Top14
Round three of the 2018/19 Heineken Champions Cup was another huge weekend of rugby. Here at Last Word on Rugby, our group of writers will cover the results and the outcomes. Rhiannon Garth Jones looks at Pool Four, where the rankings mean nothing: Racing 92 lead the pack and Ulster might be surprise qualifiers. Current […]
ProD2 runners-up Grenoble have been promoted to the Top14, after a 47-22 victory over Oyonnax. The promotion/relegation play-off win sees Grenoble head back to the French top flight, having dropped down this time last season. The loss means relegation for Oyonnax, who went in to the game as favourites. #AccessMatch► Bravo au @FCGrugby qui accède […]
Leinster and Racing92 are well known for their forward prowess, and have displayed it throughout their successful Champions Cup campaign. It’s recently been written that Racing could, if they wished, put out a pack weighing in excess of 1000kg. It’s not the side they have gone with, but here’s a look how both sides will […]
A Top14 Round 26 weekend culminated in the confirmation of Montpellier and Racing’s passage into the semi-finals. The final weekend of the regular season also resulted in the four playoff places being set. Soon, those teams vying for a spot in the semi-finals and possible finale at the Stade de France in Paris, will all collide. […]
The penultimate weekend of the regular season is behind teams, and a Top14 Round 25 clash at Stade Francais ultimately condemned Brive to the second tier of French rugby next season. Having been threatened with relegation for the majority of the season, Oyonnax have a ‘final round reprieve’ before a likely repecharge fixture against the ProD2 […]
It was a matter of when and not if for Chris Ashton in overtaking Fijian Napolioni Nalaga as the record try scorer, touching down a 22nd time. Fortunately for Ashton it came in the Top14 Round 24, giving him two more games of the regular season to further stamp his mark in France in astonishing […]
The Top14 Round 23 action followed a weekend of some fantastic European quarter-finals. Both Racing and Pau progressed after two all-French last eight ties. The rest of the league enjoyed a much needed rest, which meant refreshed bodies going in to the final few games that will determine final placings. But, more importantly, it could […]
Rugby isn’t the same Ye Old Sport it was back in the 90’s. Not even the same as in the early years of the 21st century. The sport changed for better and for worse, it got bigger and smaller. It got more spectacular and decadent, living between paradoxes. And Rugby Europe epitomizes those issues. ‘Better’ as […]
In moves that reduce the All Blacks pool of International caps by 150 tests, two senior men this week have called time on their roles with New Zealand. Each will conclude this years Super Rugby campaigns, as Wyatt Crockett elected to end his All Blacks career, while Jerome Kaino signs with Toulouse French Top14 club. Even […]
Chris Ashton, the forgotten Englishman, is quickly becoming somewhat of a hero in Southern France. Edging closer to becoming the all time top try-scorer in Toulon colours, murmurs of what could have been are ever present, particularly with England faltering in the attacking department. But a Top14 Round 22 clash against Clermont was all Ashton […]
The latest action of the 2017/18 French Top 14 is offering up a mix of results. While the leaders show their qualities, others are demonstrating incredible spirit. And in the Top14 Round 21 wrap the Oyonnax team have grabbed the attention away from the pacesetters. Oyonnax have dominated the headlines of late, and rightly so […]
Competition at the foot of the table is gaining momentum and a Top14 Round 20 clash for Oyonnax at Bordeaux, is the pick of the action. Timing their form just right could be just the catalyst, for pulling off the ‘great escape’ from relegation. And as teams watched on, as the national side devastated English […]
One of France’s oldest and most decorated rugby clubs, Stade Francais, are falling ever closer to relegation to the ProD2. A Top14 Round 19 fixture away to Oyonnax looked favourable for the Paris-based side, but teams below them are starting to find form. Oyonnax, being no different, took the opportunity to seize all four points […]
If Round 17 was anything to go by, the Top14 Round 18 fixtures would be another step up. With teams constantly changing positions and wins coming from the unlikeliest of places, this highlights that progress to the playoffs and battles for relegation is by no means a done deal. Here’s all you need to know […]
After a two week break, French rugby’s Top14 Round 17 kicked off with La Rochelle’s trip to Racing, being the tie of the round. Both sides went into the weekend equal on 50 points, in joint second place. But Racing’s form at home and La Rochelle’s form on the road dictated which team ended the […]
Tomorrow is the opening day of the 2018 Brisbane Global Rugby Tens. The all-action two-day event will show off both Wildcards and Jokers, skill, speed and preseason enthusiasm.
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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 […]
In a look back, Last Word on Rugby views the Rugby Heroes and Villains for 2023. Not focused entirely on one or the other – balanced in as how the sport of rugby union is a team-based game; as much as for individuals who can shine or be villainised for their contributions. Over the last […]
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 Champions Cup game of the Stade Français vs Leicester game will take place on Sunday at 12:30 PM ET. This will be the first group-stage game for Stade Français Paris after the Leicester Tigers won on December 10 against the Stormers. While Stade Français lost on the road against the Sale Sharks, it will […]
The two most impressive teams this past week in European Professional Rugby Club (EPRC) competition were perhaps the Harlequin F.C. and the Exeter Chiefs. And in those games, Marcus Smith and Will Joseph were superb in Harlequins’ scintillating win over Racing 92 in Paris. On Saturday afternoon, the Chiefs were equally impressive in downing mighty […]
Considering Premiership Rugby home-field advantage, you can question whether it is a constant benefactor? or a changeable one? A discussion for fans and stakeholders alike, home and away sides both. In this season to date, it is not a sole contributor to the current standings although, it will always play it’s part in every sport. […]