Biggest Winners and Losers in World Rugby for Weekend of December 26-28

The Christmas period can often make a dent in the momentum of some sports; thankfully, rugby isn’t one of them. As the festive schedule rolled around, Europe’s bastions kept on chugging away at their normal pace, with certain Aviva Premiership, Pro12 and Top 14 sides even managing to outdo themselves in the frost. It wasn’t such a jolly time for all, though, so while the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Newport Gwent Dragons and Australia coach Michael Cheika had cause to be upbeat, Leinster and Cardiff Blues were among those less cheery parties. Read on for a breakdown of the biggest... 

Predicting the Winners of the 2014-15 Aviva Premiership Final

At the turn of the year and the mid-point of the regular Aviva Premiership season, it is an appropriate moment to assess which teams are best placed for an assault on the title in 2015. With the top four teams from the league playing off, current league standings and form are not of monumental importance, but they do give an indication of the state of the title contenders. Northampton Saints, the reigning champions, are the team to back for the Aviva Premiership again this year. Saracens and Bath in particular have a lot of quality across the squad, but Northampton have key additional ingredients... 

10 Best Games in World Rugby in 2014

Hopes are high for the entertainment rugby will bring in 2015, but before that campaign gets underway, we must first look back on the extravaganza that has been a top-class 2014. Here, we’ve ranked the top 10 matches to have taken place over the past 12 months, though many are in truth interchangeable depending on what one values as being conducive to real entertainment. Those in the southern hemisphere hierarchy are seen by many as the dominant figures in the sport right now, so it’s of little surprise to see such heavy hitters sitting atop our rankings. It’s also a running theme... 

England Rugby’s Top Five Players from 2014

England had the definition of a mixed 2014. Excellent in the Six Nations, where they were runners-up on points difference, a much-depleted side performed worthily in the first Test in New Zealand, before being undone in the other two. In the Autumn Internationals, they were nearly men again—losing to the All Blacks and South Africa, before rounding off with wins against Samoa and Australia. In considering England’s five best players of 2014, excluded are several players because of a lack of game time. Consistency across the year is rewarded here. That means that Ben Morgan, England’s... 

Joe Schmidt: World Rugby’s Coach of 2014

The year of 2014 saw Ireland take home the Six Nations crown and New Zealand walk off with the Rugby Championship, again. The All Blacks then came north and conquered all before them to round off a year that saw only a draw with Australia and defeat in South Africa blot an otherwise impressive record. Steve Hansen has even been able to develop greater strength in depth thanks to injuries and a rotation policy that has left him blessed with world class cover in almost every position—many of those positions with more than one deputy who would stroll into any other team. So it would be easy... 

O’Driscoll, Hammett Spot On: Skill and Aerobic Fitness Need More Emphasis

Brian O’Driscoll believes more emphasis needs to be placed on skill rather than size in the training of rugby players in the modern game. As was reported by Daniel Schofield of The Telegraph, O’Driscoll remarked that too many players are focused on weight training in the gym as opposed to developing their skills. It is a culture he believes has become inherent, particularly in European rugby, while New Zealand have embraced it less. He cited this as his reason for favouring the All Blacks at next year’s World Cup, stating that they have a good balance of skill and physicality. His... 

Power Ranking Europe’s Top 15 Club Teams After Weekend of December 19-21

The last pre-Christmas ranking follows a return to domestic action for Europe’s top clubs. In order to give them a rank, both league and European form is taken into credit, which means teams firing in both the Champions Cup and their league take top billing. In the case of teams playing in Europe’s second-tier competition, the Challenge Cup, if they are bombing on in their league as well as that tournament, this is given some weight, too. That’s the science, here are the standings. Begin Slideshow  Read More →

10 Bold Predictions for World Rugby in 2015

It’s a massive year for rugby that we’re heading into, with 2015 promising to hold as many a devilish twist and turn as any before it in the professional era. Of course, England’s Rugby World Cup sits highest on our list of must-watch occasions and as a result boasts particular prominence in our list of bold predictions for the 12 months ahead. Some calls are more audacious than others, but at such an early stage, each foretelling is certainly at risk of falling off the mark, taking both southern and northern hemisphere contests into account. Begin Slideshow  Read More →

Will Ma’a Nonu Leave New Zealand as an All Black Great?

No one has worn the No. 12 jersey for the All Blacks more than Ma’a Nonu. Despite having played at outside centre and on the wing at various stages of his career, Nonu has undoubtedly made the All Blacks No. 12 jersey his own in recent years.  But is he an all-time great? Having signed on to play for Toulon after next year’s World Cup, the end is now in sight for Nonu’s All Black career. At his very best, he had it all. A destructive runner with ball in hand, he gained go-forward with ease and used a well-rounded skill set to pose a threat in distributing and offloading.... 

Best XV in World Rugby for Weekend of December 19-21

The last weekend before Christmas produced some crackers across Europe’s best leagues to give us a strong World Rugby XV for the festive period. We were spoiled for choice at fly-half with plenty of No. 10s racking up impressive totals, while more than one No. 8 also enjoyed fruitful weekends. There were some reminders for a few Six Nations coaches, as a couple of players pressed their claims to start for their countries when the championship begins. There was a message, too, from England hooker Dylan Hartley, who still knows where his self-destruct button is, per the Guardian. For this selection,... 

« 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