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RBS Man of the Championship: 2010 Six Nations

Josh Houston — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:16:17 +0000

Now that the 2010 6 Nations tournament is at a close, who is the 'man of the championship'? I've narrowed it down to four players, although I'm quite certain in my opinion who the 'man of the championship' is.

Lack of Leadership Hurting England

Josh Houston — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:43:12 +0000

Martin Johnson

Something that stood out for me in this past weekend’s match up between Ireland and England was a severe lack of leadership on the English side. I’ve never cared for Steve Borthwick for captain and lately he’s been a bit of a ghost as player too.

Week after week, it seems as though Martin Johnson is still the skipper for England as he is the one answering all of the questions and making comments such as, “we should have adjusted to this” and “we needed to be doing that”. The on field adjustments that Johnson is speaking of are things that are supposed to be taken care of ON the pitch, not after the match has ended. Johnson does deserve some criticism for his sides play of late, but I feel that he’s taking a bit too much. Where is the leadership on this team?

If it’s not Johnson taking the brunt of the criticism, it’s Johnny Wilkinson. I understand Wilko is susceptible to extra criticism given his talismanic position within English rugby. But I am so sick of him having to defend his teams play and his own when he is far the cause of England’s woes.

Ireland are a great example of leadership in world rugby at the moment. Brian O’Driscoll is always in command of his side and Paul O’Connell provides excellent back up, keeping the forwards focused.

This team needs a leader and it is not Steve Borthwick. I always admired Tom Croft for his work rate and energy and thought he was well suited for the captaincy. He’s young and a bit inexperienced, but I just can’t come up with another player to lead this team. Croft hasn’t seen any action in the 6 Nations though. Any suggestions for a new English captain?

[caption id="attachment_739" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Martin Johnson"][/caption] Something that stood out for me in this past weekend's match up between Ireland and England was a severe lack of leadership on the English side. I've never cared for Steve Borthwick for captain and lately he's been a bit of a ghost as player too. Week after week, [...]

Is the 2010 Six Nations the resurrection of Jonny Wilkinson?

Vic Drover — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:34:00 +0000

Once the darling of English rugby and architect of the 2003 World Cup (see the ‘kick heard round the world’ in the video above), Jonny Wilkinson (biography) suffered years of injury-stricken absence from the top English national side, though remained influential in England’s uninspired defense of their title at the 2007 World Cup.

Despite making the 2007 World Cup final, England’s world ranking has dropped from 1st (2003) to a record low of 8th (2009). Apparently, as goes Wilkinson’s form, so goes England’s world rankings.

IRB World Rankings, 2003-2010

Having just renewed his contract with French Top 14 club Toulon, Wilkinson returned to the English fold today in impressive form in the centenary match against the Welsh at Twickenham.

He was quick to the contact area, deft in distribution, and perfect in his goal kicking. Most importantly, he didn’t get injured and brought home a deserved 30-17 win for his country.

While there is a lot of Six Nations actions remaining in the coming weeks, England will be making a strong run to win the Championship if Wilkinson can tighten up his clearing kicks, remain healthy and keep today’s form.

That’s a lot of ‘ifs’, but I think today’s match marks the resurrection of Wilkinson and likely means we’ll be seeing him in England’s 2011 World Cup squad.

Goodbye American Football, hello 2010 Six Nations: everything you wanted know about the Championship but were afraid to ask

Josh Houston — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:52:54 +0000

This weekend kicks off the 2010 Six Nations Championship with a strong Irish team looking to defend their Grand Slam from last year, with England, Scotland, Wales and France eager to dethrone them.

Top ten tries from the 2009 Six Nations

Vic Drover — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:46:21 +0000

If you're thinking of skipping any of the 2010 Six Nations action, this look back at the most exciting tries from the 2009 championship will change your mind.

IRB updates its Rugby Sevens promotional video for the 2016 Olympics

Vic Drover — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 02:43:35 +0000

Back when the International Rugby Board was still pushing the IOC to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Olympics, they released a video promoting the excitement and principles of the sport. Since officially being selected for the games in Rio, the IRB has updated its video. Enjoy!

Was O’Sullivan really the problem all along?

Josh Houston — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:23:14 +0000

After a dissapointing RWC 2007 campaign where Ireland were slotted to make at least a semi-final appearance and in some circles even a final appearance and an even more dissapointing 2008 6 Nations appearance, it was believed Ireland were in a decline and the so called "golden age" of Irish rugby would never come to fruition. Considering the fact that Ireland has the same general pool of players it did with Eddie O'Sullivan under the helm, was O'Sullivan the one holding the team back?

Firm refereeing at the international level: thank-you Jonathon Kaplan!

Vic Drover — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:45:40 +0000

None of this compares however to the feeling i get while watching test rugby. Since the skill level is so high, the referees generally allow many things that would be free-kicks or penalties at the amateur level. The best example is the use of hands in the ruck. It is generally now accepted that the ball carrier will twist his body (when possible) and stick the ball out of the back of the ruck. It is very rare these days to actually see other participants in the ruck actually using their feet to free-up the ball.

Despite loss to England, French showcase the players and style of rugby’s future

Vic Drover — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:55:05 +0000

For 65 minutes on Saturday, every English fan of rugby union watched with bated breath as two young, inexperienced French half-backs poked and prodded their countrymen to within 3 points of their opponents, the aging English juggernaut.

A resurgent Ireland triumphs over Scotland

Josh Houston — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:18:45 +0000

In one of three exciting Six Nations matches this past weekend, Ireland with an impressive 5-try effort emerged victorious over Scotland. Ireland flashed memories of last year’s Six Nations further quelling any speculation that after their disappointing World Cup campaign that they were on a downturn. After narrowly defeating Italy in their opening match and staging a miraculous, near victory comeback against France in Paris, Ireland appear to have rediscovered their form from a year ago.