England victories over the Southern Hemisphere giants are cherished as rare happenings these days but a decade ago they came along as frequently as London […]
Latest Posts
Jeremy Gucsott: A fit Manu Tuilagi can become England’s Ma’a Nonu
If the RFU and Premiership Rugby do not do something about the league, English rugby could follow in the same steps as English football, in […]
Peter Jackson: Lions’ roar takes on a different sound now
A Lions Test team selected at the end of the World Cup last October would have been a straightforward exercise – Wales and The Rest. […]
South Africa Memories: Mike Burton and the 1972 tour
There was a lot of pressure on us not to tour South Africa in 1972. The apartheid regime had attracted worldwide condemnation and I remember […]
Nick Cain: Don’t believe the spin, we still have long way to go
If the mission statement of Clive Woodward’s 2003 world champion outfit was, “To Be The Best”, then the one that comes most readily to mind […]
Jeff Probyn: Let’s suspend relegation during World Cup years
At last, with the summer tours over, we can reflect on what has been a rollercoaster season for all. This World Cup year threw the […]
Moment in Time: Birmingham and the 2004 Powergen Cup quarter-final
No one gave Pertemps Bees a prayer before this Powergen Cup quarter-final. Wasps, the English champions, were well on course to defend their title and […]
Young Gun: Will Robinson – Wasps fly-half
The similarities are striking: a confident young Wasps fly-half not afraid to play what’s in front of him, schooled at Whitgift and developed at Rosslyn […]
Dream Team: Jamie Lennard – Doncaster and former London Irish and Bedford fly-half
1. Tom Davies – A very mobile prop at Doncaster who has fantastic hands and is great at offloading. Solid in the scrum and has […]
My Life in Rugby: Michael Owen – former Wales captain & Saracens No.8
You start every Six Nations thinking you’re in with a chance.We were no different in 2005 but it’s still remarkable we won the Grand Slam […]
2O Questions: Andy Hazell – Gloucester and England flanker
Been anywhere nice on holiday? I went to Portugal with the wife and kids, which was nice and quiet. Then I went to Ibiza for […]
Room 101: Russell Earnshaw – England Sevens Assistant Coach
1. Not coaching people There’s a fantastic quote by ex-England coach Geoff Cooke (below) that ‘good coaches coach activities, great coaches coach people’. Putting down […]
Room 101: Richard Hill – Worcester head coach
1. Dog owners As a keen walker and rambler I come across quite a few dog walkers. It really winds me up when they let […]
Young Gun: Shaun Moulton – London Irish hooker
South African hooker Shaun Malton is a man in a hurry and wants to make his mark at London Irish in double-quick time. A former […]
My Life in Rugby: Peter Short – former England Saxons and Exeter lock
Bath felt like champions the day we beat Tigers Winning away at Leicester in the Heineken Cup quarter-final with Bath in 2006 was an incredible […]
20 Questions: David Barnes – ex-Bath and Harlequins prop
Are you missing rugby? I thought I would, but I’m happy as RPA chairman. You miss the camaraderie with the guys but I’m still involved […]
I always wanted to be a Bok admits Australia captain David Pocock
With under 12 months to go until the Lions tour Australia, it has become abundantly clear that the tourists’ success will hinge on finding a […]
Alistair Hargreaves excited to join old friends at Saracens
South Africa second row Alistair Hargreaves has revealed that it is the link between Saracens and his native Sharks which convinced him to swap Durban […]
England legend Jonny Wilkinson still living for kicks after all these years
A campaign which began on England duty against Wales before 80,000 at Twickenham in early August ended ten months later for Toulon’s favourite émigré before […]
Newcastle head coach Peter Russell ready to get Falcons on the attack
Kiwi Russell, an electrical engineer by trade, had hoped to start work at the Falcons on Monday when the players reported back for pre-season training. […]
Chris Whitehead ready to make most of Heineken Cup
But Exeter’s all-action hooker has vowed to put the pain of rejection behind him by proving his worth in next season’s Heineken Cup. Whitehead pressed […]
Moment in time: Leicester and the 2002 Heineken Cup final
Leicester Tigers arrived at the iconic home of Welsh rugby seeking to complete an historic league and Heineken Cup ‘double-double’. A fortnight earlier, Dean Richards’ […]
Man behind the match: Lawrence Dallaglio and the 2008 Premiership Final
How do you organise a send-off for a man who has won everything? Arrange a world record crowd at Twickenham to see him lead his […]
South Africa Memories: Paul Hull and the 1994 tour
I’d been around the England squad for four years and had been on the outer 1991 World Cup squad, but it was a tough team […]
Danny Cipriani is ‘ready for an England comeback’
O’Connor played outside the former London Wasps talisman in Super Rugby and is a self-confessed admirer of the outside-half’s full range of skills. Cipriani is […]
Dream Team: Jim Hamilton – Gloucester and Scotland lock
1. Cian Healy – He is everything you look for in a modern-day loosehead – he can scrummage and carry the ball all day long. […]
Jeremy Guscott: Progression of sorts – but where are leaders?
