Disappointingly but predictably, you’re following on. Worse still, the quicks who scared the hell out of you in the first innings – Roberts, Holding, Croft, Garner – are sipping restful rum punches on the pavilion balcony, having given way to a quartet of cutthroat “finishers”: Marshall, Patterson, Clarke, Daniel.
It would look like cricket, it would sound like cricket – particularly with the ball bouncing off your skull – and it would definitely feel like cricket, as your ribs might attest. But would it actually BE cricket? Certainly not, my dear old thing. It would be sacrilege.
So how is it that legions of dedicated union folk, not all of them South Africans by any means, are entirely comfortable with the Springboks’ ‘bomb squad’ approach to Test rugby, designed and developed by the boundary-pushing provocateur Rassie Erasmus in his role as head coach of the back-toback world champions and now being copied by teams of all stamps and stripes?
Denne historien er fra October 27, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Denne historien er fra October 27, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A humble hero who had a big heart ...
A DARK cloud of sorrow has been hovering above St Thomas’ Church at the east end of Swansea this Christmas over the loss of one of its most beloved disciples, Geoff Wheel.
Firefighter Konkel turning the heat up for Harlequins
FIREFIGHTER Jade Konkel has ignited a Harlequins title charge following a run of miserable successive seasons for the 2020/21 winners.
Quins finish year at the top of the pile
HARLEQUINS went top of the Premiership Women’s Rugby with victory in Big Game 16 at the Allianz Stadium.
Pirates are on course to make it five in a row
CORNISH Pirates are riding a wave of momentum looking for their fifth consecutive Championship win when they visit strugglers Ampthill today.
Nottingham take their chances to silence Cov
A THRILLING display of high-tempo attacking rugby in which wingers Ryan Olowofela and David Williams played prominent roles earned Nottingham a bonus-point success over Midlands rivals Coventry.
Itoje: Life's taken turn for the better under Borthwick
ENGLAND and Saracens lock Maro Itoje has claimed that the ‘atmosphere and experience’ of playing for the national team has improved under Steve Borthwick compared to life under former head coach Eddie Jones, adding that some of the practices Jones employed to get the best out of his players were ‘unnecessary’.
Varndell: Lam has put flair into Bears
WHEN it comes to scoring tries in Premiership Rugby, few players have struck fear into opposition defences quite like Tom Varndell.
Let's hope Brizball can stay in fashion
THIS is not obviously the time to be talking balls – the Twickenham elite have cornered that particular market – but the question demands to be asked: is Brizball the union game’s version of Bazball?
Roots looking to find his old form
ETHAN Roots started 2024 with a bang, man of the match in Italy on his England debut, but his year ended with more of a splutter.
Dragons still can't get better of Cardiff
DRAGONS’ nightmare run against their fiercest rivals continued as they fell to their 19th consecutive defeat, having not beaten them since Boxing Day 2014.
