Journalists all around the rugby-playing globe were hunched over their laptops waiting for news of Chris Ashton’s disciplinary hearing to drop into their inbox on Tuesday. Then, at 11.50pm, the…
Countries
Top 14 to promote French talent over foreign imports
Midi Olympique’s XV of the Weekend in Monday’s edition was a United Nations of rugby talent. England’s Nick Abendanon at full-back, a couple of Kiwis in Conrad Smith and Casey…
Hotshot: Lichfield fly-half Holly Aitchison
How did you get into rugby? My dad Ian took me to Waterloo when I was five because he was DoR there. I played for Waterloo, with the boys, until…
Hotshot: Connacht prop Conan O’Donnell
How did you get into rugby? My first sport was Gaelic football, which I started when I was three or four, with St Mary’s. I played until U18s and we…
Hotshot: Scarlets centre Ioan Nicholas
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…
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…