Crunch Time Approaches for England and Scotland

When I was in the UK last week, I attended a charity function in the company of many great names in Welsh Rugby, both on and off field. One was Jonathan Davies, the Scarlets centre who’s outstanding in any era. His highlights reel showed how much the national side miss players like him and the […]
Red Roses Must Not Wilt Under Extreme Pressure Of A Home Tournament And Favourite Status.
August 20, 2025 Possibly the biggest event in Women’s sport takes place in the UK from Friday night onwards, namely the Womens’ Rugby World Cup 2025. Let us park the fact that The Red Roses of England are the hottest favourites of any team in any sporting competition ever – perhaps other than when Tiger […]
Team Ethic Drives Success At The Top For Lions And Lionesses
Sport can be cruel, beautifully so, and this past weekend was a perfect example. The aptly named Lions and Lionesses went hunting and came back with the spoils. But that is only half the story. First the Euros – World champs and the No1 rated side Spain weren’t really going to fold against the scrapping, […]
A Champion Week For Rugby

In 1991, as I strived for a starting place on the wing against the mighty All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup…
Rugby Imbalances Laid Bare Amidst The Glory Of Success

This was a weekend to celebrate English Rugby without doubt. In all honesty either of the two possible Red Roses squads could have completed the Grand Slam but the entire group deserve huge congratulations.
Springboks Explore The Art Of The Possible

Ireland and South Africa, the two best sides in the world, have been pre-eminent in integrating new players seamlessly into their squads. That much has been obvious in the last few weeks if not years. All nations have their eye on 2027 and it is no secret that…
A European Rugby Special comes to London

So it came to pass that the two National proxies of Irish and French rugby came through the sternest of tests to set up a Champions Cup Final which already has us salivating and could surpass anything that the designated venue of Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium has hosted in any sport. I always say that […]
Red Roses In Bloom For Grand Slam Decider

It is a truism in sport that you can only play the opposition in front of you. So it was at Twickenham when the ‘Red Roses’ England Women’s team inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Irish to set up a decider in Bordeaux against France – English teams can win in Bordeaux, n’est-ce pas? Ask […]
Harlequins Paint Vivid Colours Across Europe

The multicoloured maverick club that is Harlequins book-ended my rugby career. A mid-Varsity flirtation with this amazing club was certainly fun…
Can England Light It Up In Lyon?

For those who do not know, England’s last 6 Nations destination, Lyon, has an amazing history dating back to Roman times. Also the Festival of Light ( Fête de Lumières) on December 4th each year is an incredible event based on a city’s prayers to the Virgin Mary against a 17th Century plague. Lyon is also a culinary […]