The dropout rate of young adult players has long exercised the minds of rugby’s rulers. Faced by falling participation rates in recent years, the RFU commissioned research into new ways…
Alan Pearey
Rugby Rant: Don’t scrap the Aviva Premiership salary cap!
If Saracens’ Ed Griffiths was testing the water when he suggested abolishing the salary cap in England, he got badly scalded. Coaches and fellow CEOs were quick to shoot down…
Aviva Premiership: why ringfencing would be disastrous for the English game
Remember those games of British Bulldog you played as a kid? Imagine if instead of having to drop out when you were caught, you could just play on. No penalty,…
Six Nations: ‘Scotland’s Vern Cotter is doing a fantastic job but the front row must go’
If Scotland’s front row needed any extra motivation for Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations match against Wales, they needn’t look far to find it. For Colin Deans, Scotland’s 1984 Grand Slam…
Six Nations: The famous comebacks from years gone by
Momentum. It’s a buzzword of this and any other Six Nations championship. Win your opening game and you’re set fair for the tournament, with every prize within your grasp. Lose…
Six Nations: why playing Italy first up does Ireland no favours
Should Ireland be wary of the Italian team awaiting them in Rome this weekend? Above and beyond the usual respect paid to any international opponent. The short answer is yes,…
New-look European Champions Cup reaching new heights
SOMETIMES THE stars align and you have a perfect rugby heaven. For TV viewers this weekend’s European Champions Cup fare is pure nectar, with BT Sport able to broadcast three…
London Welsh fight to get equality in Premiership
Passions run high in sport and when my previous blog, provocatively titled ‘Are London Welsh the worst Premiership team ever?’, was published recently, Exiles fans were up in arms. The playing…
Are London Welsh the worst Premiership side ever?
Not even the wiliest spin doctor could put a gloss on London Welsh’s season: 18 games, 18 defeats. An average score of 10-41 or, in the Aviva Premiership alone, 9-45.…
Blues-Dragons derby a shadow of yesteryear
Close your eyes at Cardiff Arms Park on Boxing Day and you might just imagine you’ve stepped back in time. A bumper crowd is expected for the Blues-Dragons Guinness Pro12…