Complete A-Z of the 2014 Rugby Championship

The Rugby Championship 2014 gets underway on August 16. Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa will battle it out to become champions of the southern hemisphere. Each team will play each other twice, once at home and once away. The winner is the team that finishes top of the table after six games. The tournament is an expansion upon the Tri Nations, with Argentina being added to the competition in 2012. New Zealand are the current holders, winning the two Rugby Championships to date. They have also not lost a game in the tournament in that time.  Now you know the basics, here is... 

2015 Rugby World Cup Seeding Has Led to the Group of Death

Pool A of the 2015 Rugby World Cup is unquestionably the “Group of Death.” This week, as expected, Fiji became the fourth nation to join the group after thrashing the Cook Islands 108-6. Pool A will feature Australia, England, Wales, Fiji and a final qualifier to be confirmed, but it is a great shame that two of these strong teams will be eliminated before the knockout stage. As Nick Cain, writing in The Rugby Paper notes: It is hard to believe that any other professional sporting organisation would have contemplated the own goal that the IRB have managed by putting the hosts, England,... 

Power Ranking Top-10 Rugby Nations After Summer Internationals

The summer saw the big three from the southern hemisphere record nine wins from nine over England, France, Scotland and Wales. That firmly plants the southern big guns at the top of the tree in the world rankings and leaves the northern teams with ground to make up. ESPNScrum.com’s Huw Richards breaks the stats down of the North South divide expertly in this piece, and concludes: The answer to any suggestion that the gap is closing is a reasonably clear ‘no’. The southern hemisphere’s statistical edge grows still more overwhelming and where South Africa and Australia were... 

5 Key Battles for Super Rugby Round 18

This is the penultimate regular season round in Super Rugby 2014. The Sharks have run away with the South African conference, winning 10 out of 14 games. The Bulls are their nearest rivals, with 33 points to the Sharks’ 45. The Waratahs, at the top of the Australian conference, also cannot be caught. The most enticing round-18 action will involve the New Zealand conference. The Crusaders sit atop the table on points difference from the Highlanders in second. Both teams are well positioned to qualify for the finals but will want an overall top-three spot for a favourable draw in the knockout... 

10 Players Whose Stock Fell in the Summer Internationals

The summer tours saw the Southern Hemisphere big three put England, France, Scotland and Wales firmly in the shade with nine wins from nine. The results exposed a number of players who failed to reach their best level and several who can now consider their places in the starting 15 to be in some degree of jeopardy. This list takes into account expectation before the tours and how those players matched up to those opinions with their performances on the field. The telling sign of falling stock is whether they are now as sure of their place in the side as they were before their respective tours. Here... 

Andy Ellis Should Still Be an All Black

In 2012 when Andy Ellis’ name was missing from the All Blacks squad to play Ireland in the June tests, there were many pundits shaking their heads. Having been the form scrum-half in New Zealand for the season up until that point, it was hard to see what else he could have done to have his name read out. Two years later, not much has changed. He is still one of the top scrum-halves in the country, and yet he is still unable to win back that elusive black jersey. After being part of the 2011 World Cup winning All Black team, Ellis was tipped by many to become the first-choice No. 9 for the... 

Picking 5 Rugby Players Who Can Breakthrough at the 2014 Rugby Championship

The 2014 Rugby Championship begins in August, and with just over a year until the next World Cup, there will be more of an emphasis than usual on blooding future stars ahead of 2015.  Featuring players from each nation, Bleacher Report looks at five hot prospects who could have a big impact on the Rugby Championship and the 2015 World Cup in England.  Begin Slideshow  Read More →

10 Players Whose Stock Rose in the Summer Internationals

As is the case with the Autumn Test series, mid-year internationals give coaches and players alike their opportunity to advance at the highest level, with both Northern and Southern Hemisphere giants taking full advantage of this period. The likes of Wales, Ireland, England and Scotland each travelled to face foes on the other side of the equator this summer with differing fortunes, but even in dour results, there are great lessons to be learned. We’ve taken a look at those stars who embraced their chances over the past month with most efficiency, some boosting their chances at further international... 

Best XV from the Southern Hemisphere Tours

The northern hemisphere giants were sent packing winless from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa this summer. It was sobering to see them all beaten in every contest. Ireland may have had success in Argentina but the nine defeats suffered by England, Wales, France and Scotland to the bit three don’t make for good reading ahead of the 2015 World Cup. We saw some fine performances from the key men for the big boys from down south. Here is the team of the summer. Begin Slideshow  Read More →

Biggest Hits in World Rugby Last Weekend: Hadleigh Parkes Crushes Colin Slade

A miniature fixture schedule this weekend means only a miniature edition of our weekly hits highlights, but the quality of those crushing blows that do make the cut are nonetheless magnificent. With most Northern Hemisphere tourists ending their respective trips south of the equator last week, only Scotland remained to see out their summer series. However, their trip to face South Africa on Saturday ended in miserable fashion, losing 55-6 and picking up their fair share of scrapes and bruises along the way. The only other hits to make out selection this week come from Super Rugby, and with most... 

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Latest News

• Former England Manager Graham Taylor Dies at Age 72
• Bruce Arena Names USMNT January Camp Invitees
• Karamoko Dembele Makes England U15s Debut After Playing for Scotland in November
• USMNT Watch: Bobby Wood Nets 1st Bundesliga Goal Since September
• Rugby Player Bruno Andres Doglioli Banned 3 Years for Tackling Female Referee

Sponsors