As Paul Ackford pointed out in his typically forthright column in Saturday’s Times, three of the five men to captain their country to a Rugby World Cup victory have been…
Rugby World
European Rugby: Weekend’s talking points
Sarries need that final step The 46-6 demolition job that Saracens did on Clermont Auvergne in last April’s Heineken Cup semi-final felt like a seismic shifting of Europe’s tectonic plates. It…
Lawrence Dallaglio: Twickenham the right venue for European Champions Cup final
In the November issue of Rugby World there is a Big Debate: were EPCR right to award the European Champions Cup final to Twickenham? In the feature it is contested by…
Rugby’s first ever own try scored in Australia?
History may well have been made in Australia yesterday, as the National Rugby Championship clash between North Harbour Rays and Sydney Stars played host to what is being touted as the…
Want to lose weight? Here’s how… Part 2
Five a day won’t keep fat at bay Forget five portions of fruit and veg a day – it should be nine a day. And of those nine servings, at least…
Guinness PRO12 player analysis: Dan Baker, Ospreys
September and October are two vital months for budding internationals on these shores. With encounters against southern hemisphere opposition on the horizon, it is a pivotal time to perform. Beginning…
Rugby statistics: can trends identify the first European Champions Cup winner?
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss? The Heineken Cup is no more, has ceased to be, is an ex-tournament. Instead we enter the new era of the…
Is Bayonne’s Charles Ollivon France’s Kieran Read?
Meet the latest sensation to set the Top 14 melting pot. Bayonne No 8 Charles Ollivon has burst onto the scene this season with a string of brilliant [1] performances…
Premiership player analysis: Jamie Gibson, Leicester Tigers
The concept of an injury crisis is relative. Leicester Tigers may be missing a very strong match-day squad’s worth of players due to various ailments, but their starting side on…
Snap shots: The weekend’s best rugby pics
ON THE last weekend of league action before domestic rugby turns to Europe, the Aviva Premiership saw Leicester return to winning ways, as they beat Harlequins 22-16 on Friday night,…