IT IS awards season and whether you agree with the esteemed panels or punters’ votes, there are a few players carrying off more gongs than Daniel Day Lewis. Ulster’s Nick…
Blogs
It’s a knockout: The RaboDirect Pro12 Semi-finals
PLAY-OFF RUGBY is as nerve shredding as it is rewarding. Months of hard work can be undone in one high-pressure showdown. It is completely different to regular-season rugby and for…
Knockout Know-how: The Aviva Premiership Semi-finals
AS SARACENS, Leicester, Harlequins and Northampton prepare to do battle in this weekend’s Aviva Premiership semi-finals, which set of supporters has most reason to feel optimistic?
The scrum: IRB introduce key changes to the set-piece
IN A step to answer and assuage the increasingly vocal critics of the scrum the IRB yesterday took a major step to change the set-piece. The Scrum Steering Group,…
Lions 2013: Who’s burning bright and who’s cooling down (Under)?
WITH THE Lions clubbing together in a few weeks and finals throughout Europe coming up fast, attention must once again turn to those in the thoughts of Wallaby coach Robbie…
Top 14 play-offs: Samson ready to deliver knockout blow
FOUR CONSECUTIVE play-off appearances point to a team consistently vying for the top echelons of French rugby. Yet Castres remain the quiet outsiders as the likes of Clermont and Toulon…
Lions 2013: More Barbarians brought into Young’s horde
A FEW weeks ago the Twitter-viewing public were agog as they stared at the first few names released by the Barbarians for their summer games against England and the British…
More change as Scotland name summer tour squad
CHANGE IS coming, or so it would seem north of the border as Scotland today named nine uncapped players for their quadrangular tournament this summer in South Africa against their…
The Championship blog – Play-offs: Round 1
“ANYONE WHO thinks that life is fair,” Richard M. Nixon once said, “has been seriously misinformed.” A view held, amongst others, by many of the Newcastle Falcons squad who, after…
Lions 2013: Stuart needs a Hogg-father
AS OF Tuesday, everyone in Scotland was a mathematician. Three. Three Scottish Lions. Half of all the Tigers; half the number of Leinstermen; one fifth the number of Welshmen; one…