ENGLAND WENT into this Test against a supposedly dispirited Wallaby squad full of confidence. Sadly, when the whistle went, the roles had been reversed, with England, not so regal, in…
News
Wales v Samoa: Five things we learned
I READ a lot of stat sheets prior to writing these articles. But the reason for Samoa’s win against Wales won’t be found on any of them. You can’t measure…
Ireland XV 53-0 Fiji: The Verdict
IN WHAT turned out to be nothing more than a training ground run around, Ireland ran in eight unanswered tries in this non-cap match at Thomond Park. Fiji laboured in…
Reality check for Lancaster’s England
STUART LANCASTER had described this autumn as "production time" for England. The Fiji Test was a nice dress rehearsal but Australia was the big opening night. And England fluffed their…
Scotland 10 South Africa 21: The Verdict
Two things counted against Scotland in the final analysis. They allowed South Africa to build up a 21-3 lead in the first 45 minutes thanks to a few crucial errors…
Maori All Blacks cast aside Championship XV
CHAMPIONSHIP CLUB rivalry was put on hold on Saturday when a select RFU XV took on the Maori All Blacks at Doncaster’s Castle Park. Despite going down 21-52, head coach…
Wales 19-26 Samoa: The Verdict
DEMOLITION DERBY. Those are the two words that spring to mind after this game. The hits were fearsome, the tackle contest was ferocious and Samoa so effectively shut Wales down…
Scotland v South Africa: The Preview
TWO YEARS ago, Scotland went into a Murrayfield Test against South Africa on the back of a 46-point defeat by New Zealand and upset the odds to win 21-17. Last…
England v Australia: The Preview
AUSTRALIA HAVE made the short hop over the channel after their heavy loss to France still talking the talk, yet negativity seems to follow them like a bad odour at…
Ireland XV v Fiji: The Preview
THIS IS not to belittle England’s 50-point spree last weekend but the Fiji squad touring Britain and Ireland is a desperately mediocre bunch. No team should concede tries as soft…