Rugby News, Analysis, History, Schedule, Rumours
Last Saturday’s emotional victory over Bristol Bears secured Leicester Tigers a home semi-final in the end-of-season play-offs. This weekend however is Leicester Tigers’ toughest challenge yet as European heavyweights Leinster roll into town, for what should be a mouth-watering clash in the Champions Cup Quarter-Final. As to be expected, the fixture has caught the excitement […] READ MORE
With the official word from European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) that all postponed Round Two Heineken Champions Cup/Challenge Cup games will now be recorded as a 0-0 draw. It means each team collects two points, irrespective of their squad Covid-status [at that time] or ability to travel. Following a series of meetings of the Board […] READ MORE
In securing his second French Top14 trophy, Jerome Kaino added to his ‘rugby-collection of awards’ over an almost 20-year career as a professional rugby player. Heralded for his individual skills, as well as his team-first priorities, Kaino has gone from provincial to International, to the European rugby market, in search of challenges – and he […] READ MORE
Only one side stands alone having won five European Cups. Toulouse over the last decade have been playing with four stars on their shirts, but now they are in a league on their own. Simply the greatest European side ever! Their fifth title was a long time coming with only Maxime Medard left from the […] READ MORE
The hugely interrupted European calendar this season has provided an opportunity for live test changes to the tournament format. Original plans had the well-supported Champions Cup Round of 16 adjusted in the 2020/21 season. The group stages had already been cut from six games to four, and we ultimately only saw two games before Covid-19 […] READ MORE
The European Champions Cup has been dominated in the last decade by three teams: Leinster, Toulon, and Saracens. This ruthless domination offers up a common question: is there a specific blueprint to achieve European rugby success? Three key principles from that question stand-alone to assist a side to win a European Champions Cup. However, not […] READ MORE
Just as the elongated 2019/20 rugby season is set to draw to a close, attentions switch quickly to the Champions Cup 2020/21 pool draw. Given the nature of the world we currently live in, the need for fewer fixtures owing to a truncated season, changes have had to be made. Upon first viewing and when you […] READ MORE
Immediately upon becoming professional, Rugby Union went global. The first Professional Rugby competition was Super Rugby, now all but dead in the water. This is the story of how that came about and how the peace deal made then influences rugby’s development now. Rugby, of either code, is a story both of tribalism and exclusivity. […] READ MORE
There will be 24 teams in the newly announced 2020/21 Heineken Champions Cup (also called the European Rugby Champions Cup). This is an increase of 20 teams from the 2019/20 Champions Cup structure. These teams will include the top eight clubs from Premiership Rugby, Guinness PRO14, and French Top 14. This new format was created […] READ MORE
Raheem Bashir started blogging on a Gmail site called Blogger and has covered sporting events in rugby union/league and soccer. Since then he has become the Last Word on Sports writer for rugby, soccer, and previously basketball. He is also a member of the North American Soccer Reporters and The Rugby Union Writers’ Club.
Raheem graduated from George Brown College with a Digital Media Marketing Post-Grad Certificate in 2019. From the same college, Raheem also did a post-grad certificate in Sport and Event Marketing in 2017. Lastly, he did an undergrad Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in 2016.