Barmy Barbarians’ rugby against England will set Twickenham alight June 13, 2022 Rugby union is a sport in which traditions are constantly debated and continually evolving, but one element of the oval ball sport that has remained untouched since the late 1800s is the Barbarians. Almost a World XV, the Barbarians are a group of players cobbled together under – usually – an existing international coach who [...]
Leicester and Saracens final offers far more than first versus second storyline June 12, 2022 For the sixth time in the last seven seasons, the Premiership final will be contested between the sides who finished in the top two places in the table. In Leicester Tigers and Saracens, English rugby is set to witness a clash between historic giants of the league and the newer dynasty from the capital. Saracens [...]
Ollie Phillips: Saracens have the ability to defeat champions Harlequins June 10, 2022 Should Saracens beat defending champions Harlequins in their Premiership semi-final this weekend, they’ll be the first team to reach the showpiece Twickenham final at the first attempt following promotion from the Championship. Mark McCall’s men have come back into the top flight with a vengeance this season. And while they’ll be disappointed to have missed [...]
Leicester legend Moody backs former club to win East Midlands semi-final June 9, 2022 Premiership rugby semi-finals come around twice a year, but an East Midlands knockout match comes around far fewer than that. The last time Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints faced off in an end-of-season top-four clash nearly a decade ago, it was the Black, Green and Golds who came out on top. But tomorrow, in the [...]
Average Premiership attendances fall compared to pre-pandemic figures June 8, 2022 Regular season attendances in English rugby’s top flight Premiership competition are, on average, 1,000 down on pre-pandemic levels. In data crunched by Morning Wire – and taking into account a series of factors – attendances in England’s top flight have fallen from 12,636 in the 2018-19 season, the last full season before the pandemic, to [...]
Jones picks exciting squad ahead of England showdown with Baabaas June 6, 2022 In Eddie Jones’s 35-man England squad for the upcoming uncapped match against the world famous Barbarians team, the Australian head coach has picked a group of largely young, exciting talents. With his player pool drained due to an inability to pick from the four Premiership sides who are in this weekend’s semi-finals, Jones has had [...]
La Rochelle: Coastal Atlantic outpost to European Champions May 30, 2022 “Ici, ici, c’est Stade Rochelais.” “Here, here, it’s La Rochelle.” The chanted hymn of the French outpost on the Atlantic coast – now European champions. From their humble beginnings, La Rochelle have risen through the ranks and, after promotion to France’s Top14 in 2014, have never looked like a side likely to slip up. They [...]
Exclusive: London Irish’s Ollie Hoskins on ‘easy’ decision to re-sign with club May 27, 2022 Australia prop Ollie Hoskins has signed a new long-term contract with London Irish – and insists it was an easy decision to recommit to the Premiership rugby club. “I’ve got a strong connection to the club. This is where I wanted to play and continue to develop my game,” Hoskins told Morning Wire “I can’t [...]
Ollie Phillips: Leinster should sneak tight Champions Cup final May 27, 2022 It’s going to be tight, Champions Cup finals usually are, but I think Leinster will win their fifth title tomorrow in Marseille. They have the physicality, they have the depth, and they’re stacked with match winners. They’re the favourites for sure. That said, it would be foolish to completely write off Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle [...]
New Zealand Rugby and SAP announce multi-year partnership May 26, 2022 New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and software company SAP have today announced a multi-year partnership that will see the German headquartered corporation partner the major Kiwi rugby teams. The deal, confirmed today, will “accelerate” the “digital transformation” of NZR and will see the two organisations look to innovate in areas such as crowd experience and sustainability. [...]