Competitive rugby and global calendar shouldn’t come at cost of player welfare July 12, 2022 If you were to assess the hopes of the Home Nations as they crossed the equator to play their annual summer rugby series, you’d have been forgiven for suggesting they weren’t too high. But two thirds of the way through each of the tours – Ireland in New Zealand, England in Australia, Wales in South [...]
Jones and England on the back foot after Australia loss in Perth July 3, 2022 As the sun set in the Western Australian metropolis of Perth on Saturday, hopes of Eddie Jones’ England team repeating their astonishing 3-0 whitewash of the Wallabies in 2016 faded into the night. Two late tries from Henry Arundell and Jack van Poortvielt ensured the 30-28 losing scoreline was slightly more palatable than it looked [...]
Ollie Phillips: Eddie Jones’ England 23 a good balance between styles July 1, 2022 The 23 England head coach Eddie Jones has selected for tomorrow morning’s first Test against Australia is a very exciting one. We’re seeing a balance of experience in the starting XV and some inexperience and excitement on the bench – and it should make for a really interesting battle with the Wallabies. A lot has [...]
New Zealand Rugby and SAP announce multi-year partnership May 26, 2022 New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and software company SAP have today announced a multi-year partnership that will see the German headquartered corporation partner the major Kiwi rugby teams. The deal, confirmed today, will “accelerate” the “digital transformation” of NZR and will see the two organisations look to innovate in areas such as crowd experience and sustainability. [...]
Ollie Phillips: I would have Ireland down as favourites March 11, 2022 When you look at the England and Ireland squads on paper ahead of tomorrow’s Six Nations match in London, I do think that the away side might nick it. It’s all about what is going on up front and I think that’s where Ireland have the edge. They’ll no doubt be targeting England’s line-out, which [...]
Jack Nowell desperate to be part of England World Cup run March 7, 2022 England winger Jack Nowell insists he is desperate to be part of next year’s World Cup squad as Eddie Jones’s players look to use the Six Nations to cement their place in his future plans. “I hope I can be part of that [the World Cup],” said Nowell. “I am desperate to be part of [...]
Iberian rugby: The duo of nations mounting a Rugby World Cup challenge February 16, 2022 In 2015 it was Japan beating South Africa in Brighton. In 2019 it was Uruguay beating Fiji in Kamaishi. So in 2023 why can’t it be Spain or Portugal beating Scotland in Lille? Iberian rugby is on the rise – again. But this time the duo of Portugal and Spain are launching their frontier for [...]
Sport sponsorship: Forecasting the impact of the big events in 2022 January 2, 2022 Six months on from wading through the smashed bottles and broken dreams that littered Wembley Way after the calamitous Euro 2020 final, sports fans and sponsors can look forward to an abundance of major global events in 2022. As it happens, this year has been designated the United Nations International Year of Glass, so it’s [...]
Best of 2021: England rugby’s year dissected January 1, 2022 England rugby enjoyed highs and lows in 2021. In November, former Sale Sharks winger and 55-cap England back Mark Cueto, and City A.M.’s Matt Hardy, dissected Eddie Jones’ side across 2021. First published on 24 November. It’s been an extraordinary year for rugby. Initially empty stadiums, new found stars and the development of world class [...]
The Raeburn and Utrecht Shields: The newest, oldest trophies in rugby? November 25, 2021 It’s the one thing clubs strive for. Silverware. A piece of, usually, silver metal or varnished wood shaped into something teams grow to idealise. The trophies of note tend to be the ones which have been around for the longest, and adopting new ones doesn’t always have a lasting effect. So just what happens if [...]