Wallabies mugged at their own game to leave Kiss mulling hard lessons | Angus Fontaine
Old habits resurface as Australia fritter away advantage and allow All Blacks to mount aerial assault at Eden Park Les Kiss stood forlornly in the middle of Eden Park wearing a thousand-yard stare. The past 10 Wallabies coaches had all been where he was…
Sleightholme hat-trick fires up Northampton in 11-try blast of Bath
Prem Rugby: Northampton 71-48 BathSecond-highest scoring match in league’s historyChalk this up as a victory for the Northampton Knicks. In a remarkable match with 18 tries, 119 points were racked up and defence relegated to the merest of afterthoughts,…
The Spurs of Prem Rugby: how Harlequins lost their swagger
Marcus Smith’s return from injury offers hope but Quins appear a fragile side beset by entrenched problemsSpeak to anyone who holds Harlequins close to their heart and a word that often comes up is “fragility”. Fragile in defence against Gloucester last…
Is Prem rugby union turning into basketball? Nailbiters supply case for defence
Record try-glut in round one suggested all-out attack is en vogue, but maybe you can defend well and still concede tries in the modern game?After one weekend of the Prem season the feeling was we had crossed the Rubicon. A remarkable 52 tries, eclipsing…
Saracens’ Brendan Venter takes aim at ‘autocratic’ Prem over media duties
Technical director held court at club’s training base, comparing rugby to winemaking and claiming interviews ‘steal my joy’Brendan Venter began his long-awaited public appearance with head bowed, uttering one‑word answers and with a general demeanour…
Committed Sale beat non-vintage Saracens despite Vermeulen red card
Saracens 17-21 SaleJibulu, O’Flaherty and Bamber score Sale’s triesIt doesn’t always require a qualified ‘wine consultant’ to identify a non-vintage performance. Brendan Venter, whose ever-changing job title at Saracens has been a subject of debate all…
Louis Rees-Zammit scores two tries as Bristol defeat champions Northampton
Prem Rugby: Bristol 41-26 NorthamptonBears win opening two games for first time since 2023Louis Rees-Zammit may have been denied a hat-trick against Northampton but there is no doubting who stole the show as Bristol maintained their flying start to the…
Borthwick’s England reign remains full of contradictions with World Cup a year away
England’s identity under Steve Borthwick is not as clear as it should be this close to the tournamentIt was not so long ago that the Rugby Football Union would host an annual Christmas bash. Executives, head coaches, assistants, members of staff and an…
‘Rugby’s in people’s blood here’: mutiny rising in west Wales as Scarlets fight WRU plan
No one at Parc y Scarlets understands why they and the Ospreys are on the chopping block for the union’s proposal to cut a club by 2028Eight o’clock, Saturday night and at Parc y Scarlets the fans are starting to sing. Their scrum-half, Dane Blacker, has…
The four minutes that lasted a lifetime as Wallabies won all-time chaos classic | Jack Snape
One year from a home World Cup, in circumstances comically heroic, this was the match Australia neededWith four minutes to go, and four players down, Australia lead by two tries against the world champions in Perth. The Wallabies have been unbeaten in…