Sporting Wine Club
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Events22 September 2026
Schalk Burger Wine Tasting (7th October, 6pm) - London
Special wine-tasting event with Springbok legend Schalk Burger Snr.
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Hallers Playbook21 August 2026
Sporting Champions with a Smile as young rugby guns seek game time
Just when we thought there was sporting downtime in this impossibly arid summer, along came the European Athletics Champs in Birmingham. What struck me most, apart from the exceptional performance across the British squad both individually and collectively (the relays, wow!), was the sheer enjoyment
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Hallers Playbook1 August 2026
Bath Rugby On The Cusp Of History
The great and much missed Jack Rowell stalked the changing room as we all absorbed the sobering defeat by Leicester Tigers up at Welford Road in January 1983.
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Hallers Playbook24 July 2026
Overcoming the pain of sporting failure
I never tire of quoting Nelson Mandela, especially when he had so much to say about sport, and personified the most unifying moment ever experienced which brought a nation together. His concept of success was illuminating -'I never fail. I either win or learn'.
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Hallers Playbook16 July 2026
The intoxicating power of Sporting Emotion
The profusion of sport this last two weeks has been unprecedented, given the new Rugby Nations Championship to go alongside a Football World Cup in the world's biggest and most expensive sporting arenas…
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Hallers Playbook10 July 2026
The Three Lions Roar with defiance and unite a nation
These are the moments all International sports people dream of - walking out onto an intimidating foreign field, against the odds and at fearsome altitude…
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Hallers Playbook24 June 2026
Prem Trilogy Shows England The Way Forward
What a final wrap up for the Prem season. It was truly memorable for a number of reasons. The best four sides, evidently, two local derby semi-finals and a veritable pageantry atmosphere were everything that the marketing teams could have wished for in their wildest dreams.
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Hallers Playbook9 June 2026
A View From The Cape: Anyone Fancy A Lump Of Scrum With Their Tea? No, I Take Mine With Centres
Having spent the last two years in South Africa, a land of great rugby contrast, home of the scrum but also of Sacha Feinberg-Mgnomezulu, I had to smile as a clear clash of philosophies…
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Hallers Playbook8 June 2026
A View From The Cape: The 'Auld' Business Of Rugby - Leadership
There will not be a single article to do justice to this theme, which is debated and pondered over in both the theory and practice.
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Hallers Playbook26 May 2026
A Tale Of Two Cities - From Bilbao To Blackheath
We are at the business end of the season and time to pay tribute to top performances wherever they are in our rugby world.
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Hallers Playbook26 May 2026
Rugby Centres At The Heart Of Our Game
This is a week when the saddest of news has grabbed the headlines. The sudden passing of Scott Hastings has awoken much emotion in the rugby world, and this was a man whose greatness existed as much off as on the pitch.
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30 April 2026
New Wines From South Africa!
When Bismarck and Jannie Du Plessis combined with Richie Gray to set up a wine initiative deep in the heart of South East France at Valcombe, it was to be unique. They erected rugby posts inside the vineyard, and the grapes produced from the vines surrounding those rugby pitches have created t
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17 April 2026
The Big 'little moments' Separate The Winners From The Losers When It Really Matters
Firstly, let us celebrate a contest for the ages, showcasing English club rugby in rude health, with scenes of intense drama at the iconic Recreation Ground, often voted the most picturesque rugby venue in the world. As someone who played there and lived in the city for a decade, I can certainly att
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Hallers Playbook9 April 2026
Champion Rugby Weekend As Big Guns Look To Bilbao
It may be a few years since I relinquished the Chair role at EPCR but it doesn't prevent a sense of pride at the continuation of Six Nations-like drama in the world's top rugby club competition.
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20 March 2026
A Six Nations Tournament to Excite the Whole Sporting World
First, some plaudits which may have been missed in the sensational last weekend of a 6 Nations series which had everyone on the edge of the sofa or else hiding behind it. Ireland have won 5 trophies in the last 5 years, a record a certain other country and many others would give their right [&hellip
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News30 October 2025
The Doddie5 - A Call To Arms
As we absorb the awful news of Lewis Moody's MND diagnosis, the statement from the RFU was very welcome.
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News1 May 2025
Sporting Wine Takes To The High Seas!
You may have noticed a rather large naval Vessel leaving Portsmouth recently…
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22 April 2025
Doddie Red Available to Pre-Order Now
Doddie was a dear friend of mine. While our playing careers coincided only momentarily, I got to know him well over the years. His infectious good humour and ability to poke fun at his own considerable achievements endeared him to many. When Kenny Logan, on behalf of MyName5 Doddie Foundation, appro
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17 March 2025
The Bledsoe Family Winery - Greg Sherwood MW Review
Greg Sherwood MW knows his wines. He sampled and reviewed the latest vintages of our US winemakers, Drew Bledsoe and Josh McDaniels, and nothing came out at less than 94/100 - incredible! You can purchase all of their range here and you can read the reviews on Greg's website here.
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News23 November 2024
New Wine Partnership with Bath Rugby
Sporting Wine Club and Hallgarten & Novum Wines are privileged to have teamed up to deliver a wide-ranging portfolio of wines to Bath Rugby. With over 90 years of experience, Hallgarten Wines is one of the leading distributors of premium wine in the UK, and partner with a number of sporting venues a
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