When did you first play rugby? At Teddington aged six. My dad was a big rugby fan and I was rugby mad as a child. What happened next? I stayed…
Rugby World
Hotshot: Yorkshire Carnegie flanker Josh Bainbridge
So Josh, when did you start rugby? I joined Guisborough from U10s because a lot of friends played and my grandad used to play. I had a season at U15s…
Hotshot: Ospreys centre Owen Watkin
When did you take up rugby, Owen? When I was four, with Tondu. I stayed with them for a few years, then moved on to Bryncethin when I was 15.…
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…
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints Francis Saili Munster replacement Francis Saili took his team into the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup as Pool One winners as he scored the match-winning try against Glasgow…
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…
Saints and Sinners: The weekend’s talking points
The Saints CJ Stander Munster put Racing 92 to the sword in their rearranged European Champions Cup clash, trouncing their hosts 32-7. The whole Munster team did their late…