CATEGORIES

Gatland: Lions set for brutal showdown

WARREN Gatland prepared his Lions for a “brutal cup final” in Cape Town on Saturday after seeing the Springboks level the series.

Kiwis are worthy winners of best ever tournament

AFTER the Lord Mayor’s show...came the best Women’s Sevens tournament in history and a seminal moment in the development of Women’s Rugby. A joyous tournament that excited rugby followers around the world and absolutely cemented Sevens’ position as a core team sport at the modern-day Olympics.

Ditch the tech like Anna did to strike gold

Purity and simplicity are not among the nouns most commonly associated with Rugby Union in its current state of confusion: prop forwards were routinely described as “simple” back in the day, but that was a different thing altogether.

All Blacks bucked the trend of decline

What better time, a few days shy of the first Test against South Africa, to seek out a great thinker and turn to him for illumination?

First Test success vital for a winning series

There is always a special feel to the first Test of any Lions series in South Africa, a step into the unknown for the vast majority of those involved. All sorts of questions and hopes hang heavily in the air.

Gritty England grind way to Grand Slam

CAPTAIN Jack van Poortvliet lauded the ‘grit’ of his England teammates after holding off Italy to clinch the U20 Six Nations Grand Slam.

Now the Lions know just what they are up against

Almost on cue, the Lions lost their first real test last Wednesday when faced with a strong South African A team.

Pent-up demand could see fans back in droves

The Premiership fixtures for next season have been released, and the expectation level for club rugby fans has just gone up a notch.

Sam's on a high with Lions after Twickenham pain

SAM Simmonds says the Lions tour has allowed him to forget about the heartbreak of a third Premiership final defeat with Exeter Chiefs.

Hardest job was getting ‘Dommers' off cakes!

Whenever the pandemic permits, Alex Dombrandt will be asked to dine with a galaxy of Welsh veterans headed by Sir Gareth Edwards.

Swallow dive that said Pumas had taken off

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

Too many errors, but future's bright

IT HAS been the longest Welsh rugby season I can remember and the second Test with Argentina proved a step too far for Wayne Pivac’s side. The Pumas thoroughly deserved to win and claim the series 1-0.

Wallabies ride out early red to clinch series

THE next time anyone tries to tell you red cards ruin matches, direct them to a video of this enthralling third Test.

Who'd want to see this lot waiting for them?

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

Warriors go green for brighter future

WORCESTER have launched their time for change campaign aimed at transforming how they operate off the field and establish themselves as a force in the Premiership after 14 seasons when they have wallowed in its nether reaches.

Scouser Maliq feels at home among Knights

MALIQ HOLDEN’s relatively short rugby career has almost been as diverse as his family background but the new Doncaster back-three player has no doubt where he feels most comfortable – in the north of England.

Wallaby fightback fails in poor opener

THE All Blacks continued their dominance of the Bledisloe Cup as they saw off a spirited Wallabies side at Eden Park in the opening game of the competition.

Our water breaks were called half-time!

Well just as I suggested two weeks ago, we have had a series worthy of the name with the last game deciding the winner.

I had to tell Cov players there was no cash left

WHEN I went down to take training at Worcester on Tuesday after we’d beaten Bristol to reach the 5th Round of the 1997/98 Tetley’s Bitter Cup, there were people queuing for tickets around the block. We’d been drawn against Newcastle, who with the backing of Sir John Hall, had a load of megastars and were pumping everyone in the Premiership.

Farrell's Lions snub means he misses a major milestone

Never at any stage since his professional debut at the age of 17 had Owen Farrell been deemed surplus to requirements, until yesterday.

Brookes in to power up Toulon set-piece

Four weeks out from the start of the Top 14 campaign, and pre-season is just about in full swing. Champions Toulouse will be the last to return to full training – most players are due back at Stade Ernest Wallon this week after a deserved six-week break following their double-winning exploits. Theirs will be a breakneck preparation – there’s time in the program for just one warm-up match before the trip to La Rochelle on opening weekend.

Boycott South Africa until SARU put house in order

For me the result of the Lions Test series was irrelevant, as the focus in the coming months has to be on the damage done to rugby by Rassie Erasmus and the SARU. A bit of niggle is good for the game, but this went far beyond that.

Boks are best one-trick pony in world rugby

I’M always going to be positive about the Lions at the end of a series, win or lose, because they are such a wonderful entity and I know how much work goes in before, during and in between tours.

Gatland the brave got his selections right again

JUST as Lukhanyo Am made a huge statement in the first minute with his bone-crunching hit on Elliot Daly, the Lions made their own mark with that unstoppable driving maul at the start of the second half which swung momentum.

Poisoned anchovies sabotaged my tour

I’M still convinced that the food poisoning myself and half-a-dozen others got on the flight to South Africa on the Lions tour in ’74 was intentional. Anyone who’d chosen the meal with an anchovy garnish fell ill. I’ve not eaten them to this day, I felt so rough. I never truly got back up to speed after that. Instead of running onto the training field, I was running to the toilet.

Oundle was finishing school for Curry twins

Brendan Gallagher continues his series looking at rugby’s great schools

ROG ends Ireland's long wait for Slam

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

Incessant TMO calls become so annoying

With the first Test over, I can’t help thinking that the only way this series will be completed is if the result is different next week.

Farewell to Newlands, mecca of memories

Many of the things that have passed into rugby history are welcome to stay there: no one blessed with a beating heart and a functioning conscience misses the rebel tours of apartheid South Africa or England’s nocturnal depravities in Queenstown or Pablo Matera’s social media adventures circa 2012.

Lions have blind spot for English flankers

When Carwyn James went to work on the All Blacks 50 summers ago, his assembly of a series-winning machine included two components of enduring reliability.