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"Never confuse motion with action."
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England’s Australian mastermind Eddie Jones loves to say things nobody believes.
None of the pools are picnics. To emerge from Pool A, the two Celtic favourites will need to navigate beefy Slavs, riproaring Samoans and avatars of the fired-up home nation, who have already proven they can shock a heavyweight on the global stage. But emerge they will.
“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,” famously pronounced Iron Mike Tyson in his heyday.
Edinburgh is a fine town to visit for rugby. Arriving at Waverley by train from London, one walks up a gentle stone ramp, directly into the middle of fun, new and old.
The Ancient Greek poet Archilochus once wrote this cryptic line: ‘A fox knows many things, but a hedgehog one important thing.’ Writers ever since have latched on to this organising idea, to categorise thinkers (and doers) as hedgehogs, who see the world through the lens of one clear concept or belief, or foxes, who have […]
Rassie Erasmus told us to judge him on three criteria: improved performance on the field, depth built for the Rugby World Cup, and ‘transformation.’ So far, he gets a B minus, and was quite close to an A minus.
The All Blacks have only lost consecutively to an opponent ten times in history.
Bald fans and balding coaches can be grumpy, but bountifully blonde ball-players like Ned Hanigan and Faf de Klerk seem always in good cheer.
‘How do you know Australia exists? I mean, how do you really know it is real? On what basis do you believe in Australia?’
Tenth-ranked Argentina and the sixth-ranked Springboks take their rivalry across the Atlantic, and all the way to the foothills of the Andes, to play a settling test under the reliably clear blue skies of Mendoza, heaven for foodies. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from 5:10am AEST.
Google ‘Cheika fired’ and the first result will be a Reuters article from early June of 2018, which discusses how ‘fired up’ Michael Cheika was to tangle with Joe Schmidt’s Irish squad.
Will Rassie Erasmus’ “Pooper” gamble of playing two opensiders with a link man and a classic fetcher on the bench pay off? Will Argentina return to form with the World Cup looming ever closer?
Super Rugby has the best names. Listening to Super Rugby commentators every weekend is a splendid cacophony of Spanish, Japanese, Xhosa, Sotho, Afrikaans, Tongan, Maori, or Fijian names stewed into an expressive anthem of speed and power.
Another June is gone, and hopes of beating the All Blacks lie in ruins again.
Despite beginning with two of the worst opening quarters in South African rugby history (and allowing a disgracefully soft try at the end of the first Test at Ellis Park), the Springboks rebounded.
Eddie Jones had Rassie Erasmus floored, gasping for breath, punch drunk, after twenty minutes of rugby at Ellis Park.
Conor Murray does not look like a scrumhalf. He’s too tall. He doesn’t wriggle. He’s not a gymnast. He does not have breakaway speed. His snipes are deceptively slow – he runs upright and fends. A halfback does not usually fend.
Since the Boer War, savagery has permeated the rugby rivalry between England and South Africa.
It’s all a really unfunny joke; the Stormers.
Super Rugby Round 2: Return of the Hairy Man
We, the panel, choose everything. Winners, philosophies, and meaning.
Welcome back to the big time, Quade Cooper
Nick, don’t think for a moment that you snuck the clear reference to Darwinist thought in Quade Cooper’s evolution by choosing a “beagle” as your farmyard hound. Woof!
Welcome back to the big time, Quade Cooper
Well done! And well read. But who’s keeping score?
Queensland: Beautiful one day, paying the bills the next
Okay, yes, I’ll do that.
My dream Rugby World Cup holiday: Yokohama, stunning scenery, and international rugby's greatest rivalry
Excellent article, Conor.
Big onus on fitness, this system.
The New England way: The John Mitchell defence
Baylion, can we have your coaches? We have the players…
Super Rugby Round 1 expert tips: Guess who’s back, back again
NB: You’ve kicked off a rucking maul of competing viewpoints and the comments contain more than a few high tackles and even some yellow cards. For me, I don’t see the pretty universal antipathy of the rugby-verse towards England’s national team as motivated by English fans’ behaviour. I actually find the average English fan to be funny, rather subdued, and quite interested in having a glass. It’s the English journalists, many of the players, the ethos or team ‘brand,’ and some of the coaches who have made them difficult to like. EVERY team has their fair share of knobs, but what I am saying is the English team is stocked full of players who just seem sour and cocky and good at being bad (Farrell, Hartley, Itoje, Ashton, Tuilagi, Marler, Sinckler), and Eddie Jones can be an absolute troll, and the journos from the Telegraph and Times are infuriatingly provincial. But the walk to Twickenham, and all the fan-to-fan stuff: always seemed great to me. Plenty of Saffa expats in those houses! Thus, boerewors for sale or shared for free!
Will England rule the world in 2019?
This wrap was rapt with readiness rap. Stormers are unready. Bulls even less. Lions have pride. Sharks preparing to prepare. Jags: dunno.
The Wrap: Super Rugby and the art of being ready when you’re not ready
We’ll see if England can remind Wales how to lose …
Ireland did not look authoritative in victory. Scotland was missing 20 squad players.
Seven talking points from Six Nations Round 2
Sexton will be 34 when he plays the biggest match of his life: a QF with big Boks or athletic All Blacks hitting him just as he passes and kicks. IF he can be healthy enough to play in that match.
All these "Six Nation" Tests are just World Cup preliminaries
So true. The things that were being written about Schmidt and Farrell and Sexton and the Irish pack! Basically, that they had invented a new form of rugby. It all looks very old school to me, heavily dependent on orders, shape, fitness, and CONFIDENCE. I like it very much. But others can get fit, form a shape, and get confident (from beating it).
All these "Six Nation" Tests are just World Cup preliminaries
Cheers, NB! I agree with you that it wouldn’t be a “carbon copy.” England did two main things very well: tactical kicks to a ragged back three, and snot-knocking smash-mouth gain line mastery. The Boks can do the latter, and will need to improve on the former. The All Blacks are not bad at the kicking game, when they want to do that, and I think they can pick a pack and a midfield that is at least the equal of England.
All these "Six Nation" Tests are just World Cup preliminaries
JN: Yes, this RWC makes teams go really deep into their squad, and rewards the “big” teams with RWC pedigree. So far, without fail. It’s a bit like the other World Cup. Not many Cinderella stories. Probably the faves will emerge from the pools, even if Fiji could scare Australia, but in the QF, I just think the underdog Boks will overcome Ireland, or the ABs will put them away.
All these "Six Nation" Tests are just World Cup preliminaries
Decent points, Neil, and impossible to refute, of course. For me, the Irish have become too coach-dependent, and also rise and fall too much on how well Murray-Sexton play, given that Sexton has a bit of the fragility that being 33 brings, and Conor is just a bit off the pace, now.
All these "Six Nation" Tests are just World Cup preliminaries
It is a tough run, but I would say the ARG-FR-OZ run won’t be as bothersome as the Irish QF vs SA or NZ. That must annoy Ireland. To be the best or almost best and your reward is facing ABs or the scary Boks in the QF!
All these "Six Nation" Tests are just World Cup preliminaries
Because our bus got lost somewhere in Benoni. Had to wear whatever they had lying around in the bus.
Super Rugby Round 2: Return of the Hairy Man