#blake-ferguson

#blake-ferguson

Martin Johnson, England's World-Cup winning skipper, believes there is no huge mystery to being a great captain. If you haven't got a good team it doesn't matter how good a captain you are. To suggest that calm, sure-footed leadership is irrelevant in top-level sport, however, is another matter. Even the greatest sides need decisive, intelligent direction, regardless of who supplies it.

Henry Pollock has been such a prominent figure in the recent rugby landscape that we had to double check that Saturday will be the first time he has started a game for England. Such has been the meteoric rise of the effervescent 21-year-old, it's easy to forget that up to now, each of his seven Test caps has come from the bench. That will all change against Ireland at Twickenham this weekend.

Starting with the hosts, while Newcastle might have spent the whole of last season scrapping it out at the foot of the A-League standings, the Jets have firmly cemented their spot as Australia's ultimate surprise package this time around. Last seen putting in another sensational performance as they stormed their way to a thumping 3-1 victory against Perth, Mark Milligan's high-flying squad are remarkably leading the chase at the top of the table and they have continued to shatter a string of long-standing records.

after completing his 55m move from Nottingham Forest last summer, and finding a home in the North East, Elanga set about kitting out his new house with a gym, hyperbaric chamber, red light therapy bed, sauna, plunge pool and, even, a 3G football pitch. The forward works with a strength and conditioning coach, sports therapist and chef, and had a similar set-up during his time at the City Ground, where he had a hand in 18 goals during an injury-free campaign last season.

"A few of the lads have played it back to me. We've had a laugh about it. Estevao said he can't believe I was a professional footballer. This is a great job. I love this job. I am serious in many aspects. I'm demanding, but life is too short. You have to enjoy life and be able to laugh at yourself. At the moment a lot of people in this country have been laughing at me."