If anyone was under any illusions about the decreasing importance of paying rugby fans in general, and Ireland supporters especially, then a cursory glance at the 2026 Six Nations fixtures will confirm as much. The schedule was released on Monday and heaven knows how much bartering went into the negotiations between the various broadcasters (France … Read more
Rugby Fans’ Top Stadiums: A Global Bucket List CITY – May 10, 2024 – Where should rugby enthusiasts go next? This global stadium bucket list highlights 20 must-visit venues across multiple continents. From the iconic Ellis Park in Johannesburg to the scenic Central Coast Stadium, Gosford, the featured locations offer unique experiences. Explore the rich … Read more
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has announced it will move away from a model of four evenly funded clubs after Ospreys and Scarlets did not sign up to its new Professional Rugby Agreement. The agreement (PRA25) had been signed by Dragons and Cardiff, who were last month taken over by the WRU having served formal … Read more
Simon Easterby has a point. When you start off a campaign strongly and finish it anti-climactic, winning four games out of five is viewed differently than if the results had been the other way around. It’s akin to a 2-2 or 3-3 draw in football when one team comes from two or three down. The … Read more
15 Blair Kinghorn (Scotland) Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn. Photograph: Julien De Rosa/AFP via Getty Images As is often the case, his game has gone to a different level since joining Toulouse. The stats don’t lie: the most carries (86, and 23 more than any other player), most metres gained (575, over 200m more than any … Read more
Six Nations: Wales 14 England 68 England took the Six Nations title race to its final game after destroying Wales 68-14 in Cardiff. Steve Borthwick’s team guaranteed themselves a top-two finish, ahead of favourites France hosting Scotland, in emphatic bonus-point fashion but Wales were condemned to a second successive wooden spoon and 17th Test defeat … Read more
The expectation to win can be slightly claustrophobic, especially at a venue where success has been rare and, on the triumphant occasions, hard fought. As a player those victories are the ones that provide the most satisfaction, where there is a feeling of pride in managing that environment to forge a positive outcome. Ireland’s performance, … Read more
Wales deserved the redemptive tone taken in the media acknowledging an excellent display that for large swatches of Saturday’s game at the Principality Stadium looked like it might lead to an unlikely victory. Interim coach Matt Sherratt elicited a performance in his first game in charge that saw Wales lead 18-10 at one point before … Read more
Under interim coach Matt Sherratt, Wales would, Matt Williams assured us prematch, get “a dead cat bounce”, but his question was: “How high does a dead cat bounce?” Joe Molloy had no answer, possibly never having experimented in this area. “Not very high,” Matt informed him, sounding like a man who had. Come half-time, though, … Read more
Statistics, the last refuge of the scoundrel. And I’d know. One that caught the eye was that Ireland had just 47% possession in their first two games – the second lowest after Italy (44%) – but they have enjoyed more territory (56%) than any other side and made more entries into the opposition 22 (22) … Read more