The Battle of the Tigers Tall Men
The faithful on the Crumbie Terrace always have been massively appreciative of a foot soldier, a player who is willing to put his body on the line, week in, week out, and take one for the team. Back...
View ArticleThe Highs and Lows of a Sale Supporter
As I write this (Friday night) Sale Sharks are currently lying fourth* in the Aviva Premiership table. I’m only mentioning this now because I don’t think it’s something I’m going to be able to say...
View ArticleAll Tickety-Boo Down Gloucester Way
It’s just a few hours before the start of Gloucester’s second game of the 2013–2014 season; it’s against Saracens and I’ve just glanced at their team sheet. Given that our opening match against Sale...
View ArticleIt’s Only a Game…
Did we lose a game of rugby on Sunday, or did the world end? I can’t quite decide. I’m full admiration for the twenty-three Gloucester players who line up every week to do battle. In front of a...
View ArticleFord V Heathcote
I wrote last year about the difference between the two fly-halves at the time, Stephen Donald and Tom Heathcote. I thought the set-up was eminently sensible; the world cup winning almost veteran paired...
View ArticleSale in Europe: The Final Countdown
With the uncertainty over what next seasons European rugby tournaments will look like it is highly likely that this will be Sale’s last season in the Challenge Cup as we know it. It has been a good...
View ArticleToo Many Surprises…
I’ve had a funny old week. From the sublime – Will James and a roomful of mysterious pies – to the ridiculous – a Gloucester win that felt more like a loss. And it all started with the pies … When I’m...
View ArticleThe TOP FIVE Fan Favourites at Bath
With the announcement that fan favourite Tom Biggs will be leaving Bath at the end of this season to convert to Rugby League and join his home team of Hull FC, I started thinking about how and why some...
View ArticleGlaws on England Duty
Them were the days. Kicking a ball around with my brother in the garden and in those innocent times my one and only fantasy was about scoring goals for Manchester United and England (I was young and...
View ArticleIrish’s Kiwi Scotland Call
Blair Cowan has started his season off with a bang for London Irish. Being a key player in some important wins, the New Zealand born Flanker has settled in after his move from Worcester this summer....
View ArticleReviewing Sale’s Cosmopolitan Squad
As we have been playing in Europe for the past two weeks I thought I might take a look at the diverse nature of the Shark’s squad. Most fans will tell you that nothing heartens them more than seeing...
View ArticleSchoolboy Error or Part of the Gloucester Grand Plan?
All things considered we got pretty excited last year. Nigel Davies took over as Director of Rugby and arrived all suntanned and confident and proceeded to sail Gloucester Rugby out of the turbulence...
View ArticleLondon Irish Stars of the Future 2013/14
Last year saw me write an article on the top five players at London Irish to watch. These were players who were just breaking into the game and making their mark on a specific position. Among them...
View ArticleGood News and Bad News at Kingsholm
In an LV= Cup match at Kingsholm, while playing against Newcastle, both James Simpson-Daniel and Ryan Mills were stretchered off with serious leg injuries. Both were ferried off to London for surgery –...
View ArticleExclusive Interview: Topsy Ojo Chats To RugbyFanCast
Man of the moment Topsy Ojo has had ten years reigning over the Premiership. Today he announced a contract renewal to keep him at London Irish until the 2016/17 season and this weekend he’ll be playing...
View ArticleGloucester’s Autumn Term Report
By any stretch of the imagination we are not, I assume, in the position we hoped we might be when our Nige was planning things at the end of last season. I was therefore a bit surprised when I heard...
View ArticleExclusive Interview: RugbyFanCast Talks To George Skivington
I always find that when sitting down and interviewing captain of London Irish George Skivington, he brings positivity and a sense of philosophy to the table. This interview wasn’t any different....
View ArticleSale’s Half Term Report
As we come towards the end of the year and almost to the half way point of the season I thought I might grade what we have seen from the Sale Sharks so far this season… AVIVA PREMIERSHIP Having taken...
View ArticleExclusive: Rugby FanCast chats to Bob Casey
Today saw plenty of big announcements from London Irish; a take over, player signings and a redevelopment of the club structure were all on the agenda. In attendance at the press conference was ex-...
View ArticleExclusive: RugbyFanCast chats to Neal Hatley
Neal Hatley, who joined Bath’s coaching team in 2012, has had lots of experience with players going through the Premiership and International system after looking after the academy at London Irish. One...
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