Clean bill of health for Australia from coach Michael Cheika as Wallabies prepare for Rugby World Cup final October 26, 2015 Australia coach Michael Cheika is confident he will have a fully-fit squad at his disposal when he plots the downfall of defending champions New Zealand in Saturday’s World Cup final at Twickenham. Full-back Israel Folau and No8 David Pocock both missed Australia’s quarter-final victory over Scotland with ankle and calf injuries respectively but came through [...]
Restaurants and bars get their appetite back following Rugby World Cup 2015 boost October 26, 2015 The Rugby World Cup and greater consumer spending power thanks to falling food and petrol prices provided a much needed boost to UK bars and restaurants during the third quarter of the year. According to Begbies Traynor’s latest Red Flag update, which monitors the health of UK companies, the number of restaurants and bars experiencing “significant” [...]
Australia coach Michael Cheika labels Wallabies Rugby World Cup final underdogs after semi-final victory over Argentina October 25, 2015 Australia coach Michael Cheika immediately installed his side as overwhelming longshots for Saturday’s World Cup final against old foes New Zealand after withstanding a rousing second-half fightback by Argentina in yesterday’s semi-final. A hat-trick from wing Adam Ashley-Cooper added to an early a touchdown from second-row Rob Simmons and that proved sufficient for the two-time [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: All Blacks earn £15,000 bonus each following semi-final win over South Africa and are promised £66,000 prize if they win final next week October 24, 2015 Members of the New Zealand rugby squad will each receive a bonus worth £66,000 if they win this year's World Cup. All Blacks players are signed to contracts with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) which guarantee them $NZ150,000 (£66,000) should they become the first country to lift the Web Ellis Cup for a third time. If [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams offers New Zealand v South Africa tickets to Syrian refugees October 24, 2015 All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams has offered Syrian refugees the chance to go to the Rugby World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa this afternoon. The Kiwi centre has set aside two tickets to the Twickenham clash and asked his Twitter followers yesterday to be put in contact with agencies working with [...]
Aviva Premiership Rugby salary cap to rise to £7m but still trails France’s Top 14 October 23, 2015 Premiership Rugby clubs have had their salary cap shackles loosened in order to "drive the next phase of growth in English club and international rugby". Clubs' limit on wage spending will be lifted by £1m to £6.5m next season and £7m in 2017/18, bringing the Premiership closer to the spending power enjoyed by French clubs, which are currently capped at [...]
Rugby World Cup semi-finals 2015: Australian experience at the business end to prove crucial against Argentina October 22, 2015 Australia and Argentina round off the Southern Hemisphere showcase on Sunday. Much has been made of the Wallabies’ improved scrum courtesy of Argentine forward coach Mario Ledesma, but they creaked against the Scots and weren’t altogether invincible when they took on Wales, either. They’ll be put to the test in the set-piece by Argentina, [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 semi-finals: Is the southern hemisphere increasing its superiority over the northern hemisphere? October 22, 2015 London plays host to the Rugby World Cup semi-finals this weekend but for the first time in the competition’s history no teams from the northern hemisphere are represented in the final four. New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Australia all registered wins over Six Nations sides by at least 20 points – although Scotland did [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: This All Blacks outfit is the best team the game has ever seen, says South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer October 22, 2015 South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer has left his team in no doubt as to the enormity of their World Cup semi-final against New Zealand on Saturday by labelling the All Blacks the greatest team in rugby history. Meyer believes the holders have only improved since lifting the trophy on home soil four years ago, a [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: Australia coach Michael Cheika critical of referee Craig Joubert’s public flogging October 21, 2015 Australia coach Michael Cheika has criticised World Rugby’s public condemnation of referee Craig Joubert and questioned whether the governing body will be reviewing any other contentious decisions from the tournament. World Rugby admitted on Monday that Joubert had made an error when awarding the Wallabies a controversial last-minute penalty against Scotland, which fly-half Bernard Foley [...]