Rugby News, Analysis, History, Schedule, Rumours
Italian rugby is heading into a new era, led by the likes of Seb Negri. Sergio Parisse is no longer the captain, Luca Bigi his successor. Conor O’Shea departed following their 2019 World Cup pool stage exit and the temporary replacement Franco Smith’s time is already underway. A fresh start is needed for the Azurri […] READ MORE
England v Italy should be a foregone conclusion this weekend but, the Six Nations does unique things. England must take the Italian Rugby challenge seriously, though England Rugby head coach Eddie Jones must learn from lessons of the past. This year’s Six Nations is far from over. Current standings aside, results over the next two […] READ MORE
It has been a familiar story for Italy in the Six Nations: staying in touch of their opposition but ultimately falling short, or rarely ever looking like being able to win. Even a surprise four point half time lead against Ireland still yielded zero match points. Despite this, Conor O’Shea can points to several signs […] READ MORE
Wales haven’t got off to the most auspicious of starts in the Six Nations in terms of performances but have extended their unbeaten run to a record-equalling 11 games. The win over Italy means they head into round three for a home tie against the also unbeaten England side. Robert Rees has your Wales analysis […] READ MORE
Plenty of water has passed under the roman bridges of Italy, since Nick Mallett coached the Azzurri and declared to the media, “Italians no good for rugby”. That was the same Rugby World Cup winning coach who decided to switch world-class flanker Mauro Bergamasco from openside to half-back! Gladly, current head coach Conor O’Shea is […] READ MORE
Ireland – 54 Italy – 7 It was a return to the place of Ireland’s most historic victory for Joe Schmidt and his men. Soldier Field, the ground where Ireland triumphed over the All Blacks two years ago, for the first time in 112 years. This time around, it was a much changed lineup, against […] READ MORE
Johan Ackermann and Gloucester are taking Champions Cup qualification game by game, Jake Polledri tells us how he never considered waiting for an England call up and John Kingston gives us the latest Quins injury updates. Robert Rees has the full transcript from all of yesterday’s post match interviews. Johan Ackermann taking one step at […] READ MORE
A brace of tries from George North and a man of the match performance from Hadleigh Parkes places Wales second behind Ireland in the 6 Nations race. After the Irish have already wrapped up the Natwest Six Nations title, second place is 'up for grabs' between four other teams. READ MORE
Two pulsating rounds of 6 Nations action has whetted the appetite. A rest week has created the anticipation. Like boxers who have set sat on their stool for too long, the teams are ready for Round Three. Now we find out who will become contenders and who can be discounted. The pre-tournament consensus read that […] READ MORE
Johnny Sexton’s drop goal will be the lasting Irish memory, from the Stade de France last weekend. Whilst they got the win, the failure of the Ireland attack to score any tries will be the most concerning aspect for Joe Schmidt ahead of the match against Italy this Saturday. The Story is in the Statistics […] READ MORE
James is an Editor for Last Word on Rugby. He covers the Gallagher Premiership and in particular Gloucester Rugby, his hometown club. When not at Kingsholm James may also be found supporting Gloucestershire Cricket.