Stokes in doubt for test
England are sweating on the fitness of captain Ben Stokes ahead of the third test against the Black Caps at Headingley.
Christchurch-born Stokes, who has won both his matches in charge since taking over the captaincy from Joe Root, missed training yesterday after feeling unwell with a chesty cough.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that the 31-year-old returned a negative Covid-19 test but he will continue to be monitored by their medical team.
If Stokes can’t play, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jonny Bairstow and even Root could take on the captaincy in Leeds.
This story is republished with permission from Newsroom.co.nz.
This year marks my 20th season playing club rugby. I was recruited, as an enthusiastic 13-yearold, to play for the Johnsonville women’s side.
This was an open grade and my slight frame was up against fully grown adults, some of who were international representatives. My team-mates and coaches did their best to equip me with skills I needed to keep me safe.
And that paid off when I made the Wellington Women’s Sevens team that year alongside my school’s sports coordinator.
Local newspapers wrote excitedly about my inclusion. I was a schoolkid playing women’s rugby which was seemingly no cause for concern. But 20 years later, I am now being told to be afraid of playing women.
Our sport prides itself on being a space where every body type is welcomed and celebrated. It is the combination of our unique shapes and skills that build a team.
The full array of that diversity is on display each weekend at your local club match, where powerfully built front-rowers and lively halfbacks tip each end of the scale. Women’s rugby, while now requiring dispensation for ambitious youngsters, is still an open season. It’s not unusual to see crushing contact between players of vastly different sizes.
So too, given our playing numbers, do you frequently see first-timers stepping on to the pitch with Black Ferns.
There is a look you see in a player’s eyes when they realise they’ve found themselves in a mismatch. A fullback lining up a flanker on the break, a prop realising they are going to have to chase down that wing, a halfback digging in the ruck with no protection. You could argue these moments are what our game was designed for. But does this all feel safe? Well, we’re not playing tiddlywinks here, mate.