a long-term deal in 2027 when he returned to Wales as the Wales head coach last December. However, the arrangement did not have a break clause in it for after this year's world showpiece. On Wednesday, Gatland said he was excited about what Wales could do in the next four years.

Stade Velodrome (MARSEILLE): The Stade Velodrome in MARSEILLE, Ireland, was flooded with tears. The Welsh have suffered through tears of agony. Ances of regret after losing their grip on the game and tears of grief as their generation of warriors came out. There were tears of joy in Argentina. Tears of relief after their first-half hammering and elation as they their supporters turned the stands into what looked to be the Buenos Aires carnival. In the 76th minute, the stadium erupted as Nicolas Sanchez intercepted Sam Costellow's pass and sprinted 40 meters to win in the 76th minute. It's likely that a try that would define careers will come back. The South Americans soared, chanted, and flew whatever belongings they had into the dim sky of Marseille.

After selecting a solid and settled lineup to face Argentina, CHRIS FOY: Warren Gatland took aim at those who think his Wales team is having a smooth ride through the weaker half of this World Cup. On Thursday, the head coach was both bullish and combative. Following injuries, Dan Biggar and Liam Williams were able to join the quarter-finals in Marseille. Gatland was content to tolerate increased tension after guiding Wales to a flawless pool-stage return of four wins.

ALEX BYWATER: Wales has given Liam Williams, Gareth Anscombe, and Dan Biggar a good fitness report, claiming that the back-line trio will all be fit for their World Cup quarter-finals. On Saturday afternoon, Warren Gatland's side faces Argentina in the first of the four knock-out matches, but the team is sweating over the fitness of key players. Since being barred from the rest of the tournament due to a broken arm sustained in the victory over Georgia, No 8 Taulupe Faletau has already flown home.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: For the first time in World Cup history, northern hemisphere teams dominated all the pools, bringing up four exciting quarter-finals. Ireland's draw in South Africa shows how absurd the draw is. Both these games will be deciding finals. Two big teams are likely to be disqualified, and there is a chance that the semi-finals will be made entirely of Six Nations teams. Here's my guide to the start of the knockout stages:

ALEX BYWATER IN NANTES Warren Gatland said in the build-up to this World Cup that his Wales team would'do something 'extra' and'surprise some people' in France, it was difficult to see that happening. Gatland, the Wales head coach, oversaw an embarrassing Six Nations debut at the start of the year as his team was dogged by injuries both on and off the field. However, with such topics now being brought together, the New Zealander's August remarks have been rendered almost prophetic. With a victory over Georgia on Saturday, Wales is expected to keep pole position in Pool C for the fourth time.

Dan Biggar's return to Wales will boost the team's upcoming Rugby World Cup quarter-finals next week. During Wales' dramatic 40-6 victory over Australia on September 24, the talismanic fly-half sustained an arm injury. The 33-year-old has given a positive indication about his future, although he will not play in Saturday's last Pool C match against Georgia, according to Mail Sport's Croqued Monsieurs.

Warren Gatland has never been one to worry about after his mind was made up and he sped away on Monday, naming his Wales team to face Georgia three days early. Just as his players were about to begin training in front of hundreds of French supporters in Versailles, head coach Gatland called off his media manager for a short period of time. Wales assembled their squad for their final Pool C clash official minutes later – the press release dropped as the XV, who had been selected to run out in Nantes on Saturday, began going through their drills.