Rugby Comment: We’re vastly improved and ready for Toulon May 22, 2014 NERVES are a positive thing. They bring the best out in everyone, add something to an occasion and there are few bigger than the Heineken Cup final. The overall emotion in the dressing room though is excitement. We’ve had tough games recently in the Premiership and Heineken Cup and that’s always brought the best out [...]
Monitise triumph in O2 Rugby challenge May 19, 2014 HAVING ex-rugby player Alastair Lukies as your founder and counting ex-pros such as Matt Perry as employees makes for a formidable corporate rugby team, as Monitise proved by winning the O2 Touch Rugby challenge at Twickenham last week. They beat the likes of Canada Police and Santander to take the title. The winning [...]
More ticket woe as Rugby World Cup early seat sale postponed May 15, 2014 TODAY’S planned sale of Rugby World Cup tickets has been postponed after Ticketmaster said it needed extra time to prepare its website, just days after their Commonwealth Games sale process was plunged into chaos. The first 500,000 seats for next autumn’s showpiece were due to be available to members of the Rugby Community Ticketing Programme [...]
Rugby Comment: Nausea and headaches gone, we’re ready for Clermont April 24, 2014 I HARDLY remember anything of the incident that knocked me out and left me concussed in the Heineken Cup quarter-final win over Ulster three weeks ago. I can recall the moment just before jumping, but not the leap, catching the ball, the impact from Jared Payne, the bumpy landing, being carried off in a neck [...]
European rugby future resolved April 10, 2014 RUGBY UNION: The European Rugby Champions Cup is to replace the Heineken Cup next season, it has been confirmed. A second competition, the European Rugby Challenge Cup, will offer a route into the top tournament, while Italian and minor sides will take part in a qualifying competition. BT and Sky are set to share rights.
Rugby Comment: Man in street right about England progress March 20, 2014 A MAN stopped me in the street this week and shared his thoughts on how England fared at the Six Nations. He said that while the second-place finish was ultimately the same as 12 months ago, the fact that we went so close to the title and won the last match made a huge difference. [...]
End to Euro rugby row in sight as clubs and unions close in on deal March 17, 2014 EUROPEAN club rugby looks all but certain to remain on the calendar next season amid growing optimism that a deal to establish a successor to the Heineken Cup will be signed this week. Officials representing clubs and the unions of the Six Nations met for further talks in Paris yesterday in an attempt to finalise [...]
Rugby Comment: Wales are the benchmark, it’s time to step up March 6, 2014 WALES pride themselves on their rugby. For them, playing against England on Sunday is a huge game, their biggest. They’ve become a top team over the last three years and have probably become the benchmark, so for us, it’s a massive test. There are other teams at the top that can still win the Six [...]
Poles apart: FX trader will join rugby stars’ trek to North Pole March 3, 2014 WHAT do you get when you mix an Arctic explorer with some ex-England rugby internationals and an FX chief executive? The Capitalist found out last night having hotfooted it to the Shepherd’s Bush HQ of LMAX Exchange – you get a well financed rugby match at the North Pole. The financial exchange company has teamed [...]
Rugby Comment: How I prepare for a Six Nations clash February 20, 2014 SINCE narrowly losing our Six Nations opener in France, our focus has been on emulating Wales, who recovered last year to win the title. We were clinical against Scotland in our next match and the whole England squad is excited to play our first game at Twickenham this year, against Ireland tomorrow. I’m not surprised [...]