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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.
Barbarians bring first-phase innovation to TwickenhamThe Barbarians come together from all corners of the globe to socialise and cobble together a loose strategy – with strictly equal emphasis.
When they perform as they did this weekend, running in five fabulous tries past the Wallabies, the legendary invitational side encourages smiles around the world. Though Sir John Kirwan’s charges went down 40-36, they will have stirred youngsters everywhere to shake off shackles and try things – a fantastic legacy.
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.
A helping hand to steal possessionMurray Kinsella analyses the importance of the second player to the breakdown in securing turnover possession in the ruck. We see examples where Saracens’ Kelly Brown Ulster’s Franco van der Merwe and Louis Ludik provide stability and strength to the player stealing possession in the ruck.
Wayne Smith: Mindset of a champion Part 1 of 3Wayne Smith “fell into” coaching while playing in Italy after the end of his first-class rugby career in New Zealand. Ten years later he steered the Crusaders to their first (of many) Super Rugby titles.
In the first of a series of three videos, Wayne lays down his recipe for coaching success. And it starts with learning and sharing.
Scarlets show grit and opportunism to make their own luckAdaptability and opportunism are pivotally important tools for sporting success. And rugby is no different. In fact, the disruptive weather conditions of a northern hemisphere winter – always cold, often wet – place heightened emphasis on these inherent qualities.
Scarlets’ victory over Leicester Tigers on Saturday gave us a perfect example of a side ‘winning ugly’.
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?
Is the spiral kick becoming a rarity?Murray Kinsella recently spoke to Ronan O’Gara about the spiral kick, O’Gara “actually woke up the other night thinking about it. Who’s spiralling the ball now?” Is the spiral kick option becoming a rarity in the game with players not having the confidence to execute the skill under pressure?
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.
Murray is the key man for MunsterMurray Kinsella takes a look at how Munster coaches Foley and Walsh are building a game plan around Conor Murray. In Munster’s recent win over Scarlets Murray’s organisation abilities and decision making were key in a remarkable 27-phase passage of play culminating in a try.
