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News & Opinions articles
Topical articles and commentary on rugby events around the world.
All Blacks' Scottish experiment almost backfiresThere is a fine line between arrogance and experimentation. The All Blacks almost crossed it in Edinburgh. They deserve credit for their composure and ability to grind out a win when not at their best, but for 75 minutes, the All Blacks were in serious strife.
Dan Carter: coming back from adversity (part 1)Mental resilience is often an overlooked factor in sport, but it’s an essential part of the makeup of all champion athletes. Dan Carter is a prime example of this trait.
Following his return to the All Blacks’ No.10 shirt for the first time since the victory over England almost a year ago, Carter reflects on the ‘dark days’ of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and his determination to return to his very best for New Zealand’s defence of the sport’s biggest prize next year.
England come up short against the SpringboksSouth Africa’s narrow 28-31 victory at Twickenham reinforced that England’s player’s decision making and mistakes are costing them against the world’s top teams.
Word from Rats: Look beyond the scoreline at Soldier FieldAs we approach another great weekend of Autumn International matches the dust has well and truly settled at Chicago’s Soldier Field after the sell out All Blacks Vs USA Eagles match.
Far too much of the post-match debate has focussed on the scoreline and not enough about the wider context of profile and exposure for the game in a nation that has an insatiable appetite for sport.
WSU starts off their season with a winWashington State University Rugby Club won’t play their first game of the season until this weekend, but they have already got a win on the board.
Simon Newkirk, a WSU rugby player and keen member of The Rugby Site completed our survey and was the lucky winner of 12 months’ access for all coaches at the club.
England’s latest loss to the All Blacks was flatteringSpin it any which way you please, England’s latest loss to the All Blacks was flattering. Their fifth successive loss to the All Blacks told us they can’t yet stick with the world’s best for 80 minutes. Forty minutes yes. Eighty, no.
England come frustratingly close againDespite England rattling the All Blacks in the first half, England lost out 21-24 at Twickenham yesterday as Richie McCaw and his men saved their best till last.
Taranaki show pride in the shirtLiam Napier on Taranaki’s ITM Cup Premiership final win, and how pride and passion for the team has contributed to their success against the traditionally strong teams this season.
Ending Canterbury’s six-year reign in this competition Taranaki and other ‘underdog’ team’s success has sparked an increased interest in the provincial competition this season. The buy in from all the team shows what can be done with the right mix of players and collective passion.
SBW stars as All Blacks carve up Soldier FieldChicago’s Soldier Field has played host to a wide variety of events in its 90-year history ranging from American football to opera and boxing to ski-jumping.
Sonny Bill Williams, perhaps a modern day match for legendary Chicago Bears running back Walter ‘Sweetness’ Payton, took centre stage as the All Blacks routed the hapless US Eagles 74-6.
Success for USA Rugby despite a big scorelineDespite a big scoreline against the USA Eagles Chicago, the Test match against the All Blacks is been hailed as a success for the sport in the US.
NH teams look to make a statement against the All BlacksWorld champions New Zealand venture north in the coming days and they will look to extend an enviable record against Europe’s finest. The All Blacks have suffered just three defeats to Six Nations opposition on the 11 tours they have embarked on since Italy joined the northern hemisphere’s premier championship in 2000.
England, Scotland and Wales all have a perfect opportunity to bloody the nose of the world No.1 side in the coming weeks. But how?
USA v New Zealand: a stepping stone to build rugby globallyThe United States will play host to New Zealand at the iconic Soldier Field, the home of NFL side the Chicago Bears, on November 1 in a fixture that is as much a marketing exercise as it is a rugby match and one that it is hoped will propel the game in North America to unprecedented heights.
On the road with rugby charity Bhubesi Pride in AfricaRichard Bennett is a rugby missionary in the truest sense of the word.
Richard is the founder and driving force behind Bhubesi Pride, a rugby-based charity that organises annual rugby coaching expeditions for education and development in Africa.
The charity has visited ten countries to date on a quest to unite African children through rugby while addressing health education and life skills, empower local people with equipment, resources, training and knowledge and inspire sustainable development.
Lancaster locked in until 2020For most people it’s difficult to know whether you will have a job next week – let alone 2020 – unless, it seems, you are Stuart Lancaster.
