Elton John’s classic hit, ‘I’m Still Standing’ rang out as England’s players triumphantly walked around Marseille’s fantastic Stade Velodrome stadium. They had just seen off Fiji 30-24 in a breathless quarter-final. It was an apt tune because seven weeks ago England was trudging off the Twickenham turf after a disastrous loss to Fiji. England scraped […] READ MORE
Tag: Courtney Lawes
Courtney Lawes and George Ford lead England to a famous World Cup victory
England’s rugby team silenced their many critics, with a huge win over Argentina to open their Rugby World Cup campaign. Courtney Lawes and George Ford led from the front in particular. The result was not clear cut, and England head coach Steve Borthwick must have feared the worst when Tom Curry was sent off in […] READ MORE
England Rugby in disarray after historic loss to Fiji
England Rugby is in disarray after a disastrous loss to Fiji on Saturday afternoon. All the credit should go to Fiji first and foremost, they thoroughly deserved to win. A historic win, on par with Western Samoa defeating Wales in 1991. From an England perspective, it does not get much worse. Charlie Inglefield wrote last […] READ MORE
Courtney Lawes and Owen Farrell set up crucial victory for England
England claimed a famous victory over the Wallabies in Brisbane to set up a thrilling decider in Sydney next weekend. In assessing that, it’s clear Courtney Lawes and Owen Farrell led the way with their leadership. Yes, it wasn’t pretty but, it was never going to be given what was on the line for both […] READ MORE
‘In the Bin’ Rugby Pod – Season 1, Episode 3
In this week’s episode of the ‘In the Bin Rugby Pod’, we return to discuss the 2017/18 Aviva Premiership’s difficult second round. ‘In the Bin’ Rugby Pod – Season 1, Episode 3 In fairness, following on from a dazzling opening weekend that contained a blitz of tries was always going to be tougher than getting […] READ MORE
British and Irish Lions miss opportunity to topple the world champions
The Springboks lived up to their status as world champions by grinding out a result even if they were not at their best as the British and Irish Lions failed to impress. 12 years after his last penalty dagger through the Lions, Morne Steyn delivered again in the final minutes. In truth, the British and […] READ MORE
Top Lions performers from the first Test versus South Africa
The first Test of the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa got underway with a 22-17 win for the tourists in an intense, cagey affair. The Lions edged out the Springboks through a Luke Cowan-Dickie try as well as the boot of Dan Biggar and Owen Farrell. It was an impressive team […] READ MORE
British and Irish Lions draw first blood as Lawes leads from the front
It was not a classic, far from it but as befitting a British and Irish Lions series the first Test had its fair share of tension and controversy. The Lions won 22-17 but in truth, neither side excelled in what was an error-strewn and nervy affair. The Springboks barely broke sweat to take a first-half […] READ MORE
British and Irish Lions taste second defeat on 2017 Tour
The Highlanders handed the British and Irish Lions their second defeat of the tour, with a thrilling 23-22 victory in Dunedin. A late penalty from Marty Banks gave the South Islanders a famous victory, after tries from Waisake Naholo and Liam Coltman put them into a winning position. The visitors held a slender advantage, before […] READ MORE
Close quarters combat: Otago Highlanders v British and Irish Lions
If anything can be learned from this match, it is that the traditional rivals; such as existed on previous tours, are now replaced by the franchise teams. The Blues, Crusaders, Highlanders, Chiefs and finally the Hurricanes. A huge wall to climb by the tourists--only made more difficult, thanks to a famous Otago Highlanders victory. READ MORE