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All Blacks can take Australia apart from set piece ball

Wayne Smith has a feeling that New Zealand could put a lot of points on a vulnerable Australia but he is not so sure about the outcome of the match between Argentina and South Africa in Mendoza

South Africa and Argentina Haunted by Fear

The greatest challenge to both South Africa and Argentina in their opening match of the Rugby Championship is to play without fear.

All Blacks Unpredictibility Gives Them An Edge

The hardest teams to defend against are the ones that are least predictable. The All Blacks have that edge.

Are Scrumhalves allowed to run with the ball?

The scrum half has become the most influential player in the game.

The Culture of Success

The marathon Super Rugby season is finally drawing to a close. It seems a long time since the Crusaders scraped home against the Blues in the first match of the competition at Eden Park in February. The Chiefs and Sharks both lost that first weekend, though are popular and worthy finalists, as they have consistently played enterprising rugby throughout the season.

Forwards have to think on their feet

Forwards are conditioned from a young age to make sure that they get to the breakdown, but sometimes it is the worst thing they can do

The Rolling Maul II

When the perfect rolling maul is on the move it is almost impossible to stop. It is like discovering the secret of perpetual motion. You cannot tackle a player legally. You cannot get at the ball. There is not much of a front to drive against. The only option left is to…infringe.

Rugby soon to end it's Olympic exile

Rugby union will not feature in the Olympic Games, but the sport will end its long exile in 2016 after a long battle by the International Rugby Board to gain admission, first by the late Vernon Pugh and then by one of his successors as chairman, Bernard Lapasset.

Bringing a top lineout drive back down to earth

Martin Johnson’s great Leicester lineout was a mighty hard thing to stop, but American Football provided a few clues

Victor Matfield: Lineout

COMING SOON…Victor Matfield shares with you the technical and tactical lineout skills he has developed over his playing and coaching career.

Financial dark cloud looms over Welsh rugby.

On the day that Gavin Henson signed for London Welsh, his fifth club in less than two years, the financial dark cloud looming over Welsh rugby grew darker.

Is rugby becoming another soccer?

In the amateur era, rugby was known as a tough game where justice was frequently administered by the players on the field.

The price of Anglo-Saxon stoicism

The tours showed, yet again, that there the game in New Zealand and Australia is fundamentally different to that in Europe.

The Rolling Maul Part I

Brendon Ratcliffe loves the rolling maul. If forwards are piano shifters, then the rolling maul is the Steinway of rugby.

South Africa v England

Heyneke Meyer has outsmarted Stuart Lancaster in the first two tests between the Springboks and England.

Australia v Wales

JG thinks that the afternoon test match in Sydney presents Wales with an opportunity to beat Australia in what will be their fifth encounter in nine months

All Blacks v Ireland

Without Dan Carter and five other changes to the starting lineup, have the All Blacks given Ireland a sniff of a historic first win in the final test of the series?

Take them out wide England

Playing for the shirt in England Sport has become conventional wisdom after England’s problems in NZ.

A Great Weekend of Rugby

While much attention will return to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa this weekend, there are other games which should not be ignored.

Mike Cron: The Scrum Setup Preview

Mike Cron shows you the key elements to ensuring a strong, safe and balanced scrum set-up.

Let the Battles Commence

A feast of international rugby awaits this weekend. JG makes his predictions.

An interview with Martin Castrogiovanni

Castro describes his scrummaging philosophies, his rugby idols and why he wants to share his skills.

Scotland’s splash and grab teaches Australia a beautiful lesson

Scotland’s shock defeat of Australia has Mark Reason waxing lyrical about the skillful delight of wet weather rugby

Rugby means more to South Africa

Getting to know the South Africans was a huge part of the All Blacks World Cup success

Lions Watch

There appears to be an abundance of riches in some positions but a dearth of talent in others.

Concussion

On rugby pitches around the world the IRB recommendation is regularly ignored.

Brad Thorn – the man and the mana

Wayne Smith pays his tribute to Brad Thorn and looks back on a few of the stories that define the man.

Castro Scrum II: Scrum Power

In this module Castro takes you through his scrum positioning techniques to produce the greatest power. Showing you how to build a stable set-up, work as a cohesive unit and how to make the greatest impact. “With the scrum it’s the small things, a small thing can change a lot.”

Will they never learn?

The abiding memory of the week leading up to last year’s world cup final was the almost unanimous belief in NZ that the All Blacks would win at a canter. It was a foregone conclusion. Game over before it started.

Irish eyes are dreaming

It will need a few more All Black injuries to justify Ireland’s increasing optimism about their chances against New Zealand this summer.