Northern Hemisphere
It has not been the start to the season that Gloucester’s supporters had hoped for or maybe even expected. The Aviva Premiership is tough as we know but with a home game against the Tigers and a relatively local jaunt up the road to take on Worcester, the Shed faithful would have been looking for […]
Toulon Top 14 Results Insufficient at Best Many things in the world of rugby are assumed to be true. The All Blacks always win. Leinster is the best team in the Pro12. Toulon always win at home. Before this season, Toulon lost only seven home games over the last five years all to top flight […]
Ruan Pienaar will leave Ulster at the end of the 2016/17 season after the province were blocked from extending his contract. Ulster are keen to keep the 88-cap Springbok but it would break IRFU rules. This has sparked fresh debate about Ireland‘s provincial structure. What are the IRFU rules? Since 2013, the three main Irish […]
Maxime Machenaud’s return against Lyon was the perfect warm-up prior to a major test against Toulouse. Racing 92‘s first rate scrum half returned to play last week against Lyon to give fans faith the Paris men can defend their home against the unbeaten Toulouse. Maxime Machenaud return well timed Machenaud had been suspended following a red card he […]
With the season fast approaching, Steve Kendall picks five players to watch in the Aviva Premiership as the season develops and progresses Five Players to Watch in the Aviva Premiership this Season Ellis Genge After touring with England in their summer whitewash of Australia, Genge has now moved clubs for the 2016/2017 season from newly […]
After 43 minutes at Kingsholm, when Gloucester’s Henry Purdy crossed for a bonus point try, not many would have foreseen that Leicester Tigers would have finished the game on top. Also not predicted was Newcastle Falcons’ victory over Sale Sharks the same evening, or Bristol almost upsetting Harlequins at Twickenham. As predicted by Last Word […]
The 2016/17 season certainly started off with a bang as the Premiership returned with an action packed weekend of matches. There were thrills, shocks and disappointments across the three days, but who impressed the most in the opening exhibition of Aviva Premiership? Friday 19.45 Gloucester Rugby 31 v Leicester Tigers 38 One of the most […]
Gareth Davies, Chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union hinted this week that the Six Nations Council may radically alter the tournament. During their annual review, the key issues likely to be addressed are: bonus points, timing of the tournament during the season, and promotion/relegation. All members will meet to discuss reasons why the Six Nations Needs Radical Revamps. Currently, no […]
PRO12 – THE SITUATION With the Guinness Pro12 in dire need of more income and a better product, the Board of the Pro12 League and representing unions have met to explore all possible scenario’s. The parties have been the looking into many options, which include possibly ‘bringing in the exiles’ of London Scottish and London […]
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Ever found yourself in a chat with a rugby-mad buddy, only to be baffled by the lingo and the rules? Let’s start unscrambling that confusion by diving into the world of the National Rugby League (NRL) – the premier global competition in Rugby League.
Warren Gatland has had his say on the Rugby World Cup in France in his recent UK Daily Telegraph article. Wales failed to progress beyond the last eight not because they were outfought and outthought. Rather that there is something wrong with the rules of the game, and how it is played at the highest […]
The 2023 Rugby Canada women’s team might be seen as one of the best years in the national team’s history. There were many highlights for the national team, including playing the Pacific Four Series in the nation’s capital in the summer. 2023 Rugby Canada women’s team: Finished second in the WXV 1 competition Strengths Players […]
Rugby League players are a talented and fearless bunch, so it only stands to reason that amongst them are some unusual hobbies. If you’ve ever wondered what some of the most exciting rugby league players in the world get up to in their spare time, or get up to now that they’ve retired, then we’ve […]
The 2024 Six Nations is just around the corner and so starts the four-year cycle for all teams. For England and Steve Borthwick, the foundations have been laid by an encouraging semi-final performance at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Charlie Inglefield asks what might this team look like through the eyes of Borthwick? And whether […]
As Alex Sanderson, Sale’s coach said after his team’s ugly 11-9 win over Bath – they found a way to win. Sale are definitely in the mix to go one better this year and win the Gallagher Premiership. On Friday’s evidence, they need to be a lot better. They played a second-string Bath outfit who […]
Saracens were back to their brutal best on Saturday. They suffocated the life out of a high-flying Harlequins outfit with consummate ease. This despite losing Ben Earl, and Elliot Daly in the warm-up and Alex Lozowski a couple of minutes into the game. No problem, up stepped the likes of Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell […]
We’re crunched the numbers, looked through the stats and brought you 14 wacky and wonderful facts from Round Five of the premier French League. 14 Top14 Round Five Facts and Figures Perpignan recorded their first victory of the season- the last Top14 side to do so- and got their first points in the standings. La […]
About Author
Steve Kendall, Editor
A father of 4, I split my time between writing about Rugby & Wine. My writing influences are Steve James & Michael Atherton and I lament the dying art of the true correspondent.