Ireland will beat New Zealand and finally win World Cup knockout October 14, 2023 The pool stage of this Rugby World Cup provided some corking matches for fans new and old to get their teeth into, and I expect all four quarter-finals this weekend to be equally show-stopping. The big game of the weekend for me sees Ireland take on New Zealand on Saturday night in Paris. It’s hard [...]
France are hosts with most, rugby needs them to succeed October 13, 2023 As it stands, prior to this year’s tournament, there’s a 33.33 per cent recurring chance of lifting the World Cup as competition hosts. New Zealand did it at Eden Park in 1987 as co-hosts, South Africa achieved the feat at Ellis Park in 1995 and the All Blacks ensured they’d never lost a home final [...]
Sunset Boulevard review: Nicole Scherzinger roars but it’s more star than substance October 13, 2023 Nicole Scherzinger shines in a new production of Sunset Boulevard that is a little too tech-heavy for its own good
Premiership needs stability to build on competitive foundations October 13, 2023 Though there are fears of the Premiership’s return on Friday being overshadowed by the World Cup quarter-finals, it is good to see the domestic season back again. Saracens will go in as favourites because they are the holders but each squad seem to have developed well in the long off-season that a World Cup year [...]
Best places in London to watch the Rugby World Cup October 12, 2023 The Rugby World Cup has reached the knockout stages, with just eight teams remaining in the hunt for the William Webb Ellis Cup. We’ve scouted out the best spots in London to watch the four quarter-finals, and here’s what we have found. Sound Cafe, Marble Arch Located within the Cumberland Hotel, Sound Cafe is actually [...]
Russia Olympic Committee ditched by IOC for including bodies from Ukraine as members October 12, 2023 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee after they sought to include Ukrainian sports bodies in Donetsk. The ROC took the decision to include, as its members, “the regional sports organisations which are under the authority of the NOC of Ukraine (namely Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia), the IOC said. The [...]
Sumotherhood: Adam Deacon’s Avuvahood follow-up falls flat October 12, 2023 Sumotherhood is likely to be a hit in short clips on social media, but in its feature length form this sequel wasn’t worth the wait.
Hiroshi Sugimoto at the Hayward Gallery: Nothing is what it seems October 12, 2023 Nothing is as it seems in this retrospective of the 50 year career of Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto.
Odds tumble on Dettori winning in UK after retirement u-turn October 12, 2023 The odds of horse racing legend Frankie Dettori making a winning UK comeback have plummeted to just 2/1 after the jockey announced he is to continue racing in the USA. The 52-year-old is to move to California and could participate in the Kentucky Derby or Breeders’ Cup, but bookies have slashed the odds on him [...]
Oxford v Cambridge Varsity Matches LEAVE Twickenham October 12, 2023 The iconic Oxford versus Cambridge Varsity Matches have are to move away from Twickenham Stadium after 100 years to head to north London. Saracens‘ StoneX stadium will play host to the famous university rugby match, which has seen a male and female double-header in recent seasons. But the move away from the home of English [...]