Inside the Boks: Why South Africa send strongest message in sport November 11, 2024 For world champions South Africa rugby means more than just 80 minutes once per week. So why are the Boks pushed by culture and a desire to guide a nation? When Vinicius Jr’s off-the-ball antics in this season’s Clasico caught the attention of fans, some suggested it contributed to his failed attempt to win a [...]
Autumn Nations Series: How will England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales get on? November 1, 2024 The Autumn Nations Series can be a super tonic for the sport as titans clash from both hemispheres across Europe, writes Ollie Phillips. November internationals are always an odd time of year: you have neither the bitter rivalries the Six Nations and Rugby Championship generate over their own two hemispheres, nor is there the excitement [...]
Haka ‘ridiculous and needs binning’, England star taunts All Blacks October 30, 2024 England rugby star Joe Marler has inflamed tensions ahead of their clash with New Zealand on Saturday by branding the haka “ridiculous” and saying that the All Blacks’ traditional pre-match dance “needs binning”. Harlequins prop Marler, 34, made the comments on social media just days before the teams meet in Twickenham this weekend and deactivated [...]
Argentina can humiliate establishment with Rugby Championship win September 28, 2024 As the Rugby Championship reaches its climax, can Argentina upset the apple cart and topple the Springboks? What constitutes a world class rugby team? Is it World Cup wins alone or is in an era of dominance year in, year out? How about a team with fewer resources than the others going into the final [...]
‘Michael Cheika suits the Premiership, he just gets stuck in’ September 27, 2024 I remember when I was a player at Stade Francais in Paris, Michael Cheika wanting to get involved with training at an authentic level. He got absolutely smashed by former French lock Pascal Papé and Italian legend Sergio Parisse, leaving the Aussie at the bottom of a ruck. “F**k yeah, f**k yeah,” the former Wallabies [...]
Olympics: Rugby sevens needs Dupont and USA to be medal contenders July 26, 2024 As a former sevens player, the Olympics is always an exciting time. We see the very best of a bunch of athletes who otherwise go under the radar across the rest of the calendar. But in a rugby-mad country like France, where stars like Toulouse and international No9 Antoine Dupont will be on show, this [...]
Michael Cheika: Who is he and where has the Leicester Tigers boss coached? June 28, 2024 Leicester Tigers this week announced that Australian Michael Cheika will become the new head coach after parting ways with Dan McKellar. But who is he, where has he coached, and what has he said about his appointment? Who is he? Cheika, 57, is an Australian rugby coach who spent his career at Randwick in his [...]
USA has cricket fever as nation looks to lay sporting foundations June 17, 2024 On social media platform X last week, mid-way through the USA’s T20 Cricket World Cup group game against tournament favourites India, one account explained the complicated scoreboard of cricket to an American using the analogy of a burger eating contest. The 20 overs represented 20 minutes to eat as many burgers as possible, and wickets [...]
Epic sporting weekend proves sport can be cog in any government agenda May 28, 2024 With a General Election in full swing across the nation sports fans were treated to an epic weekend of action. So with so many events pencilled in across the next five years and numerous more beyond that, our politicians should promote sport to a priority talking point. City A.M. Deputy Sports Editor Matt Hardy writes. [...]
Red Roses’ standards are high, they can be disappointed with 50,000 crowd April 19, 2024 This weekend when 50,000 fans flood into Twickenham Stadium’s famous bowl to watch England’s Red Roses take on Ireland in the Women’s Six Nations it’ll be another achievement for the women’s game. Because gone are the days of celebrating filling a single stand for the women’s game in England, and gone are the days of [...]