Beautiful rugby is back Rugby has become a rather routine affair over the past five years, with hyper-organised defences creating largely risk-averse attacking strategies led by tactical kicking. But thankfully,…
Gallagher Premiership
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints Stand-out stand-off He helped himself to 18 points in a 28-16 victory, controlled the tactics and tempo with a superb kicking game and won the Peter Deakin Medal…
Aviva Premiership Final preview: Bath v Saracens
Beauty versus the beast. The great entertainers versus the great nullifiers. It’s easy for commentators to paint the narrative of the Aviva Premiership final clash as a battle of styles.…
Analysis: Carl Fearns’ bench impact for Bath
In every title-winning campaign there is an unsung hero, a player who is largely unheralded yet integral to success. For Bath this year, the under-the-radar star has been Carl Fearns. Though…
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints Brilliant Bath It’s not a bad success rate is it? Seven tries from eight visits to the opposition 22 in one match. Such was the pure brilliance of…
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints Warrior spirit As the second half of their clash with Ulster kicked off, Glasgow Warriors trailed 10-6 and knew they needed to conjure four tries and a bonus-point…
Analysis: What Dave Ewers would bring to England
The much-scrutinised practice of selection in sport boils down one essential equation: known quantities against potential– proven performers against untried talents. In the coming months as the Rugby World Cup encroaches…
Aviva Premiership: Team of the season
15. Alex Goode (Saracens) A consummate, classy operator who never seems to get the credit he deserves. Offers calm authority and precise positioning in defence and hits the line nicely in…
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints Hometown heroes Hats off to two of the Aviva Premiership’s greatest one-club men, Mark Cueto and Ugo Monye, who both played their last home matches for their teams…
Analysis: Five reasons Leicester Tigers beat Wasps
If ever an 80-minute performance epitomised a club – its values, ethos and ingrained traditions – it was Leicester Tigers’ 26-21 defeat of Wasps at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday.…