A nationwide poll at the start of this month reported that rugby is now the most popular team sport in France. Some 39% of the population preferred rugby to football’s…
Blogs
U20 World Cup Scouting report: Round Two
Australia 38-10 Italy Australia were looking to get their U20 World Cup campaign off the ground after their shocker against Scotland. And they did, sort of, but were by no…
Analysis: How England’s lineout will launch their attack on Australia
Back in January on selecting their first England squad, Eddie Jones and Steve Borthwick stressed the importance of set-piece variation. As well as reasserting their team’s traditional muscle, they wanted…
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints Lam’s the man Two seasons ago, Connacht finished tenth in the Guinness Pro12. Now they are the champions and much of the credit for that astonishing turnaround must…
Guinness Pro12 final: Connacht 20-10 Leinster
Connacht achieved the near-impossible by not only winning their first ever final, but by doing it playing a brand of scintillating, attractive rugby. Three sumptuous tries from the men in…
Scotland sevens back from the brink with a trophy
With less than 20 seconds to go it seemed all too impossible: Scotland had to snaffle the kick-off, hold on to it without drawing the ire of the referee, break…
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints Gone in 30 seconds Dougie Fife and the Scotland Sevens squad are up among the all-time ultimate Saints this week after a truly astonishing performance at the London…
Analysis: Two defining moments from the Premiership semi-finals
One was a straightforward win on an artificial surface in dry conditions, the other a harum-scarum humdinger amid pouring rain and a driving wind. The weekend’s pair of Premiership semi-finals looked vastly different.…
People’s champions: Players’ player at each Premiership club
For any sportsman, indeed for any professional, the endorsement of peers represents the most satisfying coup possible. With that in mind, one award at swanky end-of-season dinners is coveted more dearly than…
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints Saracens’ dynamic duo Saracens are the king of European rugby, after beating Racing 92 in the Champions Cup final. They managed the wet conditions in Lyon superbly, were…