Nick Cummins Exclusive: Honey Badger Targets Meat and Glory at Rugby World Cup

When news broke that Wallabies and Western Force winger Nick Cummins was to leave for Japan last July, it added yet another disappointing headline for Australian rugby.  Cummins‘ reasons for leaving Australia were compelling. One of seven children, two of whom have cystic fibrosis, he was motivated by the news his father Mark Cummins had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. His family badly needed financial support to pay medical bills, and the $300,000 contract on the table was more than he could make at home in Australia. Australian rugby would miss “the Honey Badger”... 

New Zealand V Argentina: 5 Key Battles in 2015 Rugby Championship Game

New Zealand will look to get their Rugby Championship title defence off to a bright start this Friday as they welcome Argentina to Christchurch for the opening fixture of the 2015 tournament. The Pumas suffered a 28-9 defeat to the All Blacks when they made the trip to Napier in last year’s competition, and Steven Hansen’s hosts will be motivated to ensure they start with a flourish. With the 2015 Rugby Championship reduced to a schedule of each team playing one another just once, New Zealand are under some pressure to ensure the only home fixture of their tournament runs smoothly. The... 

Why Damian De Allende Will Be South Africa’s X-Factor at 2015 Rugby Championship

A hugely productive 2015 Super Rugby season has seen Damian de Allende rise into pole position to star as part of Heyneke Meyer’s midfield at the Rugby Championship, where he can emerge as a Springboks sensation. De Allende has earned just three caps so far in his career, but a swift period of vast growth and several other variables mean the Stormers star can take the team onto new heights this summer. The 23-year-old has been simmering for some time as a potential mainstay for the Springboks, and now is the time for De Allende to lead his nation in the buildup to this year’s Rugby... 

Why Aaron Smith Will Be New Zealand’s X-Factor at 2015 Rugby Championship

The All Blacks mount the defence of their Rugby Championship title next weekend when they host Argentina. The world champions will start as overwhelming favourites against the Pumas, who will offer a convenient warm-up before Steve Hansen’s men move to the next level against South Africa and Australia. This year’s championship, comprising only one contest between each side as they make space in the schedule for World Cup preparations, will be over in the blink of an eye. And that is often all it takes for New Zealand’s first-choice No. 9 to do terminal damage to the opposition. Aaron... 

All Blacks Look Truly Terrifying in Adidas Hype Video

As if they weren’t intimidating enough already, the All Blacks have ramped up the fear factor ahead of the Rugby World Cup with a terrifying new video, courtesy of Adidas. The video jumps between the New Zealand stars looking generally angry and a variety of forces of nature, including a tornado and a volcanic eruption. The All Blacks begin the defence of their Rugby World Cup crown against Argentina on September 20. [Twitter: @adidasUK] Read more Rugby Union news on BleacherReport.com  Read More →

Why Matt Giteau Will Be Australia’s X-Factor at 2015 Rugby Championship

Almost four years to the day since his last appearance in an Australia jersey, Matt Giteau is poised to return to the Wallabies line-up in this year’s Rugby Championship. Giteau last represented his country in a defeat to Samoa on July 17, 2011, but the Australian Rugby Union‘s relaxed overseas policy has seen the Toulon playmaker come back into the international mix. The Courier Mail‘s Jim Tucker (via Fox Sports) confirmed this weekend that Giteau had been named as part of coach Michael Cheika‘s 31-man squad for the 2015 Rugby Championship—and he’s set... 

Each 2015 Rugby Championship Team’s Biggest Strength

The Rugby Championship gets under way next weekend. The tournament takes second billing this year to the Rugby World Cup, but it is a good chance for sides to hone their game plans and assess weaknesses in others before they all arrive in England. Each coach will want to turn up at the World Cup clear on how his team will play in order to make the most of their biggest assets. Tearing up the blueprint and starting again now would lead any of them down a path to disaster, so it’s a good time to look at each nation’s major strength for a clue as to how they will go about contesting the... 

Each 2015 Rugby Championship Team’s Greatest Weakness

This year’s Rugby Championship will see four of the best teams in world rugby once again collide in what promises to be a terrific contest of skill, but even the elite have their weaknesses. Only a week remains until New Zealand get their title defence underway, seeking to fend off the challenges of South Africa, Australia and Argentina, hoping their strengths outweigh those deficiencies. Some teams’ weaknesses are more abstract while others possess a very distinct shortage in one area of the park; some sides are fortunate to have fewer evident negatives than their peers, but no lineup... 

5 Big Names in Danger of Missing 2015 Rugby World Cup Due to Injury

The World Cup is now approaching its two-month countdown, and squads will soon be trimmed as training camps progress and the summer playing schedule gets under way. In the Southern Hemisphere, a shortened Rugby Championship gives coaches a competitive environment in which to assess their troops, while in Europe, a host of warm-up matches between the big guns will allow players the chance to impress the selectors. For some, however, the last eight weeks before kick-off are a desperate race against the clock. The nature of the sport decrees that there will always be a clutch of talented players nursing... 

5 Players with Most to Prove Heading into 2015 Rugby Championship

The Rugby Championship adopts an abridged format this year to accommodate the Rugby World Cup. Rather than its usual home and away format, the tournament will see the four sides play each other just once in a Six Nations-style competition. That leaves the coaches time to pick and prepare their players for the global showpiece later this year, but also only gives players three matches in which to prove themselves worthy of a place in those trimmed down squads. A number of key men are assured of their seat on the plane, but for many others, this truncated Rugby Championship must be viewed as a chance... 

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