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Posted 10 days ago
LEEDS FAILED to end Newcastle’s bid to bounce back into the Aviva Premiership at Kingston Park on Sunday. After 160 minutes of rugby The Falcons, although out-scored two tries to one by the resurgent Yorkshiremen, progressed to the final by virtue of a 34-30 aggregate scoreline.
Posted 14 days ago
IT IS awards season and whether you agree with the esteemed panels or punters’ votes, there are a few players carrying off more gongs than Daniel Day Lewis. Ulster’s Nick Williams was the talk of the Celts, with the brutish No 8 claiming the RaboDirect Pro12 players’ Player of the Season as well as the same award from the Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association, a fillip for the wrecking-ball breakaway before tonight’s Pro12 semi-final against Scarlets.
Posted 14 days ago
PLAY-OFF RUGBY is as nerve shredding as it is rewarding. Months of hard work can be undone in one high-pressure showdown. It is completely different to regular-season rugby and for the four teams participating in the RaboDirect Pro12 semi-finals, winning the whole thing would mean a change in league fortunes.
Posted 14 days ago
AS SARACENS, Leicester, Harlequins and Northampton prepare to do battle in this weekend’s Aviva Premiership semi-finals, which set of supporters has most reason to feel optimistic?
Posted 14 days ago
IN A step to answer and assuage the increasingly vocal critics of the scrum the IRB yesterday took a major step to change the set-piece.
The Scrum Steering Group, headed by former international flanker John Jeffrey and aided by the likes of former prop David Barnes, All Blacks forwards coach Mike Cron and referee chief Joel Jutge amongst others, set forth…
Posted 16 days ago
WITH THE Lions clubbing together in a few weeks and finals throughout Europe coming up fast, attention must once again turn to those in the thoughts of Wallaby coach Robbie Deans. The tour feels close now. Closer than a saran-wrap scarf.
Posted 16 days ago
FOUR CONSECUTIVE play-off appearances point to a team consistently vying for the top echelons of French rugby. Yet Castres remain the quiet outsiders as the likes of Clermont and Toulon steal much of the limelight. Christophe Samson is a man who has played at both those clubs and now, at 29, finds himself flourishing at the heart of the Castres pack.
Posted 17 days ago
A FEW weeks ago the Twitter-viewing public were agog as they stared at the first few names released by the Barbarians for their summer games against England and the British and Irish Lions this summer. Today, though, there are even more star turns twisting through the list. Dai Young’s BaaBaas are amassing an impressive elite squad and they are not done yet.
Posted 17 days ago
CHANGE IS coming, or so it would seem north of the border as Scotland today named nine uncapped players for their quadrangular tournament this summer in South Africa against their hosts, Italy and Samoa. Those nine amongst the 31 are Edinburgh’s Steven Lawrie and Greig Tonks, the full-back who was so impressive in Scotland A’s defeat of England Saxons earlier in the season, Glagow’s Pat MacArthur, Tim Swinson, Alex Dunbar, Peter Horne, Peter Murchie and Tommy Seymour, and Saracens winger Duncan Taylor.
Posted 17 days ago
“ANYONE WHO thinks that life is fair,” Richard M. Nixon once said, “has been seriously misinformed.” A view held, amongst others, by many of the Newcastle Falcons squad who, after 22 games, had won stage one of the Championship, by 24 points.
