With the Top 14 final ending in the favour of Stade Francais – a 12-6 win over bad luck magnets Clermont Auvergne giving the Paris outfit the title – we…
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Top 14: Clermont bow under the weight of expectation
Professional sport is a cruel business. Stade Francais partied long and hard after winning the Top 14 title on Saturday night and wound up their celebrations on Monday evening, at…
A letter from South Africa – June
Bulls and Sharks cull mercilessly The Bulls and the Sharks did little to persuade seasoned veterans to reconsider offers from overseas clubs after both suffering mediocre Super Rugby campaigns. The…
Bone-crunchers: Nine of rugby’s biggest hits
While points win games and sumptuous attacking play fills column inches there is nothing like a big hit to set the crowd crackling. A well-executed tackle sets the tone of games…
Top 14: Clermont want to avoid repeat of 2007 heartache at hands of Stade Francais
This weekend sees Stade Francais face Clermont Auvergne in the final of the Top 14, and if you pick through Clermont’s broken past you’ll see that one of their most…
Analysis: How Nemani Nadolo could wreck the World Cup for England and Wales
According to common consensus among early newspaper reports, the iceberg that submerged the Titanic in 1912 was between 50 and 100 feet high and 200 to 400 feet high. Now, Nemani…
Top 14: Racing Metro cast their eyes enviously at Stade Francais
You’ve got to feel for Jacky Lorenzetti. All that money he’s spent in the last two years to turn Racing Metro into the strongest side in France, and what’s he…
Rugby statistics: Why South Africa may struggle to overlook Jaco Kriel for the World Cup
During the Springboks training camp in May, head coach Heyneke Meyer said that picking the loose forwards for the Rugby World Cup was his biggest worry. Given the limitations of…
Rest in peace: Jerry Collins – a rugby icon
Following the tragic news of the death of Jerry Collins and his partner Alana Madill in a car crash in France, we are posting this Spotlight feature which was…
Richard Parks and Gareth Thomas in Book Awards double
Parks‘ story of his journey from reluctantly retired rugby player to intrepid “extreme environment athlete” wowed the rugby award’s judging panel, which includes Rugby World‘s Alan Pearey (as chairman) and…