DE VILLIERS MAKES CAUTIOUS BUT SUCCESSFUL COMEBACK Springbok captain Jean de Villiers returned to action for the first time in nine months when he came off the bench against a…
Rugby World
Analysis – Why New Zealand still need Richie McCaw and Dan Carter
Every year, without fail, the vast Super 15 talent pool infatuates onlookers from the northern hemisphere. Bleary-eyed from a schedule of early morning alarms, they fall head over heels through…
Pro 12 transfers 2015-16: Comings and goings
In a game of inches, sides with an established foundation of pragmatism usually emerge clutching the etched handles of oversized silverware. For once it was a debonair attitude to open…
TV rights: Will Six Nations deal set a trend?
If you heard a low rumbling noise last Thursday, it may well have been a collective sigh of relief from armchair rugby fans across the country. You’ve no doubt heard…
Dan Cole’s Top 5 tightheads
They’ll be the first to tell you, but the tighthead is one of the most important positions on the pitch. The anchor of the pack and a crucial cog at…
Lions fixtures for 2017 New Zealand tour
The Lions have announced their 10-match fixture list for 2017 tour. Unlike 2013, where they stopped off in Hong Kong for a sponsor-led fixture against the Barbarians, there will be…
BBC retain Six Nations but lose England home games to ITV
It’s a victory for common sense – but there’s no doubting the Six Nations TV deal announced today will draw sighs from traditionalists. The BBC, the permanent home of Five/Six…
Family fun at Twickenham
Enjoy a match-day experience with a difference at Twickenham for England v France thanks to Keith Prowse
Rugby World fitness: maul like an England forward
There are a few sights that you only get in rugby – the lineout, the scrum and the maul. Now the maul can be held up as the refuge of…
Analysis: Five reasons the Highlanders won the Super 15 final
“Nobody said we could” – that was the rabid rallying cry issued by fly-half Lima Sopoaga as the Highlanders took to the pitch for the second period of Saturday’s phenomenal Super 15…