Rugby World Cup’s biggest problem – and how to fix it.
The Rugby Union World Cup 2019 has an inherent problem that favours top teams over the minnows. Continue Reading
RWC day five: Which Samoa will we get?
Three teams have yet to take their bow at the Rugby World Cup: the North American duo of Canada and USA, and Samoa who play tonight. Will they be one of the also-rans or a contender? Russia vs Samoa (7.15pm… Continue Reading
Some things we learned from RWC’s Super Saturday
Australia can get better – they have to The Wallabies eventually played well enough to beat Fiji but their start was poor. They got better once the subs came on, especially Will Genia and Matt Toomua and some are already… Continue Reading
Ireland and England take the Rugby World Cup stage
Super Saturday, or Sumo Saturday as one station called it, was always going to be a tough act to follow. And sadly, there will be no other day like it. Every other multi-game day is filled with at least one… Continue Reading
Best lineup in RWC 2019 schedule is today
Three massive games today at Rugby World Cup 2019, with the best lineup of games in the whole tournament schedule (all times in Japan). AUSTRALIA vs FIJI (1.45pm) Either a big 20-30-point win by the favourites, Australia, or a close… Continue Reading
Some quick thoughts on Japan vs Russia, RWC 2019
Japan recovered from a shaky start to get Rugby World Cup 2019 started with a 30-10 win over Russia in Tokyo on Friday. Here are a few things we learned from the game. We can’t say we weren’t warned The… Continue Reading
Japan vs Russia: opening game of RWC 2019
My very first RWC2019 match, Japan vs Russia, started with the Kimigayo being beautifully sung by singer and song writer, Ayaka Hirahara. The Kimigayo, Japan’s national anthem, boasts one of the oldest lyrics among world national anthems and also one… Continue Reading
Where the Rugby World Cup loses out to FIFA’s World Cup
While detractors of the Rugby World Cup often say that it is “always the same old teams” that win the Webb Ellis Cup, the reality is that the tournament has a very good record compared with other sports when it… Continue Reading
The Flying Fijians are due another outstanding Rugby World Cup
It’s a bit of a lull period in rugby, but that lull was broken with an almighty bang with the news that the Flying Fijians had beaten the Maori All Blacks for the first time since 1957. With the northern… Continue Reading
Super Rugby finals: what a waste of time
Of the 23 Super Rugby tournaments that have been completed, 16 have been won by the “minor premiers”; that is, the team that finished the regular season at the top of the competition table. In other words, only on seven… Continue Reading
Expected Paris 7s semifinal will decide World 7s rugby series
There is no actual final for the HSBC World Sevens Series, but the Fiji versus USA semifinal of the London 7s last weekend can safely be seen as Part 1 of the decider for this year’s series. And if things… Continue Reading
