Clive Woodward: "I heard some shouts of "Boring, boring" last night, but it wasn’t coming from my wife in bed next to me." That’s how the England coach opened his last press…
Clearly New Zealand and France are headed for the World Cup final on November 22. It is written in the stars, for the stars, by the stars. Australia and England, whose stars are…
The Irish, armed only with Guiness and hope, turned up in their thousands (unlike the Aussies and French, there were 15 000 unsold tickets) to see what was supposed to be the…
Springbok captain Corne Krige found himself back in the midst of the World Cup action in Sydney last night — as a guest on the legendary Australian show <i>The Cream</i>.…
They came here with a record as bad as Puff the Magic Dragon. They leave with a reputation for breathing fire. If tries are what people come to see, Wales were the winners last…
With the group stages over, it is my privilege to name a Rugby World Cup 2003 Select XV, who will play Mars (or is it Uranus?) next week. That’s the problem with bloody World…
Suddenly everyone’s beatable. The World Cup is wide open. Saturday night’s sensational performance from Wales in Sydney has given all eight sides left in the competition new…
This was a sizzling Sunday. Ireland holding off the Pumas, England outlasting Samoa. England survived their toughest test of the World Cup here in Melbourne last night, producing…
Storm clouds are gathering around under-pressure coach Clive Woodward after England, incredibly, were seen to have an extra man on the field during their desperate 35-22 win over…
In theory it should be the greatest mismatch in the history of sport. If they were boxers, any sane doctor wouldn’t even let them get in to the ring togther. But this afternoon,…
Joost van der Westhuizen, hemmed in by a dozen English tape recorders at the team’s Fremantle hotel, is on the sharp end of the British interrogators before the Boer War:…
England captain Martin Johnson paid South Africa the ultimate rugby compliment yesterday when he described them as "the most physical side in the world". With Saturday’s Group C…
Okay, you’ve seen the stories suggesting England have slight injury problems before their crucial Pool C clash against South Africa on Saturday. The truth is, England may well be…
Tonight, after Australia have beaten Argentina, I shall walk in to the Leederville Hotel in Perth wearing only an England jersey. Oh, and the same pair of tracksuit trousers I’ve…
Did you know the Georgians claim to have ‘discovered’ wine- and rugby, which is derived from their own game, Lelo-Burti. For those unlucky buggers who pulled Georgia in the…
South Africa’s fortress in Fremantle doesn’t take kindly to my type. Poms, rooineks, colonial masters. Call us what you will. But when I snuck in to the Esplanade Hotel this…
England centre Will Greenwood hit back at South African skipper Corne Krige on Monday, hilariously accusing him of being the shortest captain in world rugby. His riposte came…
Okay, first big Rugby World Cup breakfast in Australia and guess what the front page headline reads on the West Australian? "Rejected sheep set for WA dumping". Yes, this is the…
Actually, England £2,2-million (R2,52-billion) and Georgia £20,000 (R229 800) would be the more accurate summary of the gulf between the two countries. Those figures show much…
England coach Clive Woodward was in a grumpy mood after naming his first side of the 2003 Rugby World Cup tournament. The smooth exterior we have witnessed up to this point…
