RUGBY WORLD CUP: 218 YEARS ON, TO THE DAY
‘NUFF SAID [...]
News
The Power of Sport
Let’s face it the news is pretty darn depressing these days: war in Ukraine, the Middle East a tinderbox and a terrorist atrocity on the streets of Brussels. Speaking to the Rust team, the only cheer and positivity is on the sports desk. They report on a late summer/early autumn of fine [...]
Sunday‘s quarter finals
Our readership has had plenty of opportunity to read of two more thrilling matches so I thought I would major on the coverage which, in my view, did not match the occasion. I was particularly irritated by David Flatman – the analyst for ITV’s coverage of France v South Africa. He [...]
The Saturday RWC quarter finals.
The two semi-final victories by Argentina and New Zealand prove that at the highest competitive levels it’s less about tactics and more about laying your body on the line for your country I remember the two football World Cup finals of 1974 and 1978, when Argentina beat Holland, the former had [...]
England 18 Samoa 17 (Rugby World Cup)
As befits my standing as a sports editor I am inherently interested in most games and sports and regard the “thrill” of watching them in their various elite forms as one of the greatest joys that human beings can experience, not least because of the special atmosphere that great stadia filled [...]
Team Europe 16 1/2 – USA 11 1/2
I am sure I was not alone on Sunday afternoon in fearing USA would overhaul Team Europe as simply whilst there was litttle to choose between the best on either side. The Americans had greater depth. If a European rookie like Ludwig Aberg was paired against a serial major winner like Brooks Koepka [...]
Ryder Cup / Day One
Team Europe established a commanding lead (6 and a 1/2 v. 1 and a 1/2) but you cannot yet call this winning as there is a scenario whereby the USA could come back today winning say 5-3 and are back in the game. I do not think this will happen as 1) Luke Donald is a better captain than Zack Johnson, [...]
Ryder Cup Review
The bookies have both sides almost identical which seems right. The Americans have the world number one – Scottie Scheffler – who is experiencing putting problems and has never played a Ryder Cup foursomes – and number five Patrick Cantlay, meanwhile the Europeans have numbers [...]
Answered prayers/Duncan Hamilton
Duncan Hamilton is rightly acclaimed as one of our best – if not the best – sports biographer. It’s not a literary field crammed with talent. Most ghosted sports biographies are dull with some revelation for the serialisation in a newspaper. Duncan Hamilton writes on major but [...]
The Tanner Report: Fulham 1 Luton O
When in the season you play a team is key. Luton are just promoted, lost their first three games and – angered that Garth Crooks in midweek predicted their relegation by Xmas – brought many and raucous supporters. Fulham are regarded as soft, the sort of game from which you might come [...]