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Topical articles and commentary on rugby events around the world.
Young Kiwi number tens show England the wayWhy England has a dearth of top international number 10’s compared to all the young New Zealanders who stood out in the first week of Super 15.
Players have a duty not to con the refSam Warburton says that the match against England was the hardest he has ever played in and he woke up the next morning feeling like he had been hit by a car
Mallett's international experience merits England job over rookie LancasterStuart Lancaster has restored respect and England’s commercial reputation, but they will need more than discipline if they are to win the 2015 World Cup.
Sometimes the players have to take the blameAndy Robinson has achieved a great deal in his time with Scotland even if employers don’t always look beyond results.
History points to another Wales Grand SlamEngland shut down Priestland but cannot break down a Wales team that is learning how to win tight matches.
Six Nations: a two-tone tournamentThe match of the round in the Six Nations this weekend may be Wales’s visit to Twickenham, but arguably more significant for the tournament itself is the meeting between Scotland and France at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Talented young Scots need to learn how to winNearly everything is against Scotland on Sunday, except for the fact that the Six Nations usually throws up one unexpected result.
The Reds remain the team to beatRichie McCaw previews the Super 15 season and predicts plenty of upsets but maybe a similar look to the semi-finals.
Super Rugby 2012 OutlookPredicting who will fill the play-off spots in Super Rugby is more difficult than ever this year. The competition has become a marathon with the grand final not due to take place until early August.
What price rugby loyaltyThe Brumbies and Hurricanes face daunting prospects with new and inexperienced squads facing the established aristocracy of Super Rugby.
Dan Lydiate can D-rail England freight trainSam Warburton says he admires Jonny Wilkinson and Steve Redgrave and wants Wales to emulate their professionalism.
Wales have the mental steel to beat EnglandShane Williams says that Wales will dig out a rare Twickenham victory by exploiting England’s lack of a genuine openside.
Gatland tells Wales to hit and runPaul Rees looks at Wales’s history against England at Twickenham and believes they will run from anywhere if they spot a lack of defensive cover
My position on the England jobWayne Smith sets the record straight on his interest in the England job.
The Blue Bulls don’t look pretty in pinkMark Reason looks at the Bulls new pink jersey design and wonders if he is on a yellow submarine lost in the sixties.
Dull England ploughs on through the snowPaul Rees watches lucky England plod to victory despite creating very little except a midfield full of cumbersome forwards
Robinson and Kidney may soon be looking for a new jobPaul Rees wonders if defeat at the weekend would mean the end for a couple of Six Nations coaches… Is history about to repeat itself? Two Six Nations coaches who had taken their teams to the previous year’s World Cup found themselves looking for a new job within weeks of the end of the 2008 tournament.
Ireland's front row holds the key to victoryGraham Henry believes that Ireland can overturn history in Paris.
Foul PlayA rugby league style “on report” system is being trialled by SANZAR for this year’s Super XV. One of the reasons given for the changes is the rather questionable goal of making life easier for referees on the field. The more sensible and, one would hope, primary objective is to achieve greater fairness and consistency in the treatment of foul play. A referee will be able to place a player “on report” if he suspects foul play or if a player makes an allegation against an opponent which the referee feels warrants investigation by the judiciary.
Trinh-Duc is number one in the top ten chartFormer All Blacks fly-half Wayne Smith looks at what the number tens bring to their teams in the Six Nations.
Parks deserved betterThe sudden retirement from international rugby of Dan Parks has come as a surprise to most. The timing of the announcement and the comments made by Andy Robinson suggest that Parks has been told his international days are over. Admittedly, he had a shocker against England but most players have games where everything they attempt goes wrong. He has been held responsible for Scotland’s inability to score tries.
6 Nations Round 1 ReviewAbsolutely everyone is rebuilding either their squad, their confidence or their coaching, in some cases all three. It was a perfect storm for England and the only way was up. Stuart Lancaster has reminded the current group of players of some standards and values which 99% of all England Internationals believe anyway. That was how far they had lost sight of reality. In the light of that, any win would do.
Lions WatchWith the Lions due to tour Australia next year, the Rugby Site brings you the first in a regular Lions feature where we review the latest games for winners and losers and suggest a team if picked today.
Welsh RenaissanceThis Welsh side came of age on Sunday at the Aviva stadium. True, their RWC adventures placed them firmly on the radar screen of world rugby. But there were the doubters who claimed they had seen it all before only for the dragons to revert to type before long. There were those who said that Wales had in fact underperformed at the World Cup. How could the hype and excitement be justified when they won 4 games, but managed to lose 3?
Disciplined England now need better teamwork to challenge the big threeFormer England coach Brian Ashton says that the outside-halves were the difference in the opening matches of the Six Nations weekend.
England pulls together to win uglyPaul Rees sees Scotland fail to convert a staggering 70 per cent possession into victory
France is set to win the ugly Grand SlamWayne Smith takes a look at France and wonders if Phippe Saint-Andre is about to usher in an age of austerity
Ireland and Wales need to play the mind gameGraham Henry believes Ireland and Wales have the world before them, but they must get smarter.
History says Wales have more chance of a slump than a slamPaul Rees looks at Wales’s injuries, their bad record in recent fixtures against France, England and Ireland and sees no reason to make them second favourites in this year’s Six Nations.
Please Mr Ashton, don’t kiss the roseMark Reason begs England to put an end to their culture of egotistical celebration
