Stuart Lancaster’s England reign summarised in stats: did he do better than Rugby World Cup disaster suggests? November 11, 2015 England are on the hunt for a new head coach after the RFU and Stuart Lancaster decided it was best for both parties for him to step down following a disastrous World Cup campaign. The World Cup ignominy will linger long in England fans' memories, but how did how did the rest of his time [...]
Sam Burgess lacked the stomach to stay in rugby union, insists Bath head coach Mike Ford November 10, 2015 Code-switcher Sam Burgess did not have the stomach to fight for a rugby union future following a turbulent World Cup campaign, according to jilted Bath head coach Mike Ford. Burgess last week quit the 15-man code and returned to former rugby league club South Sydney Rabbitohs despite being just 12 months into his rugby union [...]
New Zealand Rugby World Cup triumph boosts All Blacks brand value by £25m November 6, 2015 New Zealand's show of sporting supremacy at the Rugby World Cup boosted the All Blacks brand value by $37m (£24.6m), according to brand valuation and consultancy firm Brand Finance. The All Blacks brand, the most valuable in rugby, is now estimated to be worth $169m following a successful campaign in which the iconic rugby team [...]
How much did Sam Burgess cost rugby union? Highest-paid player in Premiership leaves Bath for South Sydney Rabbitohs November 6, 2015 Sam Burgess has returned to rugby league and the South Sydney Rabbitohs after an ill-fated but lucrative year in rugby union. The England international will move to Australia to reunite with his family and a club where he is worshipped as a hero, yet questions will still be asked why the union establishment failed to make [...]
England v New Zealand match at Olympic Stadium can help us grow the game in London, says Rugby Football League boss Nigel Wood November 5, 2015 Not only is it a chance to topple the globe’s No1 ranked team and gain revenge for World Cup heartache, but England’s showdown with New Zealand at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday is the next instalment of rugby league’s quest to unlock a latent capital fanbase. London has not staged international rugby league since a [...]
Kyran Bracken: RFU review into England Rugby World Cup shambles an embarrassing whitewash – but whole northern hemisphere needs to do some soul searching November 4, 2015 Northern hemisphere rugby has a lot to worry about because on the basis of this World Cup the Six Nations appears to be a long way off the Rugby Championship. The brilliant final between Australia and New Zealand wasn’t just settled by penalties or drop goals but also included five tries from two of [...]
How the All Blacks win: New Zealand Rugby chief Steve Tew on how the World Cup champions sustain a winning culture and what other businesses can learn from their success November 3, 2015 By now you’ll have heard all the accolades and statistics: The first team to successfully defend a Rugby World Cup, the first nation to win the tournament three times and a historical win ratio over 75 per cent. Not only are New Zealand’s All Blacks one of sport’s most successful dynasties – there are very few [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 analysis: Who came out on top off the pitch – England, the All Blacks or Australia? November 2, 2015 An Australia v New Zealand final was a great spectacle for the fans and the sport, but with such a distinct lack of home nation representation,there was a nagging feeling of ‘what if?’ for England fans. Their early exit in the group stages came as an unwelcome surprise to sponsors and brands alike, with some [...]
What time is the Rugby World Cup final 2015: Here’s what most people are searching about the final between Australia’s Wallabies and New Zealand’s All Blacks October 31, 2015 The Rugby World Cup final has just kicked off as New Zealand and Australia go head-to-head this afternoon. Fans of both two-time winning teams will be glued to the game now, but in the past hours have been googling frenetically, with search traffic spiking as nerves mounted ahead of the game. Google Trends search data [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 final New Zealand v Australia preview: Five stats that could decide the All Blacks’ showdown with the Wallabies October 30, 2015 It's been billed as the dream final: Antipodean neighbours New Zealand and Australia, the two best teams in the world, duking it out over 80 minutes for the Rugby World Cup. It's the No1 ranked side in the world and reigning world champions up against this year's resurgent Rugby Championship winner for the chance to [...]