Rugby World Cup 2015: England full-back Mike Brown says Michael Hooper ban is too late October 6, 2015 England full-back Mike Brown insists that Australia flanker Michael Hooper’s suspension for a foul on him in last week’s pivotal World Cup defeat at Twickenham has come too late. Hooper escaped with only conceding a penalty during the Wallabies’ 33-13 win, which condemned England to a group stage exit, but was cited for the crunching charge [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: Wales centre Jamie Roberts reveals sympathy for tournament flops England October 6, 2015 Wales centre Jamie Roberts admits he feels sympathy for Pool A rivals and tournament hosts England after their World Cup dreams were shattered just three matches into the competition. Warren Gatland’s Welsh side face a group decider against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday, with the winners likely to face either Scotland or Japan in the [...]
Rugby World Cup v Football World Cup: Why do the two sports attract such different brands? October 6, 2015 Risk Everything, All in or Nothing, The Game Before the Game. Sound familiar? This was just some of the powerful, high-energy language used by sponsors of the Fifa World Cup 2014. Leave your families, sell your soul, risk your lives. This language was aggressive, fearless and came from the biggest and most recognized names [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: Andy Farrell denies having an excessive influence and defends Stuart Lancaster October 6, 2015 England defence coach Andy Farrell has denied having a disproportionate influence over team selection in the wake of his side’s humiliating poolstage exit at the World Cup. It has been suggested that Farrell championed the cause of rugby league convert Sam Burgess against the wishes of players, while his objectivity has been questioned in relation [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: Joe Schmidt’s Ireland seal quarter-final place with narrow victory as Argentina close in on last eight October 5, 2015 Relieved Ireland coach Joe Schmidt admitted that his side made life difficult for themselves despite sealing their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a narrow 16-9 victory over Italy at the Olympic Stadium yesterday. Centre Keith Earls dotted down to set a new national record of eight World Cup tries although Ireland were pegged [...]
England rugby exit hurts more than just the fans October 5, 2015 Sportsrisq director THE AUSTRALIANS have a saying: “When the flag drops, the bluff stops”, and despite England’s mid-week protestations, they were found wanting on Saturday night. From Twickenham to Twitter, aggrieved fans nationwide have aired their woes on every platform but the potential cost to business hasn’t gone unnoticed, with even the ITV pundits tentatively [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: England chief Ian Ritchie rules out “knee-jerk” sacking of under-fire coach Stuart Lancaster following Australia defeat October 4, 2015 England will take their time before deciding whether to end Stuart Lancaster’s reign as head coach five years earlier than planned, says Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Ian Ritchie. Ritchie, who appointed Lancaster in one of his first major decisions after moving from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said the RFU’s response would [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: England coach Stuart Lancaster accepts blame for tournament humiliation but isn’t ready to quit October 4, 2015 Crestfallen head coach Stuart Lancaster admits he should carry the can for England’s World Cup humiliation but insists he will not quit before next week’s Pool A swansong against Uruguay. Lancaster has a contract until 2020 but Saturday’s 33-13 defeat by Australia, which made England the first World Cup hosts to fail to make it [...]
Louis Saha: Football should follow rugby’s lead and introduce TV replays for the benefit of fans, referees and players October 2, 2015 As always when rugby’s in the news, conversations about its difference to football dominate sporting debate. A key contrast that’s been discussed a lot during the World Cup is the way rugby has widely embraced video technology while football just relies upon goal-line incidents. Why can't football simply re-play video of disputed incidents, then and [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 England v Australia preview: Six stats that could decide this Saturday’s Pool A clash October 2, 2015 This wasn't part of the plan. Little more than a fortnight into their home World Cup and already England are already playing what is effectively knock-out rugby against Australia. Anything less than a win will realistically obliterate England's hopes of progressing into the World Cup knockout stage, making them the first tournament hosts to fail [...]