How did you get into rugby? My father, Adrian, was a wing at Pontyberem and when I wanted to start playing with my friends he coached our team all the…
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How to make it as a sports journalist: Stephen Jones
By Graham Jenkins Welcome to The Forward Pass, a series of conversations with leading rugby union journalists, broadcasters, presenters and photographers who will offer the next generation of media professionals…
Eddie Jones: Do New Zealand run world rugby?
Eddie Jones rarely resists the chance to have a crack at opposition, or anybody else, and this week he was in typically combative mood in the gym at England’s base…
Top 14: Could La Rochelle become French champions?
A gambler would have got enticing odds if he’d bet a few euros on La Rochelle to be leading the Top 14 a month into the new season. Four matches…
Player analysis: The rise and rise of Maro Itoje
By Alex Shaw Everyone in the rugby world knows the name Maro Itoje. The 21-year-old has been riding the crest of a wave that has grown, exponentially, over the last…
Lions bolters: Eight players who could make New Zealand in 2017
From Will Greenwood in 1997, to Keith Earls in 2009, the selection announcement for the Lions tour always springs its surprises. And with eight months to go until Warren Gatland’s…
Lions 2017: Why Warren Gatland is ready to take on Mission Impossible
Back in January, when the Six Nations was being launched at the oh-so-posh Hurlingham Club, Warren Gatland was asked about the itinerary for the British & Irish Lions tour to…
The Rugby Championship: The game Australia dare not lose
By Alex Shaw Rugby is a results business and if those results fall below challenging for titles and championships for the Springboks and Wallabies, it simply isn’t good enough. Coaches…
Lions coach Warren Gatland faces the biggest challenge of his career
Congratulations Warren Gatland – and, er, commiserations. For while being named head coach of the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand is a great honour, one to…
Top 14: Last chance saloon for Diego Dominguez at Toulon
Talk about pressure, Toulon travel to Toulouse on Sunday with Diego Dominguez‘s job on the line. Not just his, but those of his assistants, Marc Dal Maso and Jacques Delmas.…