The Llanelli Scarlets produced a memorable comeback against the Dragons at Rodney Parade, coming from 25-6 down at half time to win 27-25. They seemed out of the game at half-time after tries by Richard Fussell, Tom Willis and Lewis Evans helped put the Dragons in the driving seat. But the boot of Stephen Jones [...]
Clarke says teams are jealous
Northampton Saints centre Jon Clarke believes other teams are jealous of the level of support the Saints enjoy at Franklins Gardens. His comments follow Northampton’s 21-13 win over Worcester in the Guinness Premiership on Sunday. “Our home support is amazing and everyone is jealous of us and we want this to be our fortress,” Clarke [...]
Aussies ready for New Zealand showdown
Australia go into their Tri-Nations match against New Zealand knowing that only a victory will do in their quest to win back the Bledisloe Cup. The Wallabies make five changes to their side, bringing in centre Ryan Cross, hooker Stephen Moore, flanker George Smith, tight-head prop Al Baxter and lock Nathan Sharpe. All but Sharpe, [...]
Lawson signs up with Gloucester
Scotland international Scott Lawson has signed for Guinness Premiership side Gloucester from rivals Sale Sharks. Lawson has been brought in to fill the gap in the squad left by Ross McMillan, who has a long-term knee injury. Lawson, 26, who has 16 caps to his name has played only four Premiership games for Sale and [...]
Tigers maul Gloucester
Leicester Tigers gave new head coach Heyneke Meyer the best possible start yesterday by coming from behind to thrash Gloucester 20-8. Toby Flood kicked the Tigers into an early 6-0 lead before a Ryan Lamb penalty got the hosts on the board. Lamb missed a couple of simple kicks for Gloucester but Olly Morgan’s try [...]
Sale make winning start at Newcastle
Sale opened their Premiership campaign in the best possible way by beating Newcastle away from home 14-9. A Charlie Hodgson try and three Luke McAlister penalties proved good enough against a Falcons side which failed to create a single touchdown in response. The Falcons’ points all came from the boot of fly-half prospect Rory Clegg. [...]
Nutbrown signs for Ospreys
The Ospreys have finally signed New Zealand A scrum-half Jamie Nutbrown on a two-year deal from Waikato Chiefs. The 27-year-old had a year left on his contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union but the Welsh region successfully negotiated an early release. “As a person and a player, he has an excellent work ethic and [...]
Wasps start title defence with loss
The London Wasps began the defence of their Guinness Premeriship in the worst possible way going down 26-14 to London Irish at Twickenham. London Irsih went in at half time 13-0 up thanks to new signing Chris Hala’Ufia and converted penalties from Peter Hewat. Wasps got on the board with a converted Tom Rees try, [...]
No Wasps bias for Lions – Sackey
Paul Sackey believes Wasps director of rugby Ian McGeechan will show no favouritism to his club players when he takes charge of the 2009 Lions tour. Sackey is one of a number of Test stars at Wasps harbouring strong hopes of selection for the tour to South Africa. “Everyone says it’s a blessing (for Wasps [...]
Munster edge past Edinburgh
Munster opened their Magners League campaign with a narrow victory which flattered the defeated hosts. Keith Earls and David Wallace grabbed a try a piece as Munster went into a 17-9 half time lead which suprised their hosts. Ronan O’Gara kicked Munster further ahead before Paterson reduced the arrears with his fourth penalty. He then [...]
Ospreys look to continue success
Osprey’s winger Shane Williams is determined that the club must continue to push forward and pick up trophies. The 31-year-old Welsh international believes Ospreys have the ability in the team to be a real force and believes they never reached their full potential last year, despite lifting the EDF Energy cup. “The potential of the [...]
Wilkinson misses out on season opener
Jonny Wilkinson has been left out of the Newcastle Falcons squad for their first game of the season against Sale. The England fly-half is still recovering from shoulder surgery and hasn’t played in any of the Falcons’ pre-season games. England Under-18 fly-half Rory Clegg will be handed his debut and Newcastle director of rugby Steve [...]
Gloucester not up for sale despite report
Gloucester chairman Tom Walkinshaw has denied that a stake in the club is to be sold to a foreign investor. Reports that a businessman from Abu Dhabi was set to invest in Gloucester are said to be wide of the mark, but Walkinshaw admits the club are looking to generate funds. He commented, “I can [...]
Wasps offer fans best value for money
According to research from ACCA, Wasps offer their fans the best value for money when it comes to the price of their season tickets. The results are calculated by taking each team’s value in terms of players and assets, dividing that value by the cost of the mid-range season ticket from that team, and multiplying [...]
Burke joins Tigers staff
Paul Burke is the latest addition to Leicester Tiger’s backroom staff, after becoming the club’s new kicking coach. The 35-year-old former fly-half only ended his Leicester playing career in June, after failing to recover from a knee injury, but is delighted to remain with the club in a coaching capacity. He commented, “Coaching was something [...]
Samoa get record thumping
The All Blacks have inflicted Samoa with their worst ever Test defeat by taking them apart 101-14 in New Plymouth. New Zealand, who play Australia next week to decide the Tri-Nations title, recorded 15 tries with Mils Muliaina grabbing a hat-trick. Dan Carter scored six conversions to round off what was a comprehensive and ruthless [...]
Bath Away Rugby Shirt
The Bath away rugby shirt for the 08/09 season is equally as impressive as the home jersey. All Puma have done is swapped the colour scheme around, keeping the same classic design.
Satala set for Gloucester switch
Fijian Apo Satala could become a Gloucester player in the coming days, after coach Dean Ryan admitted he had impressed in a trial. The former Leeds man came off the bench against Glasgow in Gloucester’s 30-8 friendly victory and could provide vital firepower to the squad. Ryan commented, “We’ve got some great back row forwards [...]
King out with hamstring injury
Regan King will miss the start of the new season for Llanelli Scarlets after damaging his hamstring in pre-season training. The highly rated centre is expected to be out for four to six weeks, but coach Nigel Davies is philosophical about the situation. He commented, “These things happen, it gives a chance to the other [...]
Percy calls it a day
After becoming the first South Africa international to receive 100 caps, Percy Montgomery has decided to retire from International rugby. The 34-year-old played a major role in helping the Springboks lift the World Cup in France and has made 102 test appearances for the country, wracking up 893 points. He commented, “I have had many [...]
Cipriani in line for October return
Wasps and England fly-half Danny Cipriani believes he’ll be back in action by October if his rehabilitation continues to progress well. The 20-year-old suffered a horrendous ankle injury at the end of last season but believes he is well ahead of schedule to make his return. He commented to the BBC, I have been running [...]
