Rugby heroes show what Blues are missing December 2, 2012 WHAT part Chris Robshaw played in England’s dissection and devouring of the All Blacks on Saturday is open to debate. As captain, he had a good game, and expertly rallied the troops when briefly it looked as though the Red Rose would wilt. But was he any better a captain this weekend than last, when [...]
Beer, oysters and rugby chat November 22, 2012 TO the refined setting of the Mansion House for the Guinness and Oyster Luncheon yesterday. The annual boozy lunch, which raises funds for the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People, is now in its 47th year and firmly penned into all City social calendars worth their salt – or, perhaps more appropriately, vinegar or tabasco. [...]
Rugby must stop hindering smaller nations November 11, 2012 THOSE of you reading this who went to Twickenham on Saturday to see England’s demolition of Fiji know you were sold something of a pup. The blame lies at the door of the International Rugby Board who continue to allow the distinction between the haves and have nots of the game to be a blight [...]
Scottish rugby chiefs invite bids for Murrayfield naming rights October 30, 2012 MURRAYFIELD could become the latest stadium to be rebranded by a corporate sponsor after Scottish rugby chiefs admitted the naming rights were up for sale. Scottish Rugby Union chief executive Mark Dodson said they would be “crazy” if they did not seek a multi-million pound deal similar to Arsenal’s with airline Emirates. “The single biggest [...]
It’s time for rugby to face cold reality and seize chance to move to a summer season October 28, 2012 YOU have to be clinically insane to do what I did on Saturday. Horizontal rain, blowing a gale with a Siberian chill factor, and I voluntarily stood on a touchline watching 30 men honest and true, attempting to construct an entertaining game of rugby. Meanwhile yesterday morning across the country, thousands of young people opened [...]
Olympic venue set for Rugby World Cup use October 8, 2012 WEMBLEY and the Olympic Stadium are among three London venues on the longlist for use when England hosts the Rugby World Cup in 2015. Twickenham is the other on the 17-strong list, which will be cut to 12 and controversially does not include Welford Road, the home of Leicester Tigers. Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium is one [...]
Robshaw: Rugby shouldn’t start to panic about Ashton’s attack September 19, 2012 ENGLAND captain Chris Robshaw hopes his fellow rugby players are not about to be frightened off from making public appearances after the winger Chris Ashton was glassed at the weekend. The Saracens and England international was on a night out in London with his girlfriend when he was attacked by a stranger but Harlequins’ Robshaw believes [...]
Talks fail to break deadlock in dispute over Euro rugby future September 18, 2012 EUROPEAN rugby’s future remains in the balance after talks in Dublin yesterday failed to avert the threat of a breakaway from English and French top-flight clubs. Stakeholders in European Rugby Cup [ERC], organisers of the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup, agreed to reconvene in Rome next month to continue dialogue. It comes after Premiership [...]
England rugby star Ashton hospitalised by glassing September 16, 2012 ENGLAND and Saracens star Chris Ashton suffered cuts to his face after being glassed by a stranger in a London nightclub, the Premiership rugby club confirmed yesterday. The winger was celebrating an anniversary with his girlfriend, half a dozen team-mates and their partners following Saturday’s high-profile draw with Leicester Tigers at Wembley when he was [...]
BT adds rugby to its TV offering September 12, 2012 BT has secured a £152m deal for the rights to show Premiership rugby union matches on its TV service, in the latest aggressive move from the company after its shock grab of Premier League football rights. The four-year contract, which allows BT to show 69 live games a year from the start of the 2013-14 [...]