Wade in line for a wake-up call
May has Tigers in hunt again
ENGLAND wing Jonny May came back from a shoulder injury to help kick-start Leicester’s Heineken Cup campaign as they beat the Scarlets at Welford Road last night.
The Tigers had vowed to make amends for their opening Pool 4 defeat in Ulster – and they did so, but were made to fight all the way by the Welsh team.
The Scarlets only trailed by two points at half-time, 15-13, with Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies touching down in reply to tries by Leicester’s Harry Wells and Guy Thompson.
No8 Sione Kalamafoni went over after the break to stretch the home side’s advantage to 12 points, before wing Steffan Evans and back-row Blade Thomson scored to swing the match back in the Scarlets’ favour.
But England centre Manu Tuilagi then crashed over to earn the Tigers a bonus point, before May rounded off proceedings.
Another member of Eddie Jones’s England squad, fly-half George Ford, kicked 20 points for Leicester.
COURTNEY LAWES has turned down a move across the Channel and signed a two-year contract extension with Northampton.
The decision by Lawes, who has 65 caps, ensures he will remain part of the England selection picture until the end of the 2020-21 season. The 29-year-old remains a one-club man having made his Saints debut in October 2007.
“Northampton are my only club and Franklin’s Gardens is home,” said Lawes, whose Saints side beat the Dragons 35-21 at Rodney Parade in the Challenge Cup last night.
“I was raised just down the road and the club have always meant an enormous amount to me. I’m excited to see what this squad can achieve.” REPORTS CHRISTIAN WADE’S imminent departure from rugby union to American Football at the peak of his powers is not only a blow to Wasps but to the sport itself. As one of the great entertainers, his sorcery will be missed.
At 27, though, it was now or never for Wade to roll the dice and see if he can make it in the NFL. With the England door remaining resolutely closed, he has made his play.
He won his solitary cap in 2013 and also toured Australia with the Lions the same year, since when it has been radio silence from Twickenham.
Despite being one of the Premiership’s most lethal finishers with 82 tries – third on the all-time list – Eddie Jones, like Stuart Lancaster before him, considers Wade too small for Test rugby at 5ft 8in.
The defensive frailties that worried them will not be an