There will be no prize money for the winners of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong sevens this year. Previously, the victors received a winning bonus of US$150k from the host…
Blogs
A week in the life of a Sale Sharks academy player, Part Three
Sevens. The nemesis of a lock. We lanky, gangly and distinctly uncoordinated second-rows are not built for the sport designed to bring more exhaustion than a full 80 minutes, more…
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints Brilliant Betham Leicester’s Peter Betham put in a magnificent individual performance in his side’s thrilling 35-30 win over Gloucester in the Aviva Premiership on Saturday. With 11 minutes…
Is it worth selling the naming rights to Twickenham?
The RFU have hinted that they would sell off the naming rights to Twickenham – but what is the point? They make a bit of money but there is nothing…
France: Five things we learnt v England
Coaching conundrum Some of Guy Noves‘ aura has faded in the last few weeks but he retains the faith of the French public. A survey published at the weekend revealed…
Scotland: Five things we learnt v Ireland
By Rory Baldwin Tales of the unexpected Where was all the running rugby? Both sides’ previous matches suggested this would be a swashbuckling free-for-all, instead it was a physical and…
RBS Six Nations: Ireland 35-25 Scotland
Ireland finished off their Six Nations with a high-scoring win over a Scottish side who refused to back down, but who allowed the Irish onto the front foot too often…
A week in the life of a Sale Sharks academy player, Part Two
In this follow-on from Charlie Pozniak’s diary of a typical week as a Manchester Grammar School pupil and a Sale Sharks U18 player, Mark Bennett – head of performance at…
Rugby statistics hide the failings of France in attack during Six Nations
Modern sport loves its statistics. Some sports – cricket, for instance – always have because of their nature, but a surfeit of stats is a relatively recent phenomenon in rugby.…
A week in the life of a Sale Sharks academy player, Part One
Sunday Outmuscled, outplayed, outclassed. We’ve just lost to Leicester, and playing against a Tuilagi and an Umaga is little consolation to the grim reality that Academy Finals Day at Allianz…