SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE UP TO 35% Read Rugby World’s digital issue Subscribe to the Rugby World Newsletter
Posted 634 days ago
Once they have suppressed their eye-rolling exasperation at the RFU’s committee-room machinations of midsummer, England fans can at least approach the imminent World Cup with a chipper (if not too starry-eyed) optimism, writes Frank Keating.
Improvement under Martin Johnson has by no means been spectacular but it’s been comparatively assured, with most of the lillywhites’ traditional strengths to the fore –…
Posted 637 days ago
This year should have been the happiest of Chris Wyles’s life. He’s already helped Saracens to their first-ever Premiership title and the other proud bookend to his summer will follow when he plays in the World Cup for the United States. There is no doubt that when he returns from New Zealand, Wyles will reflect on the best 12 months…
Posted 662 days ago
Today we can reveal the identity of the most dangerous rugby team in England, a team so disruptive to rugby in the rest of the country, and such a malign influence on young players everywhere, that they really should be banned. Today, we lay bare the malevolence of the England U16s.
It’s important to say that this is no reflection on…
Posted 671 days ago
Matt Kvesic
(England U20)
Confidence is a commodity that shouldn’t be underestimated in sport. It’s not a skill or technique that can be taught, but usually comes as a result of a string of good performances and victories. Back-rower Matt Kvesic, 19, was involved in two successful teams last season. Worcester lost just two games on their way back to the Premiership,…
Posted 682 days ago
Relive England’s finest hour since the 2003 World Cup, the day when, in Stuart Barnes’s words, “England restored its rugby pride and Twickenham found its blood”. Croft soared, Lawes marauded, Youngs sniped, Ashton dashed – and Johnno’s men gave the Aussies a rare pasting. This DVD features Sky’s coverage of the match last November, from build-up to post-match interviews.
RW RATING…
Posted 684 days ago
Not the “perfect preview” as the blurb has it, but not a bad one. Each team focus features a star player and coach profile, five players to watch, form since France 2007 and, of course, an overview. As hosts and favourites, New Zealand get a fuller treatment and best of all the add-ons is a far-reaching facts & stats section.
RW…
Posted 684 days ago
No one presents training games with the style and clarity of Green Star Media, whose latest offering features 50 skills games from dual-code coach Damian McGrath (now at Huddersfield Giants). The coloured tabs system is outstanding, showing how much each of the 11 skill areas feature in a particular game; so you can see, for example, that only eight games…
Posted 685 days ago
Everbody’s at it – and we’re not talking Ryan Giggs, writes Rugby World deputy editor Alan Pearey. Last December BBC Sport and Red Bee Media arranged for 68 people to ‘pack down’ at Richmond for a stunt that produced a Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest scrum.
In April, Gullivers Sports Travel and Burnham-on-Sea RFC got 191 adults scrumming down…
Posted 686 days ago
Eleven years after my accident, it still takes me a bit of time to get going in the mornings, and I’ve got constant pain due to muscle imbalance, so I wasn’t the typical candidate to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
I’d been getting stronger, though, and wanted to give something back to the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA), who had looked after and supported…
Posted 687 days ago
The new Bath lock puts down his power tools to chat to Bea Asprey
RUGBY WORLD: What will you miss about Gloucester?
Dave Attwood: The Shed. I’m yet to encounter fans as vocal as Gloucester’s.
RW: What’s exciting about moving to Bath?
DA: The fresh start. It’s a squad in transition and I’m looking forward to helping to forge the…
