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…
Tournaments
Win a trip to the Top 14 final!
THIS IS your chance to see who will be next to lift the Bouclier de Brennus at Stade de France on Saturday 1 June. TV5MONDE – the international French-language channel…
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…
Speed and agility tips from Christian Wade and Tom Varndell
LONDON WASPS wings Christian Wade and Tom Varndell have proved to be a lethal double act this season, scoring tries for fun in the Aviva Premiership and the Amlin Challenge…
Heineken Cup preview: the semi-finals
THE CRASS amongst us would suggest that it is easy to place French powerhouse Clermont Auvergne straight into the final of the Heineken Cup. They are strong, they are slick,…
RWC qualifying: the South American battle
URUGUAY SET out in pursuit of the holy grail of World Cup 2015 qualification this weekend, having missed out on a place at the last two World Cup finals tournaments…
Heineken Cup: Clermont ready for the Red Army
MUNSTER SHOULD be afraid. Very afraid. On Saturday evening in the semi-final of the Heineken Cup they will encounter a Clermont side at the top of their game. So what…
RFU Championship: The battle for promotion
THE RHETORIC of battles is always used in professional rugby, as if the weeks of weights and hours of Xbox were shared experiences with servicemen and women garrisoned around the…
The Championship blog – Week 22 round-up
IN A cruel twist of fate, Bristol became the only side to defeat Newcastle this season in any form of competition, only to learn that Leeds had secured the fourth…
Top 14: Minnows preparing to join the sharks
THERE'LL BE a new face in the Top 14 next season, captained by an old face , and an English one at that. Former Bristol flanker Joe El-Abd joined Oyonnax…