A shadow of doubt certainly lies above South Africa’s beloved Springboks’ as they prepare to defend their title as Rugby World Cup Champions. Jacques Nienaber has made it clear that he has full faith in the squad that he has selected. Nienaber, Rassie Erasmus, and the rest of the Springbok coaching team have built a […] READ MORE
Tag: Handre Pollard
New Faces in the Gallagher Premiership
New Faces in the Gallagher Premiership With less than a month to go until the new season kicks off, it’s time to start looking ahead for what may be in store. This article will introduce some of the new faces in the Gallagher Premiership. Who will be the next import to the English top tier […] READ MORE
Springbok star duo sign for Wasps and Leicester
Leicester Tigers and Wasps have both made serious statements this week, signing the Springbok star duo Handre Pollard and Vincent Koch. Pollard, one of the best fly halves in world rugby, will join the Tigers to fill the void left by George Ford’s departure at the end of the season. Koch will leave Saracens to […] READ MORE
Handre Pollard injury creates Springbok selection conundrum
The Handre Pollard injury creates a selection conundrum for Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber up to and including the planned British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa in July 2021. Handre Pollard injury Pollard ruptured his anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) on Friday in playing for Montpellier against Racing 92. The early word is that […] READ MORE
Highest paid rugby union players 2020
Rugby union players can be well paid, and despite the pandemic, there are still plenty of lucrative contracts out there. Looking at various media sources, Last Word has identified the highest-paid rugby union players in the world. 14th. Faf de Klerk – £500,000 The Sale Sharks and World Cup-winning scrum-half is pocketing half a million […] READ MORE
2019 Final is set for England v South Africa
After this weekend, the 2019 final was set. It will be England v South Africa in the Rugby World Cup, as they stand side-by-side at the zenith of rugby union. As seen in the above image, Siya Kilosi and his Springboks team won a tight game over Wales 19-16. Thus boosting the chances of the […] READ MORE
Rugby World Cup Drop-Goals; a Symptom of Pressure
The World Cup does funny things to players, it makes them abandon their training and do ‘strange things’. Noticing this increase in Rugby World Cup drop-goals appears to be a symptom of this pressure. Five-fold increase in Rugby World Cup Drop-Goals During the 2019 Six Nations, there was only one successful drop-goal attempt across 15 […] READ MORE
Super Rugby Snapshot – All Smiles for Sunwolves and Rebels
If fans are to take anything away from the opening three rounds of the competition, it must include the classic ‘Super Rugby Snapshot’ of delighted Sunwolves players (after their first-ever win on New Zealand soil). The caption above is a wonderful sporting image. And one of determination from the Japanese Super Rugby franchise. After 20-plus attempts […] READ MORE
Springboks defeat Scotland at Murrayfield: Key Thoughts
On Saturday, an expectant Scottish crowd saw the Springboks defeat Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. Their expectations were not unreasonable. Before Saturday’s encounter, Scotland had lost at home only once. That was against the All Blacks in 2017. In this time, they have racked up home wins against England, Ireland, Wales, France and Australia. Springboks […] READ MORE
Springboks defy the odds, in superb defensive performance over All Blacks
With some of the lowest odds ever in a New Zealand v South Africa rugby fixture, sports betting agencies will be reeling, after the Springboks defy the odds, in a superb performance over the All Blacks. Their odds of $1.05 for a win was based on history – the Springboks had not won in New […] READ MORE