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.

Gatland's Lions get ready for Bok-lash

WARREN Gatland warned his Lions of a major Bok-lash after the tourists savored first blood in a bruising and brutal Cape Town battle.

Fighting talk from Galthie should put fear in rivals

It should come as precisely no surprise that France head coach Fabien Galthie reckons he knows 90 per cent of his squad for the next World Cup, two years before the first match kicks off.

All Blacks tell Wales: We're still coming OK

WALES’ money-spinning clash against the All Blacks will go ahead at the end of October after the New Zealand union said they would not be following the country’s Rugby League side which cited Covid fears when last week pulling out of the autumn World Cup in England along with Australia.

Rory's determined to seize his new chance

RORY Jennings says he is determined to make a success of his second proper crack at the Premiership, nearly five years on from his last competitive appearance for Bath.

Poite was plain wrong, there is no justification

Whether Ken Owens takes a nightly double knee to give The Almighty thanks for rather more than just another day is, of course, his business and his alone.

Folau looks set to cause more havoc off the pitch

Precious few players are described as “undroppable” a mere half an hour into their Test careers, but no one ever mistook Israel Folau for Joe Ordinary.

Versatile Wyles and Goode show merit of ‘Swiss Knife' ability

THE question of what selection policy to take with multi-positional players like Elliot Daly is not a one-size-fits-all issue according to Kevin Sorrell.

Injury count suggests England are too brutal

If you’re a Premiership supporter, what are your feelings when one of your club’s players gets injured in an England training camp? It has always happened and you’ll have experienced the disappointment when the news breaks. The latest players to be injured in camp are Worcester’s Ted Hill and Bath’s Josh McNally.

Clash of the gladiators thrills the World Cup

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

Joe and Danny have last tango at Twickers

JOE Marler fears that Harlequins stunning victory in the Premiership final will be the last dance he enjoys with Danny Care.

Scrum power keeps the Grand Slam alive

ENGLAND remain on course for the Grand Slam after ending Ireland’s run at successive championships, thanks largely to a forwards pack who bullied their opponents into submission.

Lions tour should not be going ahead now

While not being as much of an enthusiast for the British & Irish Lions as some, I absolutely understand the attraction of following them across the globe. However, that’s in normal times – in the current circumstances I think the whole endeavour is misguided, bordering on barking mad!

Conor part of Munster legacy with the Lions

From his home by the banks of the broad, majestic Shannon, Keith Wood considers one of the more startling facts about to be woven into Lions’ folklore.

Ireland edge home for World Cup pay-back

THE recent theme of entertaining, high scoring games continued at the Aviva yesterday in a match of sumptuous skills if occasionally sketchy defence in which ultimately Andy Farrell’s side had just too much for the visitors.

Boks must find right balance in back row

Last week Conor Murray described his appointment as British & Irish Lions captain as “unbelievable”. The Ireland and Munster stalwart, and veteran of two previous

Boks unleash flyer Fassi in warm-up win

IT TOOK a while, almost an hour in fact, for the Springbok machine to splutter into life but once it did, it steamrolled Georgia and rumbled to a big win at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria.