IT IS hard to explain why sports stars enjoy having the underdog tag heading into big contests, but when something like the Lions tour comes up around the bend you…

digby ioane

THERE MAY just be one week of the RBS 6 Nations left. Players may be dropping like flies and suddenly we are reshuffling our pecking order of favourites for a…

The Championship blog – Week 18 round-up

ANY THOUGHTS of prematurely engraving the name of Newcastle Falcons on the Championship silverware were put firmly on hold when Bedford came within seconds on inflicting a first defeat on…

sean maitland scotland

IT WOULD be easy –and indeed lazy –to suggest that the referee was solely to blame for Scotland’s loss to Wales. Yes, Craig Joubert’s performance was one every referee in…

brian o'driscoll

JUST LIKE his French counterpart Kidney is a man under pressure. At the beginning of the tournament, it was expected the fourth round in Dublin would be a defining moment…

Kicking masterclass with Dave Alred

As an adviser to Jonny Wilkinson, Johnny Sexton and George Ford, Dave Alred is used to coaching some of the game’s best kickers. But in this video clip shown on…

Dan Biggar

WALES HAD a tackle completion rate of 98% against Scotland. That’s right – 98%. They only missed two tackles in 80 minutes and completed 83. It was a sensational display,…