The Six Nations launch is usually a convivial get together, bordering on the mundane, but eyebrows were raised at Eddie Jones’ almighty shiner caused, we were told, by falling in…
Ireland
Six Nations: Players to watch for the 2017 Championship
By Alex Shaw The Six Nations squads are all in. Conor O’Shea got the ball rolling last week, naming an experienced Italian squad for his debut campaign, followed by Rob…
Who will reach the Champions Cup knock-out rounds?
Before the 2017 Six Nations swings into full focus and dominates the rugby calendar for the months of February and March, there is the small matter of the final two…
The Rugby World Quiz of the Year: The answers
FOR ALL those who tackled the Quiz of the Year in the January 2017 edition of Rugby World – or who have tested their knowledge online – here are all…
Lions bolters for 2017: Who will be Warren Gatland’s surprise packages?
As the new year dawns, we move into the second half of the 2016-17 northern hemisphere season, a season that you will all know ends in a British and Irish…
Ireland: Four proud provinces stand up in Europe
By Alex Shaw Four proud provinces. That’s the mantra of Irish rugby and it certainly lived up to that billing this past weekend. There were a lot of premature European…
Stuart Lancaster finds redemption over the Irish Sea
Just over a year ago Stuart Lancaster’s world fell apart and judging by his expression as England exited their own World Cup before the knock-out stages you would have got…
Autumn Internationals: The Lions squad for 2017 is shaping up
Any Lions squad member selected in April will have to have multi-faceted skills, one-trick ponies need not apply. Any tourist needs to have talent and resolve in abundance, game intelligence…
Ireland 27-24 Australia: Five talking points
By Whiff of Cordite Ireland completed a memorable November series with a gritty win over the Wallabies on Saturday – with the falling bodies, it was a game reminiscent of…
The disciplinary lottery rolls on and on
There were plenty of international players in the dock this week but maybe the disciplinary process should be in the dock as well. Another week of autumn internationals, another round…