The Six Nations launch is usually a convivial get together, bordering on the mundane, but eyebrows were raised at Eddie Jones’ almighty shiner caused, we were told, by falling in…
Countries
Six Nations: Players to watch for the 2017 Championship
By Alex Shaw The Six Nations squads are all in. Conor O’Shea got the ball rolling last week, naming an experienced Italian squad for his debut campaign, followed by Rob…
What lies ahead for Eddie Jones’ England in 2017?
Eddie Jones set the bar high in his first calendar year in charge with a first Grand Slam in 13 years, a whitewash against the Wallabies down under and 13…
Racing 92 are only halfway through a long and troubled season
“A Season in Hell” was Midi Olympique’s headline at the start of this month, and few at Racing 92 would contradict that curt assessment. And that was written before the…
Six Nations: The England team Eddie Jones should pick to face France
Eddie Jones names his squad for the Six Nations on 20 January and he must be wondering which black cat he ran over as the injuries pile up. Jones won…
Who will reach the Champions Cup knock-out rounds?
Before the 2017 Six Nations swings into full focus and dominates the rugby calendar for the months of February and March, there is the small matter of the final two…
With falling attendances, the Top 14 is starting to lose its lustre
Last week two sets of figures were published. On Wednesday the Aviva Premiership disclosed that attendances are up 10.1% this season with the average gate an impressive 13,833. Two days later…
Who’s next in the Leicester Tigers hotseat?
It did not take long for the curse of Rugby World to strike, no sooner had we given Richard Cockerill a mention in the awards for 2016 than he was…
Whatever happened to Mourad Bodjellal’s first Toulon side?
Mourad Boudjellal is not leaving Toulon. After months of speculation that he was going to sell the club, the president announced a week before Christmas that he will remain at…
Opinion: Is rugby heading towards a hire and fire culture?
It is human nature that the flaws we see most commonly in others are simply reflections of our own failings. In no regard is this more relevant than in how…