French rugby ace Franck Mesnel is bringing his trademark flair to the off-field game June 29, 2015 Ex-Bleus star Franck Mesnel tells Joe Hall about his clothing brand Eden Park If there is one thing Franck Mesnel is hoping for from this year’s World Cup other than a France victory, it is lots of entertaining and attacking rugby. The former French fly-half’s fashion brand, Eden Park, is informed and influenced [...]
Mike Brown set to reprise England role as Stuart Lancaster rings changes for clash August 18, 2015 Full-back Mike Brown is set to play his first match since February after England head coach Stuart Lancaster made wholesale changes for his side’s World Cup warm-up clash with France in Paris on Saturday. Brown has not played since being knocked unconscious during England’s Six Nations clash with Italy but is one of 14 new [...]
Rugby Comment: Question marks remain but Sam can be the man September 25, 2015 I’M not surprised that Stuart Lancaster has gone with Owen Farrell and Sam Burgess at 10 and 12 for England against Wales on Saturday. The most important thing for this match is to have a very, very strong defensive line. Wales will want to get over the gainline and those two probably won’t let them. [...]
Accenture RBS 6 Nations app: Supporters reaping the benefit from rugby’s expanding digital revolution July 26, 2015 Technology gurus driving innovation which presents fans with new levels of interaction The explosion of social media in recent years has transformed human behaviour and interaction. Notably, it has changed the way we watch television, and live events. For many, it is no longer enough to be somewhere, watching something. It must be shared [...]
24 October on this day… October 23, 2014 1999: Martin Johnson walks off after England crash out of the Rugby World Cup in Paris. England led 9-8, but a record five second-half drop-goals by South Africa fly-half Jannie de Beer left them stunned and 44-21 losers. Coach Clive Woodward kept his job, though, and led England to glory four years later.
Super Rugby goes global: Argentinian and Japanese franchises to join from 2016 November 20, 2014 The most prestigious club competition in southern hemisphere rugby will have franchises from Japan and Argentina added to its ranks from 2016. Super Rugby currently features 15 franchises from established rugby union heavyweights New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. The competition will be stretched to 18 teams after the participation of teams based [...]
From Volkswagen and Glencore to the Black Cab protest: Here’s what got us talking this week September 25, 2015 There was an alarming protest in Croydon (with an excellent response from Debenhams). There was an eyebrow-raising development in the world of robotics. And somewhere in the CIty, some window cleaners were left hanging. On the side of skyscraper. For several hours. Here's what got us talking this week Could you fall in love with [...]
What would Fifa under wannabe president Michel Platini look like? Sepp Blatter’s potential successor on the Qatar World Cup, FFP, goal-line technology and sin bin punishments July 29, 2015 Michel Platini is the bookies' favourite to replace Sepp Blatter as Fifa president after the current Uefa boss confirmed his intention to stand as a candidate in next year's election. Read more: Uefa boss Michel Platini will run to replace Sepp Blatter A legendary player, Platini has been more divisive in his role as a football [...]
England to start march towards World Cup with victory over Wallabies November 27, 2014 AFTER months of careful planning, preparation, and fans’ anticipation, England’s Autumn Internationals all comes down to this. The Red Rose will run out at Twickenham tomorrow for the final time of 2014 to take on Australia, knowing that yet another defeat to a Southern Hemisphere side will cast serious doubt on their ability to emerge [...]
Lancaster handed fresh World Cup headache by Cipriani arrest June 2, 2015 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster will conduct his side’s World Cup preparations burdened by the uncertainty surrounding Sale fly-half Danny Cipriani, who was arrested on suspicion of drink driving just hours after starring against the Barbarians on Sunday. Cipriani was breathalysed after his Mercedes was involved in a collision in the early hours of Monday [...]