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 By Emma Thurston #OutOnTheFull As Nigel Owens blew the full time whistle at the Stade de France and Swing Low Sweet Chariot reverberated around the stadium the emotion poured out of England’s players. This time, at the end of a tournament, the England Rugby teams’ feelings were of elation and euphoria. On Saturday evening victory will have tasted even sweeter because France had turned up to the party and made England work work extremely hard to achieve the result and title. Eight weeks earlier this squad came together at Pennyhill... Read More

‘Greatness is defined by being able to do it on the big stage and the great thing about Saturday is that it is a big stage isn’t it?’ Eddie Jones was right, England hosting Wales is the largest of RBS 6 Nations stages and it was one that his side almost slipped up on. However this time around their opening endeavour and steely resolution guided them to a hugely satisfying 25-21 victory. The importance of Saturday’s victory cannot be underestimated, England needed to beat their fiercest rivals for several key... Read More

Four sports you never expected to see in rugby training   The last thing most people expect to see is a rugby player pirouetting around the gym or practicing his downward dog. With its deserved reputation as a tough guy sport, rugby is one of the most athletic and physically demanding disciplines there is, full of huge, muscular men. Such players would have once sniffed at the thought of trying yoga, ballet, crossfit or crossfit as they supped their post-match pint. After all, aren’t all those things just for girls... Read More

Amusing or serious most rugby stories reflect the camaraderie and great spirit that the game engenders in all those connected with it. These days, players keep fans up to date with Internet posts. Some stories, like David Pocock’s post about training with Malilangwe Scouts who protect rhinos from poachers while on vacation in Zimbabwe, have a serious message. Others are more fun; Paddy Jackson, for example, raises laughs with posts like his recent Instagram featuring him and Tommy Bowe posing in Marvel Superhero outfits. But what about past rugby tales?... Read More

THE MONEY IN RUGBY TOURNAMENTS      In recent years, international rugby tournaments have proven a tried-and-trusted method of bringing significant revenues to their hosting nations and cities. Major investment and marketing have reaped instant rewards, driving tourism, economic growth and a self-perpetuating, spiralling interest in the game. But how much money did a major rugby tournament such as the 2015 World Cup actually inject in to the UK economy? How did the revenues compare against other tournaments? And do the figures confirm that we can look forward to the golden... Read More

By Emma Thurston #OutOnTheFull         Eddie Jones was very clear about what he wanted his side to achieve during their trip to Rome, they were to give Italy a ‘good hiding’ and nothing less would suffice. When he stated this loud and clear for all to hear it was yet another indication of how things will be, and are, different under the forthright Australian. Some will say that his words fuelled Italy’s fire however from where I’m sitting, like everything that Eddie offers up to the media,... Read More

This year’s Canterbury kit design workshops saw students from the All Schools Programme learn about the history, heritage, values and importance of the rugby shirt. Bridgewater College Academy’s Jack Salter tells us about his experience so far: “I think that the kit design workshop was really effective. It was a great experience to have and the people running the day were very helpful in giving ideas which made it easier to finish the final design. We got the opportunity to look at all the other kits that they have made... Read More

The culture of rugby in the Six Nations The emergence of the elite sport tier since rugby became professional in 1995 has led to claims around the world that the game at grassroots level has been left behind. Certainly, the game is changing, but passion for the game is as strong as ever and national unions are working hard to keep it that way and bring in new players from an early age. England Since its early days on the playing fields of Rugby School, rugby in England has been... Read More

The Calcutta Cup has been a part of rugby history since 1882 and in recent years the fixture has been largely dominated by England. However leading into this year’s meeting the feeling was that it was going to be tighter, and closer, than ever before. Scotland’s World Cup was extremely productive and, by in large, positive whereas England’s was testing and taxing to say the very least. The view in Scotland, and many other places, was that this would be the year that the Scots finally re-gained the Calcutta Cup and in doing so... Read More

The first game to kick off the 6 nations is France v Italy. Both teams will want to start off with a good win. It’s Guy Noves first game in charge of the new look French team. He’s left a few big names out of his first squad, but they will be favourites and playing at home will give them a little advantage. I would like to see the French flair come out in their attacking game, moving the ball around to find space. Like the French we know of... Read More

With the Lions tour to New Zealand just over a year away, players from the home countries have just the upcoming Six Nations and that of 2017 to stake a claim for a place in the touring party and the chance to pit themselves against the reigning world rugby champions. But what does it take to be a Lion and who is in the running to wear that red jersey? New talent must prove itself: Lions touring parties typically include few, if any, uncapped players, the last one being Will... Read More