CATEGORIES

PHIL'S PLAN IS ON TRACK

SOUTHEND United’s preparations for a first-ever season in NonLeague continued with a hard-fought draw at National League South Dartford.

GREEN LIONS ON THE PROWL

Vance’s Guernsey sweat on travel protocols

BULLS CRASH TO FIRST EVER LOSS

WITH 32 minutes played of the first-half, a rusty Jersey Bulls looked to have been handed an easier route to a 37th consecutive victory.

BIRTHDAY JOY FOR JORDAN!

THERE was no doubt about the happiest Young man in Gloucester last night.

PARKY LAUDS 5-STAR REDS!

PHIL Parkinson’s Wrexham gave an early sign of their credentials for the new National League season with a thumping win at Tamworth.

SUB ROLT PICKS OFF POPPIES...

PART of an innovative, three-team inter-Northamptonshire tournament, The Newlands Shield, this pre-season friendly was competitive and just what both managers wanted with the National League North season two Saturdays away.

EX-RED LUSSEY KEEPS THE FAITH

JORDAN Lussey was desperate to make the grade at Liverpool. He captained the Under-18s when Steve Cooper was in charge and became a regular in the development squad, with Harry Wilson and Sheyi Ojo.

Macc are back with a bang!

ON AN historic day for newly formed Macclesfield FC, winger Leon Arnasalam took centre stage with superb performance, whilst creating history by grabbing his club’s first-ever goal.

SPITFIRES' JOE FLIES SO HIGH

BEN Strevens says Joe Tomlinson will put in the hard graft to become a hit in the Championship – and believes he won’t be the last Eastleigh player to land a big Football League move.

WE'VE PUT BIG BLOW TO BED

ONE of my main ambitions, since I joined Biggleswade United back in 2014, has been to see us field a first-team in both our men’s and women’s sides made up entirely of homegrown players who have progressed into our topsides through the junior sections of the club.

Lions should have put pressure on Boks' backs

What we hoped would be a successful Lions series turned into a loss that’s still hard to believe. In all three Tests the Lions showed a commitment and drive to match the Boks forwards but only then did they attempt to outplay their backs.

Council steps in to take care of Beziers

Thirteen months ago, you probably recall, a proposed mega-money takeover of French ProD2 side Béziers dominated the rugby headlines on the French side of the Channel.

The sterile Lions Tests are killing the game

You have to laugh, even in the darkness. It’s better than the alternative. After countless stackings of the deck in favour of attack over defence by World Rugby, we have just been subjected to the most sterile, poverty-stricken Test series in well over a century of officially-sanctioned British and Irish Lions business trips. Six tries in three matches? Whoopee doo. Hang out the bunting.

Change guidelines to weed out ‘cheats'

I’m not going to do a Rassie and make a 60minute video nasty slagging off a specific referee but before the Lions tour disappears in our rear view mirror there are a few little refereeing items that need addressing under ‘any other business’.

SUPER JOSH IS TREBLE TOPS!

EVERGREEN striker Josh McKenzie rolled back the years to bag a hattrick and fire Sporting Khalsa into the next round of the FA Cup.

Trinder opts for Amps over top flight return

HENRY Trinder plans on bringing the attacking style of rugby which dominated his 172-game career with Gloucester to Championship side Ampthill.

BLUES ACE PADDY IS BOX CLEVER!

IS LEON MCKENZIE and Curtis Woodhouse are two rare cases of footballers who have also boxed as professionals – and Chester's favorite Paddy Lacey will join them next month.

Wales can feed off grassroots energy

GRASSROOTS rugby is back up and running in Wales and it’s just brilliant to see those who love the game involved at their local clubs again. I’ve been added to the Amman United second team WhatsApp group for the new season – they’re trying to tempt be back to play once again and I’m resisting… for now!

PILGRIMS FALL JUST SHORT

BOSTON UNITED’S pre-season schedule ended on a losing note as county rivals Grimsby Town scored the only goal of the game in front of 1,630 at Pilgrim Way.

This smearing of Gatland as conservative is claptrap

WARREN Gatland is a great coach, and assorted attempts to undermine his reputation this week were unworthy at best, and vindictive at worst.

DEADLY DWYER SMOOTH AS SILK

WINGER Aaron Dwyer scored twice and created the other two as Macclesfi eld FC recorded their first-ever FA Cup victory with a second win in a week over Burscough.

Lions must now engage with the Premiership

The idea that the best players from the Home Unions get together every four years and travel to the southern hemisphere is a hugely romantic one, with decades of history behind it. Away from home and family for weeks on end, it’s only natural that the players bond, and friendships made on tour last a lifetime. However, nowadays those players are full-time professionals, who have chosen to sign contracts with clubs, or in the Celtic nations it might be Unions, that commit them to playing when their employers need them.

Far less chat and more rugby action please, Sky

The Lions tour of South Africa, despite the empty stadia, the Covid scares, and so on, is still all about the rugby, so why did Sky feel the need to have a two-hour (!) build-up, and a 90-minute post mortem for the First Test? We want to watch the rugby, so does the nonsense that surrounds the game add to the experience, or detract from it?

150 YEARS OF HISTORY

Magic of the cup is still alive today

O'Flaherty eager to right the wrongs of painful last season

TOM O’Flaherty is putting the rest of the Premiership on notice that Exeter Chiefs are determined to rediscover their ruthless streak next season.

Kick-fests will make us all turn off the TV

INTERNATIONAL rugby is the peak of our sport, and World Rugby has to act on the questions that were raised by the 2021 Lions tour – or watch its showcase events lose their sparkle and have the audience reach for the off button.

Racing defeat left me crying at kitchen table

THE FORMER LEEDS, NEWCASTLE, LEICESTER, LA ROCHELLE AND NORTHAMPTON LOCK

Run the Boks tired and Lions can still triumph

IT’S a straight shootout next week and the Lions will always have hope in a two-horse race, but this was a complete role reversal from the First Test.

Rassie rant is just good fun says Marler

JOE Marler insists he has no problems with Rassie Erasmus’ hour-long video rant at the officiating in the Lions First Test.

Warrior Biggar must be protected say activists

THE Lions were taking a risk with Dan Biggar by naming him in the side for yesterday’s Second Test against South Africa, according to World Rugby’s guidelines on concussion which were updated at the end of January.