England’s head coach has just put pen to paper on a six-year contract extension with the Rugby Football Union in what can be seen as a ringing endorsement of his achievements both on and off the field since taking charge in March 2012.
Grenoble find French flair in a structured approachFrench rugby has always had something of an issue with structure. However, this season has seen something of a revolution in little old Grenoble, where the structured rugby being coached by Irishmen Bernard Jackman and Mike Prendergast has seen the club introduce their own brand of ‘French flair’.
Savea the trump card in a deck full of acesAnother year, another title for the all-conquering All Blacks.
Saturday’s clinical 34-13 victory over Argentina set the seal on a third consecutive Rugby Championship crown with one round still to play.
Steve Hansen’s side continue to set the standard with a brilliant blend of precision, power and flair perhaps best personified by the phenomenal talent that is Julian Savea.
Premiership bosses hope money can buy happinessGraham Jenkins dissects the implications of Premiership Rugby’s new £5.1m salary cap and expanded home-grown player ‘credits’. Will the new cap keep the big-spending French and Japanese clubs at bay? And will England’s homegrown talent thrive? Or will the new rules see the emergence of a 2-tier league of haves and have-nots?
Second-best Springboks?South Africa ran the All Blacks close in The Rugby Championship this weekend, adding to their credentials as the second ranked team in the IRB rankings a year out from Rugby World Cup.
Maggie Alphonsi on her World Cup win and retirementMaggie Alphonsi, The Rugby Site contributor, talks to us about winning the World Cup, the drive that got her and the team there, and her thoughts on retirement.
Premiership is the hot ticketWith the World Cup only a year away and the RFU keen to increase the fan base, The Aviva Premiership is in the spotlight. Will we see fast, running rugby and a torrent of tries?
Premiership clubs roll out artificial turfNewcastle Falcons’ decision to install a hi-tech artificial pitch at Kingston Park makes them the second club in England’s top flight to ditch a traditional grass playing surface. The new generation of materials promises a faster and more entertaining game, and safety concerns appear to be a thing of the past.
Don't cry for ArgentinaA desperately disappointed Argentina came agonisingly close to their first Rugby Championship victory over South Africa in Salta last Saturday. And it’s not about to get any easier with New Zealand and Australia and thousands of air miles looming in the coming months.
But Argentina are not complaining. They deserve their place in this most brutal of competitions.
Bledisloe draw leaves Aussies with hollow feelingThe Wallabies denied the All Blacks a record 18th consecutive victory with a 12-12 draw in Sydney on Saturday night.
But Australia should have won.
A rare victory would have further fuelled the feel-good factor in Australian rugby generated by the Waratahs’ recent Super Rugby triumph. Instead, the Wallabies find themselves trudging to Eden Park, the graveyard of Bledisloe dreams since David Campese and Simon Poidevin spearheaded the series victory of 1986.
France 2014: Women's Rugby comes of ageThe Women’s Rugby World Cup has been a remarkable success, and things have never looked better for the women’s game. France 2014 has seen marked improvements from a number of different countries, in skills, physicality, and athleticism, as well as huge growth in spectator numbers.
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Cheika inspires Waratahs to historic Super Rugby victoryWith the NSW Waratahs’ victory in the Super Rugby final, Michael Cheika is now the first coach to have captured the most-prized domestic titles in both the southern and northern hemispheres.
Graham Jenkins looks at how Cheika’s unconventional approach and management team turned around the ailing franchise.
German lessons from the 'other' World CupGermany showed at the FIFA World Cup that they are the world’s best football team. Graham Jenkins looks at what RWC contenders can learn from the success of coach Joachim Löw and Die Mannschaft
Top coaches travel far and wide to learn from other sportsGood coaches never stop learning, and the off-season gives a coach good opportunities to take on fresh thinking from other codes. Graham Jenkins looks at where some of the UK’s top rugby coaches are finding expert advice – and in some cases, hiring the experts themselves.
Will money talk in Super Rugby expansion debate?Singapore or Japan? Graham Jenkins tries to predict which country will be chosen as the first Asian Super Rugby franchise.
Rugby in English schools: still an elitist sportWill English rugby ever shake its elitist reputation? Should the RFU do more to increase playing opportunities at state schools?
England let their standards slipEngland’s first half fiasco against the All Blacks brought home some unpleasant truths to Stuart Lancaster and his team. Graham Jenkins reflects on the final test in Hamilton.
