By James Tennant The thirteenth instalment of the RaboDirect Pro12 season is about to get underway as provinces, clubs and regions from the Celtic nations and Italy battle it out…
Blogs
Rugby Championship: European refs in demand
IT'S ALWAYS nice to be wanted. It must be a strange feeling for referees, though. In an age where the men in the middle are as professional as players and…
Contract extensions for Pro12, Premiership and Super Rugby stars
HERE’S TO the stayers. While we have all gotten hot and bothered about the prospect of George North playing for Northampton Saints or Matt Kvesic signing for Gloucester or even…
Innovations in Aviva Premiership coverage
What's new in this season's English top flight?
The players missing openers in the Aviva Premiership and Pro12
THE WAITING is almost done. We are just over a week away from the opening days of the Aviva Premiership and the RaboDirect Pro12 and already we are condemning some…
Top 14: Hook ready to lead Perpignan to new heights
TIMES, THEY are a-changin’ at Perpignan. Who would have thought just a few years ago that arguably the most parochial of French clubs would have a Welshman for a captain?…
Last ride for RaboDirect
THIS SEASON is the last the Pro12 will have the title sponsor, RaboDirect. The bank have opted not to renew its sponsorship contract with the league, meaning that just as…
Diary of a new academy recruit in NZ – Part Three
SINCE MY last blog on my stay at the Inside Running Academy, a huge amount of things have happened in a very short amount of time: finals, gym sessions, tough…
England’s back-row headache for Stuart Lancaster
By Alan Dymock IT’S NOT long until the Aviva Premiership season starts and we’ve only just stopped nursing our British and Irish Lions hangovers. However, with the start of the…
Top 14: Clash of the big spenders with Toulon v Racing
By Alan Dymock AS CLASHES go, Toulon versus Racing Metro draws more attention that John McCririck’s wardrobe. The two superstar-stables do battle in the second round of France’s Top 14…