THE FOG on the Tyne, made thicker by Newcastle’s failure to take a bonus point win from Wasps on Saturday, has lifted somewhat this morning with news from west of…
Blogs
Top 14 Focus: Relegation scrap heats up
By Gavin Mortimer TWO ROUNDS of the Top 14 to go and down at the foot of the table it’s looking tight. Lyon are doomed, that much is sure, even…
French focus: Top 14
They began camping out the day before tickets went on sale at Clermont’s ground for Sunday’s Heineken Cup clash with Leinster, writes Gavin Mortimer. Such is the fervour for all…
Rugby World’s Championship Blog
The irony of Charlie Hayter’s interception to cement London Scottish’s place in the Championship for another year wasn’t lost on most of the sizable crowd at Richmond last Saturday. A…
French focus: Top 14
An end of an era is approaching in Perpignan and the fans are getting teary at the prospect. After nine seasons loosehead prop Perry Freshwater is retiring at the end…
Rugby World’s Championship Blog
Champagne rugby – plenty of fizz but no pop. This pretty much sums up London Welsh’s efforts in the first half of the clash with promotion favourites Bristol, at the…
French focus: Top 14
NO DOUBT about it, Shane Geraghty’s stint in Brive has been eventful, writes Gavin Mortimer. The 25-year-old was to the fore again on Sunday, steering the unfashionable French club into…
French focus: Top 14
Toulouse backs coach Jean-Baptiste Elissalde couldn’t help crowing after his side’s impressive defeat of Stade Francais last Saturday, writes Gavin Mortimer. In front of 80,000 fans at the Stade de…
Rugby World’s Championship Blog
The Championship play-offs exist to decide two issues — who goes up and who goes down — and one of these issues was decided, at Molesey Road on Saturday, writes…
Is Lancaster the right man for the job?
I WENT to Stuart Lancaster’s Six Nations debrief last week. He had put together an impressive presentation, complete with PowerPoint display, but what really stood out were the words of…