Iain Balshaw’s 5 Greatest Moments

Former England full-back and wing Iain Balshaw announced his retirement from the game this week. The ex-Bath and Biarritz man has succumbed to a knee injury, per The Guardian, who reported his tweet: “After 16 months of unsuccessful rehab it is finally time to call it a day on my rugby career.” It was a career that brought 38 Tests and 13 international tries, totals that surely would have been higher but for a number of injuries that interrupted his progress. Former England coach Brian Ashton previously said of Balshaw, per BBC Sport: “Iain is very good at taking a... 

Rugby Must Become Global to Compare with FIFA World Cup

For a rugby fan it is hard not to get a little bit excited by watching the FIFA World Cup. Not only is it a huge sports event that provides all sorts of drama and excitement, but it is a reminder that rugby’s edition of the World Cup is merely one year away. Yet, while the Rugby World Cup continues to grow, it still pales drastically in comparison to its big brother. It is not a question of one sport being better than the other. Both are great games with their own appeal and different individuals are drawn to one, both or neither depending on their own personal preferences. The main reason... 

Winners and Losers for Super Rugby Round 19

Super Rugby’s elite headed into the closing stage of their normal season on Saturday, each holding different prospects regarding what might come of their 2014 campaign. Waratahs had already sealed their spot as first-place finishers last weekend, booking priority placement in the playoffs, but Round 19 gave others in the Southern Hemisphere their chance to make a late break on the post-season. For some, this was the end of the road, while for others, it was just the beginning of a new phase in their competition. Read on for a breakdown of those teams and individuals who saw differing fortunes... 

Picking a Pacific Islanders XV Including Their Exiles

The Pacific Islands have become accustomed to losing many of their best players to other nations due to migration and economic factors. Based on a model derived from the British and Irish Lions, from 2004 to 2008 they produced a combined team that toured every two years. With Will Skelton and Malakai Fekitoa just beginning their Australian and All Black careers respectively, now is an appropriate moment to look at other stars the Pacific Islands missed out on.  Here is a XV selected from all the current players eligible to play for Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Papua New Guinea, including those playing... 

Ranking the 25 Biggest Controversies in Rugby History

Rugby Union has had its fair share of controversial moments down the years. From on-field misdemeanours to scandals involving disputes and even death, several incidents have divided opinion and filled thousands of column inches. Here we look at the 25 biggest controversies to have rocked the sport. Begin Slideshow  Read More →

5 Key Battles for Super Rugby Round 19

Round 19 of Super Rugby brings the regular season to a dramatic close. While the Waratahs and the Sharks have secured top-tier qualification, for the rest there is still much to play for.  There is a Kiwi clash between the Crusaders and the Highlanders that will determine the country’s top qualifier. Round 19 also sees an all-Australian encounter between the Brumbies and the Force.  This is a round with finals places at stake for some and pride on the line for the rest. Begin Slideshow  Read More →

10 Players to Look Out For In The Commonwealth Games Sevens Rugby

New Zealand will seek to win Commonwealth Games Sevens gold for the fifth time in 16 years later this month, with no other nation capable of breaking their hold on the competition just yet. Glasgow will welcome 16 of the world’s finest Sevens nations to their Scottish setting, each with the aim of progressing from their respective pools before then making a run at the All Blacks’ throne. With such a thriving raft of talent all summoned under one roof, it’s therefore only natural that some stars shine brighter than others. Here, we take a look at those assets most deserving of... 

5 Reasons Why Namibia Can Break Their World Cup Duck in 2015

Namibia have never won a Rugby World Cup match. They also hold the record loss at the tournament, a 142-0 defeat at the Adelaide Oval against hosts Australia in 2003. Namibia needed to beat Madagascar by 53 points on Sunday in their final qualifying match to appear at the 2015 World Cup, and ran out 89-10 victors. Their World Cup hopes rest on their strong collective spirit and their handful of international-class players. Breaking their World Cup duck will be a stiff challenge, but here are five reasons they can do it. Begin Slideshow  Read More →

Biggest Hits in World Rugby Last Weekend: Colin Slade in Back-to-Back Slams

The Crusaders’ Colin Slade just can’t catch a break. After starring in last week’s edition of our biggest hits for all the wrong reasons, the fly-half once again takes top honours in our latest rundown of rugby’s shuddering collisions. This time, however, it was the Blues’ Ma’a Nonu inflicting pain upon Slade, who doesn’t appear to have learnt from the previous clash against the Hurricanes Hadleigh Parkes, once again going into his tackling attempts too upright. The focus was once more fixed upon Super Rugby this week as Waratahs saw out a convincing 44-16... 

Winners and Losers for Super Rugby Round 18

The penultimate weekend of the 2014 Super Rugby season saw the Waratahs clinch first place for the normal season, the Australian outfit now sitting even prettier at the table’s summit, seven points clear of their nearest competition. But that was one of the less surprising storylines during Round 18, which generated a handful of shock results not quite as rudimentary in the way they unfolded. Teams, players and nations as a whole each saw positives and negatives of their own in the most recent instalment of Super Rugby action, where clubs went about making some of their final moves as we... 

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