As the game becomes faster and more attacking, some feel old-school flankers are becoming obsolete. But the masters of the turnover will always have their placeThere is a view that as the game becomes faster and more attacking, flankers like Sam Warburton are becoming obsolescent. Someone should tell Thierry Dusautoir after the former France captain last Saturday gave a vintage display at the breakdown to frustrate Wasps at the Ricoh Arena, at least for the first hour. Related: Eddie Jones: ‘I want England to be the best. You should never be satisfied’ Continue reading...
Rugby’s entertaining little brother was the unexpected star of the Rio Olympics but sevens remains the poor relation of the British gameSo where does the sport of rugby sevens go next? The easy answer is Wellington next week for the men, and Sydney the following weekend for the women: the HSBC Sevens World Series is truly a global merry-go-round. Las Vegas, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris, London: all are keenly awaiting the chance to host the unexpected star of the show at the Rio Olympics last year.Online research conducted last year by Nielsen Sports in the key markets of Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States suggested nearly 17 million new fans worldwide, particularly among women...
The Wales openside is set to relinquish the captaincy to Alun Wyn Jones and is under increasing pressure to justify his place in the side for the Six Nations. But a perception that his powers have diminished is not necessarily fairThe announcement of Wales’s Six Nations squad on Tuesday has been overshadowed by speculation that Sam Warburton, who has led the side since 2011, would be relinquishing the position before it was snatched away. The armband is set to be given to the second row Alun Wyn Jones, a 31-year old warrior whose relish for battle is undimmed by time.The captaincy issue sums up the transitional period Wales are going through. It is more to do with style than personnel...
World Rugby’s new laws may eventually result in fewer concussion cases but it will take time to remove legacy of rugby league’s influence on the 15-man gameWhen two rugby worlds collide, concussion is the outcome. Five players sustained head injuries during the draw between Saracens and Exeter last Saturday, but only one was due to a high/reckless/dangerous tackle. The rest were suffered by the tackler, going low and not getting his head position right.World Rugby’s two new laws govern tackles that involve contact with the head. Those who say there is nothing new about them and that they are a re-emphasis of what was already written down, should look at the governing body’s website which describes them as “new laws...
Eddie Jones and Ben Ryan both enjoyed a year to remember in 2016 with England and Fiji and we have entered an era where the coaches seem to have become an increasingly valuable commodity in the gameHere is a 2017 question to ponder: who is the most influential person in top-level rugby? In days of yore it was always the players and, for better or worse, the referee. More recently it could be argued it is the TMO or even the TV director who selects the key replays. Increasingly, though, we are entering a third age, with players, match officials and entire swaths of the media in complete thrall to one particular individual. Welcome to the era of the rugby...