Has Rugby Gone Soft?
It was a weekend of shoulder charges, shirt scrags and players getting the munchies as the first weekend of the Aviva Premiership got into full swing. Tinted with a hint of yellow, referees weren’t...
View ArticleExclusive Interview: Rugby FanCast chats to the Watson Brothers
Between them they’ve toured the world, played in the Premiership aged 17, featured against teams in New Zealand and hold a World Championship in their back pocket. Growing up in the world of rugby,...
View ArticleMarket Forces at Bath
New lawyers, a “wealth management” company, half time oranges and a new mascot. Marketing forces are truly beginning to come to the fore at Bath Rugby. With the advent of professional rugby, it was...
View ArticleThe Battle of the Tigers Tall Men
The faithful on the Crumbie Terrace always have been massively appreciative of a foot soldier, a player who is willing to put his body on the line, week in, week out, and take one for the team. Back...
View ArticleThe Highs and Lows of a Sale Supporter
As I write this (Friday night) Sale Sharks are currently lying fourth* in the Aviva Premiership table. I’m only mentioning this now because I don’t think it’s something I’m going to be able to say...
View ArticleAll Tickety-Boo Down Gloucester Way
It’s just a few hours before the start of Gloucester’s second game of the 2013–2014 season; it’s against Saracens and I’ve just glanced at their team sheet. Given that our opening match against Sale...
View ArticleCourt and Cave Miss the Cut
You could say the entire Ulster squad are unlucky this week. After dominating the entire second half against Glasgow last Friday, an incredible inability to finish off the multitude of chances they...
View ArticleThe Return (Of The Return) Of Sale’s Prodigal Son
Danny Cipriani. Where to start? Forget about his personal life or penchant for playing ‘chicken’ with a bus, first and foremost he is a Sale player so should always get our support. One of the most...
View ArticlePool Five Perspective
Ulster will be confident heading to the south of France this weekend. Four wins on the bounce, one over the current Aviva Premiership champions, and with no more proverbial French monkey on their back,...
View ArticleThe Winning Formula for England Selection?
Four out injured, with a fifth pending, it was the opportunity for four other lucky Premiership players to step up to the mark. But not just any old eighty minute mark, a very special international...
View ArticleThe TOP FIVE Fan Favourites at Bath
With the announcement that fan favourite Tom Biggs will be leaving Bath at the end of this season to convert to Rugby League and join his home team of Hull FC, I started thinking about how and why some...
View ArticleGlaws on England Duty
Them were the days. Kicking a ball around with my brother in the garden and in those innocent times my one and only fantasy was about scoring goals for Manchester United and England (I was young and...
View ArticleUlster: Serious Contenders?
For some reason, if you ever read the opinions of pundits or rugby experts, they never seem to rate Ulster very highly. Take the build-up to last Saturday’s game for instance. Being the avid follower...
View ArticleIrish’s Kiwi Scotland Call
Blair Cowan has started his season off with a bang for London Irish. Being a key player in some important wins, the New Zealand born Flanker has settled in after his move from Worcester this summer....
View ArticleReviewing Sale’s Cosmopolitan Squad
As we have been playing in Europe for the past two weeks I thought I might take a look at the diverse nature of the Shark’s squad. Most fans will tell you that nothing heartens them more than seeing...
View ArticleSchoolboy Error or Part of the Gloucester Grand Plan?
All things considered we got pretty excited last year. Nigel Davies took over as Director of Rugby and arrived all suntanned and confident and proceeded to sail Gloucester Rugby out of the turbulence...
View ArticleRequest for the Ravens
In the midst of this week it came to my knowledge that the Ulster Ravens (the secondary team of Ulster Rugby for those who don’t know) were in action against the Connacht Eagles this Friday night....
View ArticleLondon Irish Stars of the Future 2013/14
Last year saw me write an article on the top five players at London Irish to watch. These were players who were just breaking into the game and making their mark on a specific position. Among them...
View ArticleGood News and Bad News at Kingsholm
In an LV= Cup match at Kingsholm, while playing against Newcastle, both James Simpson-Daniel and Ryan Mills were stretchered off with serious leg injuries. Both were ferried off to London for surgery –...
View ArticleExclusive Interview: Topsy Ojo Chats To RugbyFanCast
Man of the moment Topsy Ojo has had ten years reigning over the Premiership. Today he announced a contract renewal to keep him at London Irish until the 2016/17 season and this weekend he’ll be playing...
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