In the end it was all a bit like kissing your sister; comforting but not particularly satisfying. England had the chances to win yesterday against […]
Jeff Probyn: Losing England captain Chirs Robshaw will have done England some good!
This may sound odd, but the loss of captain Chris Robshaw for the final Test may have been something of a blessing for the immediate […]
Nick Cain: Bully-boy forwards win it for the Springboks
The England U20s should be green with envy following South Africa‘s 22-16 World Junior Championship final victory over New Zealand in Cape Town on Friday […]
Peter Jackson: Wales Morgan Stoddart deserves to avoid scrapheap
After 20 Tests spanning 46 weeks, the curtain came down in Sydney yesterday on the busiest and longest Welsh international season. Back home, the player […]
Jeremy Guscott: The spirit of braveheart England will not be broken
At no point in this Test did England look like winning. And at no stage did their spirit look like waning. Stuart Lancaster wants progression […]
Nick Cain: This should have been child’s play for England
Containment is a very dangerous game in an 80-minute sport, and the England U20s paid the price of a policy as ill-conceived as it was […]
Jeff Probyn: Yes, winning is important, but the 2015 World Cup is the real target
Following last week’s defeat the headlines in almost every paper was about the reality check that England had faced when playing against the team ranked […]
Man Behind the Match: Brian O’Driscoll and the 2000 Six Nations’ France Ireland
There are certain moments in sport when a realisation dawns that what you are watching is not run-of-the-mill; an extraordinary talent announces itself on the […]
Moment in Time: Leeds and the 2005 Powergen Cup final
An epic day for the Tykes. Bath, whose record in senior Cup finals prior to this read played 10, won 10, were well placed in […]
South Africa Memories: Jason Robinson at the 2003 World Cup
We had hammered the South Africans 53-3 the year before at Twickenham, but we knew this game would be different. To play South Africa is […]
Dream Team: Dave Hilton – former Scorland, Bath, Bristol and Glasgow prop
1. Tom Smith – Worked hard on his scrummaging and got the better of some huge Springbok props for the 1997 Lions. 2. Mark Regan […]
20 Questions: James Percival – Worcester lock
Been anywhere nice on holiday? Ten days in Marbella. The weather was amazing and now I’ve come back to this rubbish. Like travelling? Love it. […]
Young Gun: Christopher Tolofua – France and Toulouse hooker
There are few tougher tests for a young front rower than away in Argentina but after a remarkable rise through the ranks Philippe Saint-André had […]
Room 101: David Flatman – England and Bath prop
1. Try-scoring celebrations I have to contest Dave Jackson’s claim that celebrations have a place in rugby (TRP, June 3). I think they should be […]
My Life in Rugby: Catherine Spencer – former England women’s captain
I was half-way out the door to go training when England coach Gary Street asked me to captain my country. He called me up and […]
Peter Jackson: Let’s all start screeching for Wales tonight
On their day off at the Junior World Cup in Cape Town, the Welsh giant-killers could be found at the top of Table Mountain enjoying […]
Peter Jackson: Dead-eye Dan Biggar can be the man for Wales again
He finished the season in thoroughbred style sith seven straight wins, running an attack responsible for averaging almost four tries a match. During the course […]
Dream Team: Dave Baldwin – former Sale lock
1. Martin Whitcombe – One of the first out and out ball-playing props. He was great around the field and a brilliant carrier, rather than […]
My Life in Rugby: Jon Dawson – former Saracens, Herlquins, Wasps, Bath, England U21 and Cambridge Uni prop
If an England cap had been on the cards I wouldn’t have called time on my career at 27. In the national team there’s a […]
Room 101: Dave Jackson – Nottingham full-back
1. Try scoring celebration critics We are now in the professional era, meaning that we have an obligation to entertain those that come and watch. […]
20 Questions: Brad Barritt – Saracens and England centre
Looking forward to the England tour? Hugely excited… it’s a massive opportunity for this young squad. A Test series in SA is a very hard […]
Young Gun: Joel Conlon – Exeter No.8
Jeremy Guscott: Owen Farrell must play flatter and Ben Morgan needs help
Stuart Lancaster has a dilemma going into Saturday’s second Test in Johannesburg – does he take a step back in development and play Charlie Hodgson […]
Jeff Probyn: Why do we always have this hype about brutality?
As the England players are recovering from the first of their three Tests they might well be wondering what all the fuss was about in […]
Rugby Union News 24/7
Recent Posts
Bill Beaumont named interim chairman at RFU as Tom Ilube resigns amid scandal
20 December 2024
Tom Ilube resigns as RFU chairman amid pay controversy
20 December 2024
Channelling Teams of the Past: Derby Day Delight and Cup Dreams for Heol-y-Cyw
19 December 2024
Start with Tom Roebuck, Ben Curry tells Steve Borthwick
15 December 2024
Northampton Saints, Harlequins & Leicester Tigers lead way
15 December 2024
The best betting sites
