Innovative All Blacks are playing a new ball game with Barrett and Mo’unga on the field October 16, 2019 When Ireland beat New Zealand on a historic night in Dublin just short of a year ago, they looked like being the team to beat at this year’s Rugby World Cup. How quickly things change in sport. On Saturday the pair go head to head in the World Cup quarter-final and it is Ireland who [...]
‘I was suffering with OCD, which was horrific’: Former England scrum-half Kyran Bracken opens up over his mental health problems October 15, 2019 Kyran Bracken played professional rugby for 14 years. As a scrum-half he won 51 caps for England and was part of the famous World Cup-winning squad of 2003. That much is well documented. What wasn’t known, until now, was that he has struggled with mental health problems. But 13 years on from his retirement, Bracken [...]
England v Australia: Hooper and Pocock can benefit at breakdown with Jerome Garces as referee October 15, 2019 The sign of a good refereeing performance tends to be that they have gone unnoticed throughout the match. But so far at this Rugby World Cup, officials have been in the spotlight more often than organisers would have desired. Referee Jerome Garces and television match official (TMO) Ben Skeen are two figures to have been [...]
What football can learn about the implementation of VAR from the Rugby World Cup October 15, 2019 Since the video assistant referee’s introduction to the Premier League this season, the technology seems to have caused as much controversy as it was intended to resolve. The current Rugby World Cup, which has shown the benefits of a sport accustomed to an additional match official overseeing a feed of the action, has only thrown [...]
Japan 28-21 Scotland: Hosts produce scintillating rugby to reach World Cup quarter-finals October 13, 2019 The fact that Japan made history, beating Scotland 28-21 to reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history, was remarkable enough. But to do so on their own turf, in such style and in front of an adoring fan base just hours after the pain and destruction wreaked by Typhoon [...]
Ollie Phillips: World Cup fixture cancellation disadvantages Wales but France mutiny can go either way October 10, 2019 Typhoon Hagibis may not have directly affected Wales’s Rugby World Cup fixtures but the tropical cyclone has still managed to leave them at a considerable disadvantage. If, as expected, Wales win their final group match against Uruguay on Sunday they will finish top of Pool D and set up a quarter-final clash with the runner-up [...]
Lawrence Dallaglio: England can benefit from cancelled match and World Rugby not to blame October 10, 2019 As the Rugby World Cup is thrown into turmoil by Typhoon Hagibis, England have fled the eye of the storm. World Rugby’s unprecedented decision to cancel two fixtures in Tokyo and Yokohama that were set to be hit by 100mph winds has ensured England will top their pool ahead of France and likely meet Australia [...]
France will be fired up for England clash despite talk of mutiny October 9, 2019 When France face England at the Rugby World Cup on Saturday, there will be more than just a place at the top of Pool C on the line for Les Bleus. They may have been misfiring at this tournament so far, hobbling to a 23-21 victory against Tonga last weekend, but when it comes to [...]
Scotland firing on all cylinders ahead of Pool A decider with Japan – plus all the permutations October 9, 2019 After a disastrous start to the Rugby World Cup, Scotland appear to have drastically turned their fortunes around. Having looked unconvincing in their opening 27-3 defeat to Ireland, they have not conceded a single point since, beating Samoa 34-0 before thumping Russia 61-0 yesterday. It is the first time they have kept their opponents scoreless [...]
England v France: Should Eddie Jones rotate his squad for Pool C decider? October 8, 2019 Ever since the Rugby World Cup draw was made, England’s final pool game against France has been billed as the decisive fixture in the tournament’s so-called group of death. It will, as widely anticipated, decide who tops the pool, but with both sides having already guaranteed qualification to the knockout phase following wins over Argentina, [...]