Scotland: Big Vern in charge, talent pushing through… but we dread another false dawn

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE, rugby fans. This time tomorrow night, all eyes will be on the Millennium Stadium for the big kick-off. Before that, we’re continuing our team-by-team guide as Rory Baldwin of the Scottish Rugby Blog gives us the lowdown on our Celtic cousins. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO Who will win the Six Nations? If it’s not …

‘I felt like a complete fraud’ – Being a World Cup hero was tough for Jonny Wilkinson

ASKING JONNY WILKINSON for an example to highlight how obsessive he was on the training pitch is like asking Roy Keane to remember a time when he got angry. “There are so many,” Wilkinson says with a laugh. He settles on one, and it is like something out of a rugby version of A Beautiful …

A former Ireland international has been tasked with maintaining Ulster’s production line

FORMER IRELAND INTERNATIONAL Kieran Campbell has been handed one of the tougher assignments in Irish rugby today as he was announced as Allen Clarke’s successor as manager of the Ulster academy. While the role doesn’t have the same sort of pressure that a provincial or national head coaching job has, the amount of talent that …

‘It’s difficult when you concede 20 or 30 kgs to an opponent’: Would Shane Williams make it in modern rugby?

Click:ecolchi collagen mask HE MAY HAVE only retired for good last month, but Shane Williams already feels like a throwback to a different age in rugby union. Resting back on a chair in a Dublin boardroom, still sporting that beard, he finishes typing an email on his phone while seats are taken up around him. …

Ireland Women go joint-top of Six Nations table after excellent win in Wales

Wales Women 0Ireland Women 20 AFTER DISAPPOINTMENT IN the Valleys yesterday, the Irish Women stepped up to the plate and delivered a strong message in their quest for their Six Nations title. After a tight opening in Swansea, Tom Tierney’s side took the lead in the 27th minute with flanker Paula Fitzpatrick pushing over from …

WWE announces new 2019 NXT Dates

New WWE NXT dates have been announced for 2019. January 24th, 2019: San Diego, California January 25th, 2019: Riverside, California February 7th, 2019: Toms River, New Jersey February 8th, 2019: Poughkeepsie, New York February 9th, 2019: Lowell, Massachusetts February 10th, 2019: Kingston, Rhode Island source: WWE.comClick Here: AFL Football Guernsey

Every moment is really special and every bit of playing time is precious

SOPHIE SPENCE OWES a lot to the man she calls ‘Goose’. After all, Philip Doyle is the coach who first brought the powerful lock into the Ireland set-up after spotting her at an Exiles training camp. With Doyle stepping aside after guiding Spence and company to a Grand Slam and a World Cup semi-final — …

Jonny Wilkinson quashes talk of England role

ENGLAND RUGBY ICON Jonny Wilkinson has played down reports suggesting he is about to take on a coaching role with his country’s national team. The 35-year-old, England’s record points-scorer in internationals, has been linked with a consultancy position aiding the side’s kickers ahead of this year’s World Cup. However, Wilkinson – who currently coaches at …

If you love champagne rugby, then today should be very important for you

125 YEARS AGO today a group of men gathered in Leuchters restaurant in Bradford and changed rugby history. No, they didn’t sit around downing pints of bitter and scoffing pasties on the way to creating the bish-bosh-bash Bradford Bulls. Instead, they conjured an invitational XV that would be committed to playing rugby the right way. …

Here’s what the French media are saying before Leinster’s clash with Toulon

THE42′S CHAMPIONS CUP semi-final weekend starts in Saint-Étienne for the clash between Clermont and Saracens, before we make our way down to Marseille for the contest between Toulon and Leinster. With the streets of Saint-Étienne curiously quiet and void of Saracens supporters this morning, we took the opportunity to take a glance at what some …