Johan Goosen: Players retiring from rugby early should not be a shock December 21, 2016 Last week, Racing 92 announced the “shock” retirement of 24-year-old fly-half Johan Goosen, the reigning Top 14 player of the year – a significant achievement in a league boasting multiple superstars. Goosen reportedly decided to leave the club to become a commercial director in his native South Africa, although one might be forgiven for wondering [...]
Why Warren Gatland’s decision to hire Rob Howley could come back to haunt the British and Irish Lions on next summer’s tour to New Zealand December 12, 2016 The British and Irish Lions coaching set-up was finalised last week with the trio of Rob Howley, Steve Borthwick and Andy Farrell appointed to assist Warren Gatland on next summer’s tour to New Zealand and there must have been an interesting conversation between Gatland and Howley, given that the latter was only recruited as “option [...]
England’s forward dominance against Australia ensures last laugh for innocent Dan Cole December 5, 2016 It’s not often that attention is focused on the burly beasts of the front row, but in the run-up to Saturday’s match proppery was the talk of the town. Not only did Dan Cole find himself at the centre of accusations of alleged illegal technique by Australia coach Michael Cheika, but elsewhere guilty verdicts were [...]
Elliot “Briefcase” Daly has come a long way since arriving at Wasps in school uniform and he’s ready to impress for England, disciplinary issues permitting November 28, 2016 When Elliot Daly turned up at Wasps’ Acton training ground in sixth form school uniform, few moments passed before he was assigned the same nickname as one particular "Inbetweeners" character who took a briefcase to class on the first day of the new term. His peers knew he had talent and were keen to keep [...]
Supporting a Pacific Islands Super Rugby franchise – not simply handouts – is a better way of thanking Fiji November 21, 2016 Much has been made of the disparity in earnings between the England players’ £22,000 match fee and the £400 with which the Fijians were remunerated following their meeting at Twickenham on Saturday, which the hosts won 58-15. The Rugby Football Union will be making a £75,000 token payment to the Islanders and should not feel [...]
Northern hemisphere success suggests tectonic shift in rugby’s balance of power could be in progress November 14, 2016 The last two weekends of international rugby might well have indicated that the prolonged period of southern hemisphere dominance is beginning to draw to an end, at least in the form to which we have become accustomed. With the Irish overpowering the All Blacks, England dismantling South Africa and an under-strength Scotland unlucky to have [...]
Portugal training camp straight out of old school manual November 7, 2016 Boarding school dorms A training camp in Portugal might be mistaken to be the product of a modern approach to rugby coaching. It is not. Eddie Jones is as old school as they come and, coupled with the Warren Gatland-Shaun Edwards bone-on-bone methodology, at least two of the home nations are now fully compliant with [...]
Rugby week in review: England injury glut could have silver lining; Shervington shelves farming and acting ambitions; Bath make their Exeter schlep worthwhile; and Gloucester face tough times October 31, 2016 England widening the net Not so long ago if England lost their first-choice hooker, both locks and an established international open-side, the resultant pack might have come up second best against Richmond’s third XV. With Courtney Lawes, Dave Attwood and Joe Launchbury able to plug the gaps at No4 and No5, Nathan Hughes a real [...]
A week in rugby: Anthony Foley super-charges Munster, Danny Cipriani suffers from lack of kicking duties, and Leicester Tigers rediscover their bite October 24, 2016 Thomond Tribute Glasgow had no chance of winning against Munster on Saturday; the men in red could never have allowed it. The electricity of Thomond Park flowed with a current even more vigorous than has come to be expected from one of the sport's most iconic venues in Munster’s 38-17 win, a week after the [...]