Premiership Desire for Increased Salary Cap a Matter of Want, Not Need

The desire to compete as one of the top leagues in the world has seen salary capping become a hotly debated topic in the Aviva Premiership of late, but some are rightly against the thought of wages soaring higher. Earlier this week, an investigation conducted by Owen Slot and John Westerby of The Times (h/t ESPN Scrum) revealed all may not be well in terms of the Premiership’s transparency regarding the salary cap. At present, clubs are permitted a maximum of £5 million annual salary, incurring a deduction of four points if they go beyond that mark and up to 40 points deduction... 

Clermont Auvergne vs. Toulon: 5 Players to Watch in Champions Cup Final

For the second time in three seasons, Clermont Auvergne and Toulon will contest European rugby’s biggest prize. The name might have changed but the teams dominating Europe are the same. In 2013 Jonny Wilkinson steered Toulon back into a game largely dominated by Clermont, and Delon Armtiage’s breakaway try clinched the Heineken Cup as it was known then for Mourad Boudjellal’s star–studded club. They repeated the feat last season against Saracens to give Wilkinson the fairytale ending his career deserved, with Clermont having spectacularly failed at the semi-final stage against... 

Ranking Europe’s Top 15 Club Teams After Weekend of April 24-26

With two rounds to go in Europe’s top leagues, the play-off format to decide each division’s champions is making for a thrilling finale. In England, there are still six clubs who could become champions and the situation is the same in France. In the Pro 12, the top four is decided, but the order—and who will earn home advantage in the semi-final—is yet to be settled. In France, the top two, who will also contest the Champions Cup final this weekend, both got beaten, while there were several changes behind English leaders Northampton in the Premiership. The Pro 12 promises... 

Biggest Winners and Losers in World Rugby for Weekend of April 24-26

The countdown is ticking toward this year’s Rugby World Cup, with excitement building not just for the tournament itself, but also because of the club transfer drama set to unfold in its wake. This weekend saw Toulon confirm their latest superstar capture with the signing of fly-half Quade Cooper, but as the French giants record a major coup, the Queensland Reds also mark Cooper’s departure as a major loss. North of the equator, this weekend also saw the Aviva Premiership transform in a major way with Northampton Saints, Wasps and Gloucester among those recording some magnificent wins. Those... 

Best XV in World Rugby for Weekend of April 24-26

Europe waits with bated breath as Toulon and Clermont prepare for the upcoming Champions Cup final, but the quality of rugby on display this week took no respite. Northampton Saints claimed a crucial win over fellow heavyweights Saracens to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership, while Super Rugby’s Hurricanes rediscovered their stride. Scanning the brightest performances from both sides of the equator, we’ve compiled a lineup of this weekend’s best performers, a slideshow in which individual magic takes precedence over team results. Begin Slideshow  Read More →

London Welsh’s Chris Hala’ufia Cleans Out Streaker, Gets Sent Off Later in Match

Mental note: Streaking at a rugby game is not a great idea. One poor soul found that out on Saturday when he ran onto the pitch during London Welsh‘s clash with Leicester. London Welsh No. 8 Chris Hala’ufia spied the streaker and then cleaned him out with a crushing tackle. To the streaker’s credit, he did manage to run away, seemingly unhurt. That put Hala’ufia’s testosterone levels through the roof, though, as he was later sent off in the match for a brutal tackle during the game itself. [Daily Mail] Read more Rugby Union news on BleacherReport.com  Read More →

Sam Burgess Needs Swift Improvement in Order to Clinch Rugby World Cup Place

A wave of expectation inevitably followed rugby union convert Sam Burgess on his travels to Bath last summer, but the Rugby World Cup hopeful is desperately short on time to make the showpiece tournament this autumn. With just three weeks of the regular season remaining, Burgess has five weeks including the play-offs at most to prove his candidacy for Stuart Lancaster’s England squad and it could be a losing battle. The former South Sydney Rabbitohs icon recently made a switch to blind-side flanker, having tried (and largely failed) to thrive at centre under Mike Ford. Friday will see the... 

Leicester vs. Rough Riders: 5 Bold Predictions for the ‘Independence Cup’

English club rugby will go on show in the United States this summer when Leicester Tigers take on the Rough Riders. The game is being staged in August to help launch a professional league in the States, the National Rugby Football League, per the BBC. The game is set to take place in Philadelphia between the east Midlanders and a “team made up of former National Football League (NFL) athletes, college American football players and collegiate, club and international rugby players.” Here are five bold predictions for what might happen. Begin Slideshow  Read More →

5 Stars of Rugby League Who Failed to Make the Grade in Rugby Union

The path between rugby league and rugby union has been well trodden in both directions over the years. Before the union game shook off its amateur status in the mid 1990s, it suffered a drain to the smaller code, with stars such as Martin Offiah, Scott Quinnell, Jonathan Davies and Scott Gibbs all opting for stints in league. But since the beginning of the professional era in union, the tide has turned and many of league’s biggest stars have left their northern roots behind to have a crack at the 15-man game. Sam Burgess is the biggest star since Jason Robinson to try his hand at making the... 

All Blacks Have Depth to Cover Aaron Cruden Injury at World Cup

When it was announced yesterday that Aaron Cruden would likely miss the Rugby World Cup, the feeling around New Zealand was one of disappointment, not panic. There is depth to cover for the loss of Cruden, but it certainly is a cruel blow to someone who has worked so hard. It shows the state of New Zealand rugby in the fly-half position, they have come a long way. Four years ago when Dan Carter went down in the pool stages of the 2011 World Cup, to say the nation panicked would be an understatement. It was more of a national emergency. There was no clear back-up and while Cruden, Colin Slade and... 

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