Back in January, when the Six Nations was being launched at the oh-so-posh Hurlingham Club, Warren Gatland was asked about the itinerary for the British & Irish Lions tour to…
New Zealand
England advance while the spectre of the All Blacks lurk in the background
Napoleon famously said he would rather have lucky generals in his ranks than good ones and Eddie Jones definitely both falls into both categories in a rugby sense. He is…
Five talking points in rugby from August
The cross kick is no longer a risk A decade ago the ‘cross kick’ was deemed a last resort in rugby union. A risky play from the cross pollination of…
Can Argentina break into the world’s ‘top three’?
Times, they may be a changing. The traditional triumvirate of power in the Southern Hemisphere – New Zealand, Australia and South Africa – is no longer the all-powerful force it…
Analysis: New Zealand blindside Australia for Bledisloe victory
August 16, 2014 – precisely two years and two weeks ago – saw Australia hold New Zealand to a 12-12 draw at a sopping wet ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Neither…
Round One: The Rugby Championship highlights
The Rugby Championship got off to a thrilling start. Just hours after a bugging device was said to have been found at the InterContinental hotel on Sydney’s picturesque waterfront, the…
The phoney war is over, as the Rugby Championship prepares for lift off
By Alex Shaw The Rugby Championship kicks off this weekend, with Australia hosting New Zealand and Argentina travelling to South Africa, and the phoney wars that are part and parcel…
Five things we learnt about rugby – July
The Six Nations must embrace reform July saw the Rugby Football Union dousing cold water on speculation that the Six Nations could be moved from its existing place in the…
30 Minutes with… Damian McKenzie
How was your first experience with the All Blacks squad in June? Awesome. It was full-on but everything I expected. I learnt loads and really enjoyed it. I’m a happy…
Super Rugby: Key battles for the semi-finals
Three teams from New Zealand and one from South Africa clash this weekend for a place in the Super Rugby Final on August 6. The first semi will be contested…