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…
England’s Lights Shine Brightly In France
You need to experience at first hand the scary moments when the French rugby touchpaper is lit and attackers seem to come at you from all sides with bewildering speed. I remember this when England played France in 1992 in the gladiatorial Parc de Princes, French backs and forwards poured through imaginary gaps in the […]
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 […]
Stuck In The Middle – An English Dilemma
I remember making my ‘second’ England début in 1986 against Wales at Twickenham. Opposite me was John Devereux, Bridgend, Lions and Rugby League International on his eventual CV. He was one of a multitude of top class Welsh centres in the game at that time. I was instructed to break the gain line and it […]
Scotland Provide First Real Test For English Revival
They say lightning doesn’t strike twice. My first Six Nations weekend’s successful predictions were not replicated due to a disallowed last minute try at Murrayfield. My old playing colleague, Jeff Probyn, dredged up in his media column the ‘non-try’ by Tony Stanger which won the Grand Slam for Scotland in the infamous ‘Grudge’ match as […]
England’s Centres of Attention
Another wild weekend of high scoring Premiership rugby indicates, besides attacking intent, either a total lack of defence, pressure or an insatiable lust for losing bonus points! Either way the sizeable crowds are loving it although the defence coaches will be tearing their hair out. The clubs seem to be taunting Steve Borthwick who will […]
England Excitement Builds From European Renaissance
Some people write almost as much about the format of Rugby’s Champions Cup as they do about the rugby itself. I know from experience and particularly when Covid had such an impact a couple of years ago. Well, we have been treated to four special weekends and with more to come in the Round of […]
Triple helpings for a Rugby Super Saturday
The dysfunctional nature of our underperforming club game in England was never more obvious than at the weekend as two of the country’s best players in their position could not appear for the top of table clash between Sale and Saracens.
Chalk and Cheese in thrilling Six Nations weekend
We can safely say that the Rugby World Cup will be epic. Enough teams have worked out that high intensity attacking rugby will be the only way to win. Some sides are fine-tuning their approach and we saw that this weekend. One or two others are yet to start…
Dark Clouds in Cardiff overshadow Six Nations onfield dramas
There have been some truly great moments in the Six Nations to date but sadly overshadowed by the off-field mismanagement we have known for a while would come to hurt the game.
