You think you know a thing or two about rugby, until you sit down with the guys in charge of setting the spreads in the betting industry. There are number-crunchers…
Rugby World Cup
Five things we learnt in May
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,…
England name 50-man training squad for Rugby World Cup tilt
However you judge Stuart Lancaster in the fullness of time, you cannot deny he is a man of conviction. In the Shakespeare room deep within Twickenham, he laid out his…
PSA names preliminary 36-man France squad
Philippe Saint-Andre unveiled his World Cup squad on Tuesday morning and among the 36 names there were a few surprises. Three of the squad involved in France’s last Test match,…
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…
Phil Vickery on England’s Rugby World Cup legacy and the scrum
When Phil Vickery says: “I say what I think,” he means it. So when the issue of sporting legacies comes up, the former England captain lays out his hopes for…
Analysis: Giteau, Pocock and Mitchell – Wallabies emerging from the wilderness
The Rugby World Cup narrative has already taken so many intriguing twists and turns that December 3, 2012 – when each nation discovered their group-stage opponents – feels like a…
The Springboks test out their new kit
It looks like the arms race has begun… In 2003, England were ahead of the rest of the Rugby World Cup pack because they were the first ones to utilise…
Saints and Sinners: the weekend’s talking points
It was a dramatic weekend of rugby – we take a look at who and what stood out for the right, and wrong, reasons
Poll: How many teams should there be in the Rugby World Cup?
Now the Six Nations is over, all eyes are undoubtedly on the Rugby World Cup. However, there is a debate to be had about whether there should be more teams…