With three of the four top-ranked teams in action and Japan 2019 looming, focus and intrigue will be at fever pitchIn January spring still feels far away, never mind the summer beyond it. But the start of the Six Nations, like the first green shoots, is a sign they are on their way. The tournament starts with the first snowdrops and finishes with the first swallows. When this year’s edition is over, the World Cup will be only six months and six days away, and the six teams, their players and coaches, will have a handful of August warm-ups left to finish getting ready for the tournament they have been working towards these last four years and which, if they...
Now that the autumn internationals have been completed we take a look at the prospects for the opening stage in JapanIreland, Scotland, Japan, Russia, Samoa Related: Jacob Stockdale scores only try as Ireland earn historic win over All Blacks Related: England denied by All Blacks and late decision in Twickenham thriller Related: England overwhelm careless Australia with Kyle Sinckler power game Related: Liam Williams leads Wales to South Africa win and first clean sweep Continue reading...
At AT&T Park, men and women will share the stage. Under sudden-death rules, there will be no second chances for anyoneIt is perfectly possible that the USA men’s and women’s sevens teams will bring home two world titles this weekend, when the Rugby World Cup Sevens is played in San Francisco. Related: Perry Baker took USA to sevens gold in Vegas – now the hard work begins In sevens, seconds count. Everyone’s going to throw the kitchen sink from the start. I’m excited for it Related: 'It's in my blood': how rugby managed to unite America's elite Continue reading...
France will put on a good show but the vote to award it rather than South Africa a second World Cup has all the hallmarks of naked self-interestIt is worth keeping in mind on these occasions that rugby union usually strikes gold with its World Cup hosting decisions. Australia proved a runaway success in 2003 despite New Zealand’s de-selection as co-host, France staged a grand tournament four years later, an entire nation of rugby-mad Kiwis rose to the logistical challenge in 2011 and the record sums generated by England 2015 were matched only by the intense interest levels.Japan will be next up in two years’ time, offering Asia a deserved slice of the action. And now, in 2023, it will...
The end-of-year internationals were once viewed in isolation but these days every match is a station on a train trip that ends at the 2019 World CupPossession is once again nine 10ths of the score. A decade that started with teams scared of being caught in possession has relented: the ball is spending more time in hands than in the air and fireworks this November should explode beyond the fifth of the month.Rugby moves in cycles with fashions not so much changing as re-emerging after a vacation. When Eddie Jones was in charge of Australia in the 2000s, they were the masters of taking play through any number of phases, 30 or 40 at a time, waiting for the opposition...